Links | International Journal of Socialist Renewal

Soweto forty years on: The Black student rebellion of 1976

By Professor Noor Nieftagodien June 18, 2016 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from Amandla! Magazine — A defining feature of the 1976 uprising was the decisive entry of black students onto the stage of history.

What the state owes mothers, parents and women

All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) members march on International Women's Day in Patna on March 8, 2016.

By Kavita Krishnan

June 17, 2016 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from Liberation -- India worships mothers; political leaders are fond of equating the nation with Mother, and politics and popular culture both make a huge deal of ‘respect for mothers’. But in spite of this hyper-visible, in-your-face celebration of motherhood, there seems to be a deliberate obscuring of the labour of mothering and care work that women perform. ‘Put her on a pedestal and forget her’ seems to be the approach of Governments. Worship of mothers and slogans of ‘Bharat Mata’ and praise for mothers’ supposed capacity for ‘sacrifice’ and ‘silent suffering’ help us to reinforce the myth that motherhood is a responsibility that women must bear cheerfully and single-handedly, expecting nothing from the State, from employers, from society. And yet, if we would bother to listen to the voices of real live women, we would find it difficult to keep celebrating domestic drudgery as happy self-sacrificing motherhood.

Greening the Revolution: a documentary about food justice

June 16, 2016 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- This high-definition documentary explores the far-reachi

When France moves, all of Europe shakes

Masses of mainly young people continue to occupy the Place de la République each evening as part of the Nuit Debout (Up All Night) movement June 15, 2016 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from Socialist Worker -- Massive strikes and protests are rocking France, with the threat of greater shocks to come as a hated labor law "counterreform" comes to the French Senate for discussion.

Spain: Can the Left’s economic plan turn back austerity?

The left-wing coalition Unidos Podemos (United We Can), is currently polling over 25% and looks set to surpass the vote of the social-democratic Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE).  By Dick Nichols June 14, 2016 — Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal a much shorter version of this article was first published at Green Left Weekly — United We Can — the joint ticket made up of Podemos, the United Left (IU), the green party Equo and three broader alliances in Catalonia (Together We Can), Galicia (In Tide) and the Valencian Country (A la Valenciana) — is campaigning in the June 26 Spanish general election on a plan to reverse economic austerity.

Pakistan: Politics dictates justice in Gilgit Baltistan as socialists sentenced to jail on trumped up terrorism charges

Socialism as an alternative: Reflections on ‘Socialism for the 21st Century’ international conference

Radhika Menon, a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, was a keynote speaker at the Socialism for the 21st Century conference held in Sydney, May 13-15.

Austerity, racism and the EU referendum in Britain

Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP), has been among the key figures advocating a vote to exit the EU. By Tony Mckenna June 13, 2016 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- The EU debate is perhaps one of the more difficult to make sense of. For you are bombarded with a vast amount of articles, from every colour on the political spectrum. How does one go about making an informed decision? It’s said you can tell a lot about a person by who their friends are. When translated into political thought the axiom has a simplistic but not unuseful purpose: take the time to look at the groups and social forces that are gathering around a particular position. These might give you some hint as to which political interests the position truly serves and hint at its real essence. However, in the case of the EU referendum – the vote that is to be held later this year in Britain on whether we should remain or leave the European Union – there is a remarkably odd admixture of people who have aligned themselves with both sides.

Beyond the boliburguesía thesis: Why critics are wrong to blame socialism for Venezuela's woes

The pressing problems facing Venezuela, ranging from triple-digit inflation to hours-long lines to purchase basic goods, have provided critics with ammunition to discredit the Left’s political and economic project By Steve Ellner

A Leap toward radical politics?

June 11, 2016 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal reposted from Socialist Project -- The Leap Manifesto is, in a way, Canada's version of the burst of Left and socialist energies that have come with the Bernie Sanders campaign in the Democratic Party in the U.S. and the Jeremy Corbyn leadership win in the Labour Party in Britain.

Machiavelli and the primacy of politics

    By Doug Enaa Greene  Dedicated to my friend Destiney Linker.  June 10, 2016 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- If we were to look at most people who have existed throughout history – we can say that they lived in obscurity, dire poverty, possessing no titles or pretensions to greatness. They lived and died in toil. The vast majority of humanity has passed through these conditions. Yet what did these people think about their circumstances and what to do about them?