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No 245 9 May 30P/80P for a Workers’ Government So& Wloirkdersa’ Lirbeirtty y No 245 9 May 30p/80p www.workersliberty.org For a workers’ government Quebec: Tories sag in Callum Macrae student strike the polls on Sri Lanka page 2 page 3 page 8 Make 10 May a new start, not a swansong RELAUNCH Demonstration, 30 November 2011, when many unions struck against attacks on THE pensions PENSIONS See FIGHT! page 5 QUICK, TARGETED STRIKES CAN WIN NEWS What is the Alliance Quebec: three months of student strike for Workers’ Liberty? By Hugo Pouliot Francis Grenier, nearly lost contribution” to save the of free education from Today one class, the working class, lives by selling the use of his eye. Students education system and re - nursery to university. its labour power to another, the capitalist class, On 13 February 2012 an and supporters were en - balance public finances! This demand is defended which owns the means of production. Society indefinite student general raged and the movement This is revolting, coming vigorously by ASSE (Asso - is shaped by the capitalists’ relentless drive to strike in Quebec against was galvanised. from a government which ciation pour une solidarité increase their wealth. Capitalism causes an increase in tuition fees On Sunday 18 March I at - has had many scandals and syndicale étudiante), a poverty, unemployment, the blighting of lives by began. This now involves tended a family demonstra - does not hesitate to lavish combative student union overwork, imperialism, the destruction of the nearly 200,000 students tion with 30,000 people in gifts upon big businesses, which is in large part the environment and much else. from universities and Montreal. Thousands of while imposing austerity instigator of the current Against the accumulated wealth and power of the CEGEP (“collège others marched in Quebec measures on the working strike movement. In order capitalists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. d’études générales et and Sherbrooke. class! to unify the the student The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidarity professionnelles”, an in - On 22 March more than In Quebec the struggle movement ASSE has set up through struggle so that the working class can overthrow termediary level of edu - 200,000 participated in a for access to education has CLASSE (Coalition large de capitalism. We want socialist revolution: collective ownership cation between national demonstration in always been an integral l’Association pour une soli - of industry and services, workers’ control and a democracy secondary school and Montreal — one of the part of the struggle against darité syndicale étudiante – much fuller than the present system, with elected university). biggest political demon - national oppression — e.g. broad coalition of ASSE.) strations in the history of during the “Peaceful Revo - Free education at all lev - representatives recallable at any time and an end to A fee rise of $1,625 over Quebec and even of lution” of the 1960s which els is a fundamental de - bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. five years is planned — a Canada! saw the modernisation of mand for every socialist We fight for the labour movement to break with “social phenomenal increase on Quebecois society. The and democrat. Under so - partnership” and assert working-class interests militantly the current $2168 per year. SPRING under-education of the cialism, the right to accessi - against the bosses. The stated intention is to 14 April saw the “Quebec French-Canadian people al - ble and free education will Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, raise fees to the Canadian Spring” demonstration. lowed Anglo-Saxon capital - be guaranteed to allow supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, average of $4,000 per year. ists to create an everyone to learn in a man - Quebec currently has the There were then a succes - helping organise rank-and-file groups. easily-exploited reserve of ner convenient to them and lowest tuition fees in North sion of demonstrations and We are also active among students and in many campaigns cheap labour. to constantly perfect their America. diverse actions: blockades and alliances. To conserve social peace knowledge and skills. The fee hike was part of of bridges, roads, occupa - The struggle of the the Quebecois political the Liberal government’s tions of ministries, and so Quebecois students is an We stand for: class, from the the national - 2010 budget which in - on. integral part of the strug - G Independent working-class representation in politics. ist Parti Québécois to the cluded measures aimed at On 26 April a demonstra - gle for social justice and G A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the federalist Parti Libéral, destroying, step-by-step tion which I was part of for the creation of an al - labour movement. kept university tuition fees the social conquests of the was declared “illegal” by ternative to the cuts G A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to frozen between 1994 and Quebecois working class, Montreal police. Neverthe - agenda and austerity strike, to picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. 2007 and before that, from such as increases in charges less thousands continued budget imposed by the the 1960s until 1990. With G Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, for electricity, and a health their march, braving the or - bosses and their political economic crisis, the liberal education and jobs for all. tax of $200 per person, irre - ders of the police and win - parties. government has decided to G A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. spective of their income. ning an important symbolic go onto the offensive. Full equality for women and social provision to free women The student movement victory. The two principal left - • Demonstrate outside the from the burden of housework. Free abortion on request. Full has developed rapidly with The government turns a wing parties in Quebec, Canadian High Commis - equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. demonstrations growing in deaf ear to student de - Québec Solidaire and the sion to denounce police at - Black and white workers’ unity against racism. size, some of which ended mands and projects dema - new independence party tacks on Quebecois G Open borders. in confrontation with the gogic, profoundly Option Nationale, gave students! 5.30-7pm 16 May, Global solidarity against global capital — workers police. dishonest propaganda G their support to the student Canada House, Trafalgar everywhere have more in common with each other than with On 7 March one student, about students who do not struggle and are in favour Square, London. their capitalist or Stalinist rulers. want to make their “fair G Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest workplace or community to global social organisation. G Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal rights for all nations, against imperialists and predators big Syria “Peace Plan” — a and small. G Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. G If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity cover for murder and torture to sell — and join us! 020 7394 8923 [email protected] 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, By Dan Katz main achievement is to lost half of its value, falling have taken Syria out of to 100 to the US dollar London, SE1 3DG. On 3 May a spokesper - western news programmes. (compared with 48 when son for Kofi Annan, bro - The main beneficiary of the the uprising began). The ker of the 12 April Syria ceasefire has been Bashar Central Bank’s reserves peace plan, claimed, Assad and his one party have fallen from $22 billion GET SOLIDARITY “The Annan plan is on state. at the beginning of the cri - EDL thugs track… [although] there On Monday 7 May Assad sis to about $10 billion are no big signs of com - staged a fake election with today. attack EVERY WEEK! pliance on the ground.” the aim of persuading the The price of rice and eggs gullible that he intends real has tripled over the past Annan’s six-point plan socialists, Special offers reform. The election was year and cooking oil has includes a ceasefire, de - boycotted by the main op - doubled. Blackouts hit Trial sub, 6 issues £5 ployment of observers and beat up G position groups, and the even middle class neigh - free access for journalists BBC quoted a student in bourhoods not involved in G 22 issues (six months). £18 waged £9 unwaged and humanitarian aid. The pensioner Damascus as saying “the the struggle for up to 12 number of UN observer polling stations are empty.” hours a day. On 28 April, English G 44 issues (year). £35 waged £17 unwaged personnel has risen to 70, The regime is hemmed in Defence League thugs with 300 expected by the G European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) or 50 euros (44 issues) INCONCEIVABLE by sanctions. The EU’s de - attacked a socialist stall in end of May. Although the opposition cision to stop importing Lewisham, south east But at the same time that — in particular the armed Syrian crude oil has so far London. Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: Annan’s assistant was opposition — has taken a cost the state $3 billion in The gang smashed up speaking to the press, secu - 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG battering in the last two revenue. the Socialist Workers Party rity forces and pro-govern - Muhanad, from the Cheques (£) to “AWL”. months it is now incon - stall, and assaulted the ment thugs were attacking Sunni capitalist class in ceivable that simple, bru - SWP members around it, Or make £ and euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub. anti-regime protesters at Aleppo, put the matter tal repression will work headbutting 69 year old Aleppo university, killing quite clearly: “The busi - for Assad.
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