IV372 - November 2005

The next World Social Forum is to be... polycentric. It will take place in 2006, in a «decentralised» fashion, in Caracas (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela), Bamako (Mali) and Karachi (Pakistan).

Now, 45 days after the earthquake, there are signs that our relief and rehabilitation work is paying off. Among the affected people life must go on. Many have been helped to build some sort of shelter homes to fight the freezing temperatures. Many tents have been erected, provided by LRC and other organizations.

The right wing victory in Poland’s parliamentary elections, held on September 25, 2005 put an end to four years of government by the Democratic Left Alliance, which had been characterized by growing pressure from neoliberal economic fundamentalism, support for the US invasion of Iraq and a series of corruption scandals.

“The P-SOL provides a refuge for the socialist and democratic Left, a point of convergence between different political sensibilities.”

China is not only an immense tee-shirt factory. It is also a society that is rapidly changing, comprises a fifth of the planet’s population and is bursting onto the scene of the word economy.

The first congress of the European Left Party took place in Athens on October 29-30. About 500 delegates and observers were present. The LCR was there with observer status, represented by Alain Krivine. This report of the congress appeared in the LCR weekly, Rouge of 3 November.

In January 2006 Portugal goes to the polls to elect a new president. Our comrade Francisco Louçã is the candidate of the Left Bloc, which with eight parliamentary deputies in this small country, and almost nightly TV coverage, has become a significant political force. Here Francisco explains the meaning of his candidature.

The Belgian government triggered a massive wave of social protest last month when it attacked the ‘bridge pension’. The SAP/POS (Belgian section of the Fourth International) explains the roots of the crisis and points a way forward.

Presidential elections are taking place in Sri Lanka on 17 November. We publish here two political statements from the left. The first is the Manifesto of the New Left Front. The second is from the Ceylon Mercantile, Industrial and General Workers’ Union (CMU).

International Viewpoint’s relaunch as an online magazine in January has been a staggering success. However, we urgently need our readers’ help in order to meet rising demand for the website.