Lead story

Greece needs break with EU

by our European Affairs correspondent

THOUSANDS of workers and pensioners marched through Athens on Tuesday in anger at the Syriza- led government’s attempts to appease the Troika of the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission with more cuts to avoid defaulting on the Euro-debt that is crippling the country.

Greece must repay the International Monetary Fund €1.6 billion by 30th June or be declared in default, potentially triggering a bank run and capital controls. But the best efforts of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to buy time by playing off Franco-German imperialism against Russia to secure yet another “bail-out” have, so far, failed to shift the Troika, who are demanding their pound of flesh from the suffering Greek people.

The protest headed by the communist-led PAME workers’ front called for a mass mobilisation to block Tsipras’ savage new cuts. “The solution is to be found in the struggles under the banners of the workers and people’s interests, on the basis of our rights and needs and not those of the bosses,” PAME says.

“The solution is to be found in the confrontation in the workplaces, in the complete counter-attack against our exploiters, who are the only ones to have profited from the new barbaric measures.

Read the full story here >>

Greece needs break with EU

No more cuts!

by New Worker correspondent

THOUSANDS took to the streets of London to protest against more austerity measures last Saturday. Around 250,000 people marched through central London to demonstrate against the renewed ruling class offensive of the Cameron government.

Every major trade union was well represented along with many of the minor ones, community groups and peace movements like Stop the War and CND, anti-fascist campaigns like UAF, freedom and justice campaigns, NHS and housing campaigns, religious and pensioner groups, phalanxes of people in wheelchairs and thousands and thousands of noisy and colourful students — all together and all with one message: “No more cuts!”

The march from the Bank of England to Parliament Square was tiring for many but they packed the square to listen to speeches from Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, singer Charlotte Church, Diane Abbott MP and of course Jeremy Corbyn MP, who is standing for the Labour leadership.

He spoke of the ruin that the banking crisis had caused and the increasing inequality with a million depending on food banks and people sleeping in the streets.

Read the full story here >>

No more cuts

Editorial

The Spark

JEREMY Corbyn getting enough nominations to be on the Labour Party leadership ballot paper is the best thing that has happened to the political left in Britain for many, many years. After decades of retreat and defeat, of being marginalised and scorned; at last we have a figurehead to rally round and hundreds of thousands are doing just that.

Does he stand a chance of being elected leader? Who knows? A couple of weeks ago it seemed impossible but things are changing fast.

Can he bring socialism to Britain? Not from inside the Houses of Parliament. Can the support he is winning shake the British capitalist establishment? It probably already has. They were trying to persuade us all that the working class as a political force had died and was buried.

Since Thatcher was elected in 1979 the attacks on working class organisation and our living standards have been relentless. From the post-war era of economic expansion and rising wages we have been plunged back to the conditions of a century ago with welfare provision for the elderly, sick and disabled vanishing fast.

Living standards are tumbling; we are no longer secure in our jobs and homes and the spectre of real destitution and hunger haunts us all.

Read the full story here >>

The Spark