The Socialist 18 July 2012

March and strike against austerity

March and strike against austerity

Miliband and Labour - no real alternative to Con-Dems

Tories stick the boot in on care funding

Oppose the closure of the Independent Living Fund

Witch-hunting Unison leadership "shabby" declares judge

Wales NHS - Reject the Case for Cuts report

Them... & Us

Support striking Remploy workers!

RMT cleaners Trans-Pennine Express strike

Fighting against exploitation of seafarers and port workers

Olympics: The greatest sporting, and money-making, show on earth

Olympics G4S scandal shows failure of privatisation

Olympic-watch

Bosses bank in on corporate olympics - we get austerity!

Teachers fight school privatisation

Top-up fees: £50,000 debt leads to to 50,000 less students

Southampton: two Labour councillors vote against Labour council cuts

Bristol protests counter racist EDL

Tolpuddle festival shows fightback needed today

Obituary: Reg Fitch

Brazil: 'Miracle' economy slows

Spain: Class struggle erupts

Solidarity picket of Turkish Airlines

Review: BBC TV documentary "When I get older"

Bankers are "useless mouths"

Music review: Long live the struggle by The King Blues

Previous issues, etc

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Spain: Class struggle erupts

After marching for 19 days striking coal miners from Asturias and Leon arrived in Madrid on 11 July to demand that the right wing Popular Party government of prime minister Mariano Rajoy reverses his decision to slash subsidies to the industry and protect jobs. On arriving, the miners were greeted by thousands of supporters, trade unionists and anti-austerity protesters. True to form, Spanish police attacked the rally firing rubber bullets and making arrests.

Last month Rajoy boasted that the European Union bailout of Spain's banks meant avoiding making further budget cuts to the economy. However, in a volte face he announced to parliament a new raft of austerity measures and tax increases amounting to €65 billion. This included ending the Christmas pay bonus to civil servants, whose main trade union threatened strike action.

Unemployment is already at 25% (over 50% youth unemployment) and one in four Spaniards have been pushed into poverty by the recession and cutbacks.

The depth of the economic crisis has ushered in the most intense period of working class struggle in recent months. The bank bailouts and austerity measures will do nothing to solve the problems of Spanish capitalism. On the contrary, they can only deepen the recession.

Only a working class government, on the basis of socialist policies, is capable of charting a way out of this impasse.

In this issue

Socialist Party news and analysis

March and strike against austerity