This statement was issued by the Bureau of the Fourth International on 12 August 2015.
Corruptions, Scandals and the Charade of Indian Parliamentary Politics
12 August 2015, byRecent events in the monsoon parliament session gives lie to the charade of the political democracy in India. Slogans and stunts from the opposition parties have been raining, demanding resignation of the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia for their involvement in corruption scams. Sushma Swaraj purportedly acted in a ‘humanitarian’ interest to help Lalit Modi. All this seems straight out of a comedy skit, but the tragic part is, this is the reality of Indian politics.
François Vercammen (1944-2015) - Internationalist, theoretician and activist
11 August 2015, byFrançois Vercammen longstanding leader of the Fourth International and its Belgian section died on June 16 2015. Previous tributes were published by International Viewpoint shortly after his death here. Here we publish the contribution of Jan Malewski, editor of Inprecor and member of the Bureau of the Fourth International made at the memorial meeting held in Brussels on July 3.
Tremendous success of the 32nd International Youth Camp in Belgium!
8 August 2015, byThe 32nd International Youth Camp of the Fourth International took place in Belgium between July 26th and August 1st. The Socialistische Arbeiderspartij – Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (SAP-LCR), Belgian section of the Fourth International, took the initiative to organize this year’s youth camp. The camp was held in the natural park Hoge Rielen, a lovely location for a week of political exchanges between revolutionaries from Europe and worldwide. Participants came from Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Spanish State, Switzerland, United States and Western Sahara. All political aspects of the camp were self-organized by the youth participants who themselves established the programme. From the balance sheet that was made within each delegation and brought in common at the last meeting of the political coordination of the camp, we have tried to give an overview of the most remarkable highlights.
Ireland’s victory for marriage equality - how Irish was it? And how much a victory?
6 August 2015, byI very much liked Sinéad Kennedy’s piece on the yes to same-sex marriage in the Irish referendum. I share her sense that the 62% yes vote on May 22 was an impressive progressive victory. At the same time, I strongly agree with her statement, “As a political objective, same-sex marriage sits comfortable with prevailing neoliberal ideology.” I would like to add a few comments about how the Irish yes was both an episode in a fast-moving international saga and a very Irish event in a very Irish story. I think this can help us understand how the outcome was both progressive and not-so-progressive at the same time.
Ireland’s victory for marriage equality - the birth of a new political imagination?
5 August 2015, byThe Irish electorate’s recent resounding “yes” to the question of marriage equality for LGBT people (62% of the electorate, approximately 1.2 million, voted in favour the proposal) briefly turned the international spotlight on Ireland for reasons other than its imploding economic and banking system. Ireland is the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote. This is a significant achievement in and of itself, made all the more remarkable by the fact that it occurred in a country that did not decriminalise (male) homosexual activity until 1993 (after it was compelled to by the European Court of Human Rights), and which only legalised divorce in 1995 by the narrowest of margins. The Irish and international media were quick to proclaim the referendum result a victory for the forces of social liberalisation that put Ireland at the “vanguard of social change” and a defeat for the Catholic Church and its once dominant hegemonic position in Irish society.
Corbyn for Labour leader – a remarkable campaign
4 August 2015, byAfter the shock result of the British General election on May 7 in which the Conservatives won an outright majority, defeated Labour leader Ed Milliband announced his resignation within hours of the polls closing. Deputy leader Harriet Harman took over as acting leader and the process was set in train whereby a new leader of the Labour Party will be announced on September 12.
There will be four candidates on the ballot paper. Liz Kendall, currently bottom in opinion polls, is the most consistently right wing – an open admirer of former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Andy Burnham, former Shadow Health Minister and Yvette Cooper former Shadow Home Secretary are the candidates of the status quo.
Front runner Jeremy Corbyn is the candidate of the left. An active part of the anti-austerity movement, heavily involved in the anti-war movement, and a consistent supporter of the Palestinian people, Corbyn is rumoured to have broken the whip (refused to vote as instructed by the parliamentary group bosses) more than anyone else in Parliament.
Below we print a statement from Socialist Resistance on the remarkable campaign Corbyn has sparked.
The struggle against the effects of climate change and for solidarity
4 August 2015, by ,Badrul Alam, a representative of the BKF-BKS movement in Bangladesh, was in France in June 2015 and was interviewed by Pierre Rousset.
Connecting Sanders’ Audience’s Aspirations to Clear Working Class Political Alternatives
2 August 2015, byThe following document was discussed at Solidarity’s 2015 Convention last weekend and approved by a majority vote, with the addendum that our organization also has many members engaged in the Green Party and that we support their work and the Jill Stein campaign. This resolution is intended to outline an approach to the Sanders campaign and his supporters, and not as an evaluation as Sanders himself or his political views.