Since the beginning of the 21st cenÂtury, the Left has won elections in most Latin American countries, in a powerful wave of popular rejection of the disastrous neoliberal policies of the previous regimes. One must however distinguish between two quite different sorts of left governments:
Time for an Independent Party
6 July 2016, byThe perennial dream on the left of a mass breakaway of progressives from the Democrats to a left third party has been stillborn since the days of Eugene Debs, who made this appeal to progressive Democrats in 1904:
Despite Progress, LGBTI Latin Americans Still Fighting for Their Lives
6 July 2016, byLGTBI people in Latin America and the Caribbean continue to be criminalized and killed because of who they are and who they love.
Rainbow pride flags are flying throughout the hemisphere this week, in celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
Britain - 10 days of political turmoil
5 July 2016, bySince the British referendum on June 23, the situation has been moving at an unprecedented pace. The pound fell dramatically to the lowest level since 1985 and Britain lost its Triple AAA credit rating. The possibility of a recession is a very real one.
True colors – What does Orlando mean?
4 July 2016, byOn 12 June 2016, Omar Mateen killed 49 people in the LGBTIQ nightclub Pulse in Orlando, during a LatinX theme night introduced by trans performers. The overwhelming majority of the victims were LatinX or Black.
Political Revolution — What Is It?
4 July 2016, byThe “political revolution” proclaimed by Bernie Sanders refuses to fold its tents in the wake of the Democratic primary season. Although Hillary Clinton is the Democratic presidential nominee, Sanders and his movement promise to carry the fight to the Philadelphia convention, and beyond — in some form (or several) still very much remaining to be determined. We’ve solicited several perspectives in this issue of Against the Current which appear in the section on “Bernie and Beyond.”
Valls doesn’t see the end of the tunnel
3 July 2016, byThe Valls government will not manage to stifle the rejection of the labour law before July 5, the date when it returns to the National Assembly for a final vote. Most likely he will not be able to avoid having recourse to article 49.3, unless he really retreats on the content of the projected law.
A midsummer’s night’s bewilderment
2 July 2016, byWithout doubt, we were expecting a better night. The Spanish state elections of June 26, 2016 definitively marked the end of the first stage of the political cycle opened with the eruption of Podemos in the European elections of May 25, 2014, which in turn was a product, not in a mechanical way, of the blast of May 2011. The results for Podemos were unprecedented in retrospective terms, but have been clearly below expectations and possibilities. Why it was not possible to make the much desired sorpasso (overtaking) of the PSOE? The fiasco took us and others by surprise. This is not to draw lessons after the event explaining a failure that no one saw coming, but if at least try to understand why it happened.