Workers Solidarity Movement

Recently, Belfast WSM held our 2nd public meeting in the Culturlann on Saturday 16th August. Award winning documentary “Our Oil and other Tales” was shown and WSM guest speaker Pepe gave an overview of the current anarchist movement in Latin America. Members and guests listened intently. Issues that arose included the importance of social movements and its contradictions on the continent and the lessons that can be learned at home from the campaign against water charges and privatization of water in Cochabamba(Bolivia).

For decades they sold the concept of ‘freedom’ and talked about a ‘socialist republic’ but now, with Martin McGuinness chuckling around the world with Ian Paisley, it’s clear that Sinn Fein’s concept of ‘freedom’ and their supposed vision of a ‘32-County Socialist Republic’ was at best an illusion.

Building on the success of the last two years Dublin's third annual Anarchist bookfair will take place on the 15th March in Dublin at the Teachers Club Parnell sq. More info as it becomes available at www.wsm.ie/bookfair

Anarchism is today finally emerging out of its long held position as ‘the conscience of the workers’ movement’, as the eternal critic of Leninism and state centred politics. It long took the side of the working class against the Party, a position Lenin mocked when he wrote: “The mere presentation of the question—"dictatorship of the party or dictatorship of the class(1); dictatorship (party) of the leaders, or dictatorship (party) of the masses?"—testifies to most incredibly and hopelessly muddled thinking....to contrast, in general, the dictatorship of the masses with a dictatorship of the leaders is ridiculously absurd, and stupid.”(2) Interestingly this was not written about anarchists, but rather about the position held by a Dutch-German Marxist tendency that was part of the Comintern.  This tendency and others comprise what is known as ‘left-communism’.

Over the weekend of November 24-25, protesters clashed with police in Sucre, Bolivia - they were demanding that the capital of the country be moved to Sucre. Three people died and over some 100 were wounded in the clashes. Yesterday Morales announced plans for a nationwide referendum to resolve a deepening political crisis in the country. A few months ago, two recent works on Bolivia were given a look over for the WSM's Red and Black Revoltuion 13. The review now appears on line for the first time.

Meet activists who have helped to build one of the most hopeful experiments in self management and peoples power in recent years.

Green Party Minister John Gormley has given the green light for the Irish Coursing Club to capture hares for the coming enclosed hare coursing season. For those of you unfamiliar with coursing it basically consists of releasing two greyhounds to compete in pursuing a hare. Traditionally this was done in open fields with large numbers of men usually forming a human circle to enclose the chase and eventually break the circle to free the hare after a winning dog was chosen. As time went on and the sport became more professionalised enclosed coursing was developed where an enclose space was used to course captured hares.

This critique of the program of the Communist Party Of Ireland was published in 1922 by the British Workers' Socialist Federation group. Thye had broken from the 3rd international over electoralism and other issues.

A member of the WSM travelled to the protests against the G8 in Heilegendamm, Germany July 2007. He reports on the actions that were taken and then on his arrest and mistreatment.

The Build-Up - 2nd June 2007

We travelled to Rostock on one of the 30 buses going from Hamburg. When we arrived the city was awash with people and also a gargantuan police presence. We made our way to the starting point of the rally in which the anarchist block was due to march, the second rally being composed more so of NGOs and political parties. After an hour or so of boring speeches and the monotone gloom of David Rovics, the march set off.

In late May, we had the chance to interview Edith Soboul, of the federal secretariat of Altrernative Libertaire, our sister organisation in France. The interview dealt with the recent election of Sarkozy, the shift to the right in Europe and its impact on workers' and immigrants' rights, the tasks of the libertarians in France and AL proposals for the moment