Europe
Portugal: el Bloco pide un gobierno de izquierda
[In English at http://links.org.au/node/3112.]
Por Dick Nichols, Lisboa, traducción para www.sinpermiso.info por Gustavo Buster
09/12/12 -- Un fantasma recorre Portugal: el fantasma de Grecia y de Syriza, el partido de su izquierda radical. Todos los poderes de la Europa neoliberal, encabezados por la canciller alemana, Ángela Merkel, han entrado en una alianza impía para exorcizar ese fantasma.
Acompañada por los representantes de las grandes empresas alemana, Merkel no tuvo otro remedio que durante seis horas soportar el asedio de los manifestantes en Lisboa el 12 de noviembre. Felicitó al Primer Ministro de Portugal, Pedro Passos Coelho, por su "valentía" al aplicar los programas de austeridad (una "historia de éxito"), e instó al líder político más impopular del país a no ceder un ápice.
Basque Abertzale Left: Towards peace in the Basque Country
On November 14, 2012, reports the weekly news bulletin of the Abertzale Left nº101,15,000 people demonstrated in Bayonne under the slogan of “Hurbildu bakera, Giza eskubide guztiak, euskal preso eta iheslariak Euskal Herrira” (On the path to peace, all human rights, Basque prisoners and refugees to the Basque Country). The biggest demonstration in demand respect for the rights of prisoners and refugees to ever occur on the streets of Bayonne. The demonstration was led by the families of prisoners who carried photos of their loved ones.
By Gorka Elejabarrieta, head of the International Relations Department of the Basque Abertzale (Patriotic) Left
'The Greek people are at the epicentre of the capitalism crisis'
Speech given by Eric Toussaint at the SYRIZA youth festival in Athens on O
Scotland: Radical Independence Conference unites left
Portugal: Left Bloc debates call for a left government
Delegate votes during the Left Bloc's eighth national convention.
By Paul Kellogg
Germany: Red Pepper interviews new Die Linke co-leader Katja Kipping
Emma Dowling speaks to Katja Kipping, new co-chair of Germany's Left Party (Die Linke)
November 2012 -- Red Pepper -- With 76 seats out of 622 in parliament, Die Linke is Germany’s fourth-largest party. It was founded in 2007 in a merger between the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and the Electoral Alternative for Labour and Social Justice (WASG). Members of the PDS were predominantly East German and many had also been members of the Socialist Unity Party, the former ruling party of East Germany. WASG, meanwhile, was predominantly West German and made up of trade unionists and social movement activists, as well as social democrats who had left the German Social Democratic Party.
Spain: As two-party system breaks down, what prospects for a ‘Spanish SYRIZA’?
Demonstrators march to the Spanish parliament against austerity measures announced by the government in Madrid, September 26, 2012.
By Dick Nichols, Barcelona
October 28, 2012 – Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- The economic, social and territorial crisis in the Spanish state is morphing into a crisis of the two-party system that has provided Popular Party (PP) or Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) administrations for the last 30 years. Basque, Catalan and Galician nationalist forces (left and right), and the United Left (IU) and Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) parties are gaining support. However, only a brave gambler would put serious money on the future evolution of this crisis. While the two-party set-up has been severely weakened, a replacement party with enough popular support to impose a different solution has yet to emerge.
Europe: Greece, Spain, Portugal – the arc of resistance to austerity hardens
On September 25-26-27, 2012, up to 50,000 demonstrators tried to encircle the parliament, calling for the resignation of the government and d