IV393 - October 2007

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Your comrades in the International Socialist Tendency in Socialist Worker - New Zealand, have watched what appears to be the unfolding disengagement of the Socialist Workers Party (Britain) from RESPECT - the Unity Coalition with gradually mounting concern, anxiety and frustration.

A speculative bubble can relate to assets that are real (property, land, etc.) or financial (shares, etc.) ; it manifests itself by an increasingly rapid rise in the prices of these assets. They end up by reaching such levels as appear excessive, even making an optimistic evaluation of the future profits which can be expected. The bursting of the bubble manifests itself by an opposite process, by a continuous and often brutal fall in these prices.

There has been never any other better time in history of Pakistan for a greater Left unity than the present time. There is great urge among all the Left and progressive forces to unite on one plate form.

No one who supports left unity could be anything other than deeply disheartened by the turn of events inside Respect, which has created a crisis that threatens the future of the organisation. The current crisis is unnecessary and the product of the political line and methods of organisation of the Socialist Workers Party.

Demonstrations are rare things in Burma. Under the yoke of a military junta which is among the most repressive in the world, the population has not forgotten the violence of the repression of the demonstrations for democracy in 1988 which ended in the death of at least 3,000 demonstrators and thousands of arrests.

Under the strong morning sun, on October 24 the Brazilian Capital was changed into the Red Capital in defence of our rights, conquered for the Brazilian people throughout many years of struggle and threatened by the neoliberal agenda implemented by the Lula government.

Farooq Tariq general Secretary Labour Party Pakistan and secretary Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (peasant coordination committee) addressed a press conference today on 19th October at Lahore Press Club. They expressed solidarity with and deep sorrow for the families of those who died during a suicidal attack in Karachi on 18th October during the rally of Pakistan Peoples Party.

The recent elections have provoked debate on the left about the crisis of the federal Belgian state. This contribution by journalist Chris Den Hond illustrates many of the issues under discussion; it should not be taken as a formal expression of the views of our Belgian section.

The September 16 election held in Greece was marked by the catastrophic forest fires at the end of August which destroyed large parts of the western Peloponnese, Euboea and other parts of the country. Sixty-seven people and 70,000 animals burnt to death, and some villages were destroyed.