Spanish elections: Socialist Party trounced – new right wing government faces acute capitalist crisis The results of the Spanish elections on Sunday November 20 represented a massive defeat for the Socialist Party (PSOE) which had introduced austerity measures to make the workers pay for the capitalist crisis, rather than a victory for the right wing Popular Party (PP) which will now have to introduce even more savage austerity cuts in the face of the acute crisis of Spanish capitalism.
Spain 15O: massive demonstrations against capitalist crisis Hundreds of thousands of people, certainly well over a million, took to the streets of Spain on October 15 to express, once again, their indignation at the crisis of capitalism and the austerity plans which are being introduced to make working people pay for it.
Spain: Massive demonstrations of the “indignados” – call for a general strike grows Surpassing all expectations, hundreds of thousands of people once again took to the streets of cities and towns across Spain on June 19 in the largest demonstrations so far of the movement which started on May 15. What started as an expression of general anger against politicians and bankers, and the attempt to make ordinary working people pay for the economic crisis, has become a mass movement which is becoming more overtly political and orienting to the working class.
Eye Witness in Madrid: “No somos antisistema, somos anticapitalistas” We are very pleased to be able to publish this eyewitness report from Fran Bowman of the Irish Fightback Editorial Board who is in Madrid and has been able to participate in the demonstrations.
The Spanish elections and the revolutionary movement It leaps across frontiers, defying all barriers, it laughs at the threats and curses of the ruling class and it sweeps aside the forces of the state. It cannot be halted. The mass protests that are spreading from one country to another have caught all the forces of the old society by surprise. They do not know how to react. If they do nothing, the movement grows, but if they attempt to crush it, it will grow much more rapidly.
Spain: The rebellion of the youth First it was Tunis, then Cairo, then Wisconsin, and now Spain. The crisis of capitalism has set in motion a tsunami that is impossible to control. All the representatives of the old order have combined to halt it: politicians and police, judges and trade union bureaucrats, the hired press and the television, priests and “intellectuals”. But the tsunami of revolt rolls on from one country to another, from one continent to another.
Spanish government militarises air traffic control to break wildcat strike – a very dangerous precedent The media made a big fuss about the wildcat strike of Spanish air traffic controllers over the weekend. What they failed to explain was what was really behind the spontaneous walkout. Here we publish an explanation by a Spanish Marxist.
September 29 powerful general strike in Spain reveals angry mood In Spain the workers responded massively to the unions’ call of for a general strike on September 29. In addition to the two main trade union confederations, the UGT and CCOO, the strike was supported by many smaller unions: CGT, SOC / SAT (Andalusia), IGC (Galicia), CSI (Asturias), STEs (teachers) and others. Many members of Left parties, especially the Communist Parties and United Left participated actively in many areas of Spain. [The following report has been compiled from reports sent from Spain]
Political Conference of El Militante – a step forward in building the forces of Marxism! A report on the recent four-day national conference (9 to 12 April) of the Spanish Marxists of El Militante, with the participation of over 180 delegates and visitors.
Introduction to the new Spanish edition of The Transitional Programme The recent financial meltdown and the recession that is following it have exposed the hollowness of the economic predictions of the bourgeois economists. Now the world economic crisis poses the question of socialism point blank. The ruling class is “tobogganing toward catastrophe with its eyes closed”. As Alan Woods explains in this introduction to a new Spanish edition of the Transitional Programme, these words of Leon Trotsky in 1938 might have been written yesterday.
Spain: a powder keg about to explode Despite the fact that the leaders of the Spanish unions are still trying to maintain social peace at all costs and despite the psychological impact of the economic crisis, the whole social environment is heating up very fast, such that a sudden entry onto the stage of the Spanish working class as a whole is being prepared.
Spain: November 13, another hugely successful student general strike Yesterday the Spanish Student Union, Sindicato de Estudiantes, called a student general strike involving school and university students. The turnout as massive, with hundreds of thousands coming out to protest against cuts in education and privatisation.
Spain: Thousands of students respond to strike call Thousands of students took to the streets in Spain on Wednesday 22nd to protest against plans to privatise university education and also opposing any plans to make workers pay for the capitalist crisis through cuts in education, health and other public services.
President Chavez Meets with a Delegation of the Spanish Students' Union, Hands Off Venezuela and El Militante (Spain) in Madrid For the Marxists, it was vital to take advantage of Chavez' visit to Spain to show the solidarity of the Spanish working class and youth with the Venezuelan Revolution.
Basque Country: Fascist aggression on trial in Vitoria-Gasteiz On July 10, to coincide with the start of the trial of the neo-nazi Óscar Colino Damián, the Gasteiz Antifascist Platform organised a demonstration at 11am in front of the court. The demonstration which attracted more than 40 workers and young people was organised by the Gasteiz Antifascist Platform with the participation of various trade unions, associations, left parties, student unions and left and progressive collectives.
