Solidarity 075, 23 June 2005

How Europe underdeveloped Africa

Gordon Brown claimed that the European countries should stop apologising for their role as colonial powers in past. Colin Foster explains why to “forgiving and forgetting” the past stop us from understanding the problems African and other "Third World" countries face in a post-colonial present. When Africa was not “backward” In the Middle Ages, Ethiopia was not underdeveloped. Walter Rodney — a black Marxist historian assassinated in 1980 as he tried to build a working-class party in his native Guyana — wrote: “The kings distinguished themselves by building several churches cut out of solid...

Socialist hope for Israel

Even if one believed that terms like “socialism”, “class struggle” or “working class” would be restored into Israeli society, a campaign waged by Israeli socialists to take control of the leadership of Israel’s Labour party sounds like a dream. Nonetheless, it is absolutely not a dream as Amir Peretz MP, the leader of Israeli’s federation of trade unions, carries forward a comprehensive campaign for the party’s leadership. Recent polls amongst Labour party members give to Peretz the second place in the struggle for chairmanship, while the current chairman, Sharon’s deputy Shimon Peres (who is...

Fighting the local bosses and the big brands

By Katrina, FNPBI, Indonesia The Katexindo factory is located in North Jakarta. The workers produce clothes for well-known brands such as GAP, Polo, Ralph Laurent, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. Unlike hundreds of garment factories that have been hit by the current crisis, Katexindo seems in a stable condition. Recently they have been making clothes for Polo. The workers had been producing at a rate of 60 items per hour, but the company raised the quota to 85 items an hour. And although the Polo code of conduct states that all workers should work in a safe and sanitary environment, the...

GAP scandal: workers fight closure with occupation

By the FNPBI The workers of the Binoli factory have begun an occupation. Situated in north Jakarta, Binoli produces 6,000 items of GAP baby wear per day. On 21 April workers’ representatives were invited to see the manager. The company stated that working hours must be cut. Workers will be divided into two shifts, and wages reduced by 25 percent. On 23 April the company announced redundancies and the closure of the factory. The bosses announced that a worker with five years at the factory will obtain three months salary and 500,000 Rupiah (US$55), while those who have worked less than five...

African conflicts the G8 will ignore

Sudan The Nairobi peace agreements this January brought to an end — in theory, at least, 21 years of civil war in Sudan, which have killed at least 400,000 people and forced nearly five million to flee their homes. Unfortunately, the underlying causes of the war remain largely unaddressed, as does the persistent big-power interference in Sudanese politics. What is more, there is still a war going on in Darfur, a conflict inextricably linked to that between the Islamist dictatorship and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA). A conflict which has been driven by a vicious government-backed...

Africa, poverty, G8: some facts

AIDS In Western Europe and North America, death rates for those with HIV/AIDS have been cut dramatically through the use of antiretroviral drug treatment. In poor countries where six million people with HIV/AIDS need treatment, only 400,000 - less than 8% - are receiving it. In Africa, home to 26 million HIV/AIDS victims, only 1% are receiving treatment. The UN was understating it hugely when it commented that "treatment and care are not yet reaching the vast majority of people in need" (December 2003). This is because the massive pharmaceutical corporations producing brand drugs have fought...

Arguments against G8

Review of Hubbard and Miller, Arguments against G8, Pluto, 264 pages, paperback, £11.99 By Paul Hampton This is a disappointing book on a vital matter. The G8 - the club of world powers - is under the spotlight, with its summit in July expected to be met by counter-demonstrations, meetings and direct action involving hundreds of thousands. The book is advertised as a “one-stop guide for anyone who wants to know more about the G8, what it is, and why it's a problem” and as “a great tool for activists”. The editors Gill Hubbard and David Miller are leading members of the G8 Alternatives...

Love the sinners?

Michael Wood reviews Sin City Sin City is an adaptation of a popular comic book series by Frank Miller. Directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez, with one scene directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film takes three of the comic’s storylines, each a story of rough justice and revenge set in the hellhole that is Basin City. Like the comics, the film is shockingly violent from start to finish. Comic book films are the latest Hollywood craze but it’s surprising that it’s taken the executives so long to get to Miller, as he produces some of the most critically acclaimed and popular comics going and is...

Writing on the wall

African partnerships Paul Wolfowitz, the new head of the World Bank and prominent neo-con has given support to Blair and Brown’s idea of massive and increased aid to Africa. He pledged to persuade Bush of the necessity and justice of this plan. He also said that “there were real partners [in Africa] with whom the west could work.” That last part is not news. Under the Bush administration the United States has boosted its presence in Africa. The US government has been trying to get the “security” for business to happen. The US is dependent on raw materials from Africa: manganese (for steel...

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