Celebrating International Women's Day

Pictures of women in struggle and socialist demands from women comrades in India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sweden were on display at the Socialist Party all-London public meeting to celebrate International Women's Day.

Claire Buddle Walthamstow

Hannah Waterson, a young member from Leyton branch, spoke on fashion and body image. She drew together issues of low wages and workers' conditions in the rag trade and advertising and young people's vulnerability combined with their economic power. She also outlined how cuts and privatisation in the NHS meant that it was failing to meet the mental health needs of young women affected by self-hatred and eating disorders.

The wide-ranging discussion touched on capitalism's commodification of every human impulse and need and how it distorts relationships between the sexes. Advances previously made by women through struggle have been rolled back, shown by the rise of "raunch" culture and the denigration of women in magazines like Nuts and Heat.

Marking the 90th anniversary year of the Russian revolution, Paula Mitchell spoke on the role of women garment workers in leading workers onto the streets on International Women's Day, to demand bread at the start of the 1917 February revolution (see pages 6 and 7). The meeting listened intently to Paula's excellent description, and we agreed that we needed more of these inspiring accounts of workers taking power and discussion on what we can learn from the events that truly shook the world.

Visit the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI) website (www.socialistworld.net), to read reports from women around the world fighting for socialist ideas.

Socialist Party women's day school: 17 March, 10am-6pm. Charterhouse in Southwark, 40 Tabard Street (off Long Lane), London SE1. £8/£4. Contact Eleanor Donne 01268 546438; Jane James 020 8988 8762.

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In this issue

£billions for rich... Pennies for us!

Minimum wage insult

Socialist Party NHS campaign

UNISON Health group votes for summer demo

Hewitt's 'day of exchange'

Socialist Party news and analysis

Fighting the cuts in Camden

Lambeth council attacks services for vulnerable people

Barking BNP don't oppose council cuts

Lewisham council's outrageous attack

Kurdish asylum seekers living in fear

Northern Ireland and Scotland

Northern Ireland Assembly elections: Another sectarian headcount...

We Won't Pay Campaign conference success

Solidarity builds party profile ahead of elections

Marxist analysis: history

February revolution 1917 - what lessons for today?

International socialist news and analysis

US continues threats over Iran's nuclear ambitions

Iraq war: Convicted Bush official is 'fall guy' over WMD scandal

International Women's Day

Celebrating International Women's Day

Housing

Tenants vote no to council housing sell-off

Market-driven 'social housing' threatens tenants

Environment and socialism

Will government plans stop climate change?

Socialist Students

Build the campaign to defeat fees

International Socialist Resistance (ISR) and Socialist Students conference

Campaign for a New Workers Party

Trade Unions and the Labour Party: CWU branch asks some awkward questions

Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference

Workplace news and analysis

Reinstate Dave Condliffe now

UNISON leaders lead members into dead end

SOUTHAMPTON council strike

PCS prepares for more struggles

Right wins lecturers' union leadership - on a 14% turnout