Archive for category in English
Thinking about Egypt: between cynicism and wishful thinking
Posted by ravotrpeter in 'Arabische Lente', Egypte, in English on 2013/08/19
Monday, 19 August, 2013
On the developments in Egypt, on the framework in which people talk about the devlopments, and a bit on that attitude to take. Already published on my Libcom blog.
What follows is a long piece, but splitting it up and presenting it in two or three posts would not make the argument clearer to follow and would split ip the reactions as well. Se bear with me, poor reader…
Analysis on the overthrow of president Morsi in Egypt ran from utter cynicism to the wildest wishful thinking – though the wishful thinking is on the retreat now that the putschist military is opting for mass slaughter, drowning remaing illusions in blood. Neither cynicism not wishful thinking is very fruitful. Neither makes adequate sense of what has been happening. Neither gives a clear and balanced picture of the two fundamental conflicts which are raging. One is the conflict between revolt from below against all kinds of wings of the ruling class and their state institutions; the other conflict is the one between wings of the rulinge elite, between the part of the business class expressing itself through the Muslim Brotherhood, and the part of the buseness class connected with the army leadership and the state bureaucracy. Read the rest of this entry »
On the edges of Trotskyism – some of the ones who left the SWP
Posted by ravotrpeter in Anarchisme, Groot-Brittannië, in English, Marx en marxisme on 2013/07/12
Friday, 12 July, 2013
This piece was originally written for Libcom, where you can also read it.
Some notes on the IS Network, formed by ex-members of the SWP, and on the ideas of Richard Seymour, one of them.
The SWP crisis is one symptom of Trotskyism on the edge. The crisis produces lots of disenchanted and disillusioned members. It would be tragic if most of these people would simply succumb to demoralization and cynicism. But there is not just Trotskyism on the edge of collapse. Some of these disenchanted (ex-)members do not move away from the struggle, simply regretting the energy wasted and the time lost. Quite a numer of these people move from Trotskyism on the edge to the edges of Trotskyism, and sometimes beyond, beyond the borderline that separates Trotskyist politics from sensible revolutionary approches towards class struggle practice. Let’s have a look at the ones who left. Read the rest of this entry »
Trotskyism on the edge – on the SWP crisis
Posted by ravotrpeter in Anarchisme, Groot-Brittannië, in English, Marx en marxisme on 2013/07/10
woensdag 10 juli 2013
The piece below was written for my Libcom blog, where you can already read it.
A few more notes on the crisis in the SWP that seems to have entered new territory.
Months after the crisis in the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) burst into the open, this Trotskyist formation hasn’t succeeding in leaving their problems truly behind. On the contrary, there have been new signs of division in the organisation that has already experienced a big loss of membership, prestige in the wider movement and political self-confidence. This is no bad thing, als long as the ones who are leaving find something better to do, and as long as the decent people still remaining keep on making a fuss and ask the right questions. Read the rest of this entry »
Battlefield Indonesia: corporate destruction provokes peasant resistance, fuel price rise fuels workers’ protest
Posted by ravotrpeter in in English, Indonesië on 2013/06/24
Monday, 24 June, 2013
Below is my latest piece for ROARmag, where you can already read an edited and illustrated version 🙂
Price rises are provoking revolt in yet another country. The country is Indonesia, the price concerns fuel, and the revolt takes the form of rallies and strike action. The events can be seen as just a new round in a series of workers’ struggles for better living standards, against a state and a capitalist class that tries to make profits by keeping wages as low as possible, by destroying the forest and the livelihood of people. Read the rest of this entry »
Double struggle in Brazil
Posted by ravotrpeter in Brazilië, in English on 2013/06/17
Monday, 17 June, 2013
Below is an article I wrote for ROARmag.org, where you can find an illustrated and slightly edited version, under the title: “In Brazil, a dual struggle against neoliberalism”.
While the world has been watching Turkey, another country is experiencing revolt. That country is Brazil. Just like Turkey, it is relatively succesful, economically speaking. Just like Turkey, the results of economic growth are divided very unequally. Just like in Turkey, a relatively small provocation is setting off a much biggen chain reaction. Unlike in Turkey, that provocation is a direct attack on living standards. But the anger exploding goes much deeper than that. Read the rest of this entry »
Blockupy!
Posted by ravotrpeter in Duitsland, Economie, in English, Sociale bewegingen internationaal on 2013/06/03
The article below was written for ROARmag.org, where you can read and enjoy an illstrated version: “Blockupy paralyzes Frankfurt fort second year in a row”. It is an honour get the opportunity to write for that website 🙂 . I hope to do it again, now and then.
This Saturday, 1 June, was not just the day of the breakthrough of protest in Turkey, with the police withdrawing from Taksim Square and thousands of protesters occupying the place. At the same day, protesters demonstrated against a central financial institution in the heartland af neoliberal Europe, Germany, a day after actually blockading it. For the second your a sizable, militant Blockupy action was held around the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt: Blockupy! Read the rest of this entry »
Refugees resisting state oppression, and solidarity activism in the Netherlands: hunger strikes and more
Posted by ravotrpeter in in English, migratie migranten vluchtelingen, Nederland manifestaties/ demonstraties, Nederland politie/ justitie on 2013/05/19
Sunday 19 May, 2013
This article was written for Libcom, and can be read there already.
Protest and resistance by refugees and solidarity activists in the Netherlands is meeting serious repression. This is now getting media attention, and provoking new protest as well. Read the rest of this entry »
SWP crisis: some analysis, some thoughts
Posted by ravotrpeter in Anarchisme, Groot-Brittannië, in English, Marx en marxisme on 2013/03/13
Wednesday, 13 March, 2013
Written for Libcom.org, where it can be read as well.
The SWP, British Trotskyist organisation, is in deep crisis after rape accusations and faction fights have ended in the leadership reimposing some ‘order’ , and oppositionists leaving the party in droves. Some analysis, and some ideas on what attitude anti-authoritarians might fruitfully take. Read the rest of this entry »
Joke Kaviaar sentenced – solidarity needed
Posted by ravotrpeter in in English, migratie migranten vluchtelingen, Nederland politie/ justitie, Rusland on 2013/01/29
dinsdag 29 januari 2012
Joke Kaviaar, activist and publicist against the oppression, detention and depiortation of refugeesin the Netherlands , has been sentenced to a four months jail sentence for “incitement”. Solidarity with refugees should know no borders; solidarity against efforts to censor Joke Kaviaar, and all the ones speaking out against this repression should know no borders either. Joke Kaviaar will not shut up. Neither should we. Read the rest of this entry »
Joke Kaviaar, activist/ publicist, under attack by Dutch state – solidarity needed
Posted by ravotrpeter in in English, migratie migranten vluchtelingen, Nederland politie/ justitie on 2013/01/12
Saturday, 12 January, 2013
This article was written for Libcom, where it can be read already. Please repost freely and abundantly!
Joke Kaviaar, writer/ poet/ anarchist/activist, had been put on trial by the Dutch state for íncitement against public order’. The charge is based on four articles she wrote and published on het website, in which she strongly criticized the oppression, detention and deportation of migrants/ refugees/ people without papers, and called for active resistance against these policies. These are policies that get more inhuman every day, almost irrespective of which governmental combination is in office. Lots of repressive laws and practices have been introduced, and more often than not the PvdA, a so-called left wing party comparable to the Labour Party, has played an active role in introducing these laws and practices. Joke calls for resistance, and is very active around solidarity with refugees/ No Border-activism. That is why, obviously, the state is now trying to silence her. Read the rest of this entry »