Capitalism
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The heroes of finance and Powell’s put by michael roberts
At the weekend G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bankers in Japan, the world’s finance leaders tried to put a brave face on the situation. Tension over the intensifying trade war between China and the US was the biggest talking point at the meetings. Officials also wrangled over wording for a final communique on… Continue reading
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North American, European Public: Finally Wake Up, Damn It! By Andre Vltchek
I see great cities like Homs in Syria, reduced to horrifying ruins. I see Kabul and Jalalabad in Afghanistan, fragmented by enormous concrete walls intended to protect NATO occupation armies and their local puppets. I see monstrous environmental devastation in places such as Indonesian Borneo, Peruvian gold mining towns, or the by now almost uninhabitable… Continue reading
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Books: Environment, Labor, and Capitalism at Sea
Working at sea in the fishing industry is 115 times more dangerous than the UK average. It’s a startling statistic, that is usually explained by the idea that the sea is “dangerous.” Penny McCall Howard’s important book is a detailed examination of why this explanation is incorrect . Continue reading
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Zizek: Only a pan-European left can defeat ‘populism’
There were some spectacular details, such as the crushing defeat of both main parties in the United Kingdom. However, these should not blind us to the basic fact that nothing really big and surprising happened. Yes, the populist new right did make progress, but it remains far from a prevailing trend. Continue reading
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Don’t Despair Because Of The Climate Collapse. Use It As A Motivator For Revolution
To confront the climate crisis, we all need to reassess how we view our place in life. As we head for a future where the water levels could be raised seven feet by 2100, where large parts of the planet will become uninhabitable because of how hot they’ll be, and where fascism and violence proliferate as a consequence of… Continue reading
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The global assault on jobs
An article in the Sydney Morning Herald titled “Investors cheer as Telstra wields the axe on costs” summed up the attitude of the corporate-financial oligarchy to the destruction of workers’ livelihoods and families. Continue reading
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Court Docs: Monsanto Paid Chemical Industry Front Group To Claim Cancer-Causing Weedkiller ‘Safe’ and Attack Its Critics
Monsanto paid a shadowy chemical industry front group to help push back against the mounting scientific evidence that the company’s signature Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, court documents reveal. Continue reading
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South Africa: A new dawn — or an impending storm By Terry Bell
Minimum wage legislation, introduced on January 1, was supposed to herald the first pale rays of a promised new dawn. This promise would be consolidated once the ANC again held the reins of national power with Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa in the top job. Continue reading
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WATCH: Seizing the Means of Production A Spotlight on Greece’s Occupied Worker-Run Factory
[CC – Greek, English] Workers have successfully self-managed the production of environmentally-friendly cleaning products for the last six years in the occupied factory Vio.Me. There are no bosses in this factory on the east side of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city. Workers have been in full control since occupying the factory in 2013, two years… Continue reading
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Death of South Africa’s Lonmin Mining House. “Murder by Money” By Prof. Patrick Bond
The death of the 110-year old mining house Lonmin at a London shareholders meeting on May 28 occurred not through bankruptcy or nationalisation, as would have been logical at various points in time. It was the result of a takeover – generally understood as a rip-off of investors and workers – by an extremely jejune… Continue reading
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Britain: lessons of the European elections – general election the only way forward By Rob Sewell
As expected, the European elections saw a huge victory for the Brexit Party, which took 32 percent of the vote in Britain. This clearly reflects the frustrations of many people about the paralysis in Parliament and the failure of politicians to agree on a path for Britain’s departure from the EU. Continue reading
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The New Authoritarians
David Renton discusses his new book The New Authoritarians: Convergence on the Right. Although the new wave of right-wing politicians is not fascist, it is dangerous and must be studied closely in order for the left to have a chance to fight back. The book focuses on the U.S, UK and France, and shows the…(inc.… Continue reading
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UN report on UK poverty – “systemic immiseration” of millions across the UK
Whilst the news headlines are dominated with the continued implosion of the Conservative Party who now aim to have a third leader in as many years whilst Britain circles the plughole, the reality of the crisis of daily life for half the population continues to worsen. Continue reading
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Books: Review of Alan Nasser’s, Overrripe Economy
Alan Nasser’s Overripe Economy is a profound historical look at the U.S. economy from the 1870s on that not only brings the lessons of its history and development up to the present, but offers deep insights into the economic bases for its “degeneration” from rapacious but productive capitalism to its present financialized capitalism replete with… Continue reading
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Global slump: the trade and technology trigger by michael roberts
Despite all the optimistic talk by President Trump about the state of the US economy, the latest data on economic activity and industrial production suggest that America is joining Europe and Japan in a sharp slowdown as we enter the second half of 2019. And this is at a time when the trade and technology… Continue reading
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Theresa May Cries As She Announces June 7 Resignation By Tyler DURDEN
Though it’s initial reaction was muted, GBP has moved decidedly higher in recent trade (after a brief selloff following May’s announcement), putting the British currency on track to end its record two-week losing streak of uninterrupted declines. Continue reading
The New Dark Age 