IV555 - April 2021

The challenge remains to express the legitimate anger of people who, disappointed, turn to the far right, without drawing the wrong conclusion that the bulk of frustrated people are tempted to become radical nationalists, because they are voters disappointed with the left.

Sinistra Anticapitalista, an organization of Fourth Internationalists in Italy, issued this statement on 24 April, the eve of the national holiday marking the victory against fascism in 1945.

“Macron and his followers, …are playing a particularly dangerous game”.

“That’s imperialism: the metaphorical “shining city” dumping its garbage, raw sewage and toxic waste, both literally and figuratively, on the peoples down the hill, including much of its own population.”

The founder of the Drivers’ Alliance mutual aid network discusses the challenges of life on the road.

Today, marks the anniversary of Portugal’s liberation from dictatorship. On April 25, 1974, soldiers from the dissident Armed Forces Movement (MFA) removed dictator Marcelo Caetano, demanding that Portugal abandon its failed colonial wars in Africa. A regime dating back to the age of Mussolini and Hitler had finally met its end, along with Europe’s last old-style empire.

Left Bloc presented a draft resolution in the Portuguese Parliament for the government to defend the waiver in the European Union and for the vaccine to be treated as “a public good with universal access”.

In January of 2020, Viktor Orban, Prime Minister and strongman of Hungary, called Boris Johnson, “one of the bravest politicians in Europe”. He congratulated the Tory Party on winning the general election the previous month despite “the whole world” being against Johnson.

The U.S. empire built after World War II was based on its economic and military domination, which remains. But over time it has begun to fray. The challenge by China on aspects of emerging technology and other economic fronts is one example. But increasing competition from European powers is another.

“From now on, VV will have to apply the main thrusts of its electoral campaign against corruption and for social rights while the pandemic has killed nearly 1,800 people, worsening the economic, social and health crises in one of the poorest countries on the European continent.”