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Issue 100

Fighting for socialism: One hundred Issues: cover

Fighting for socialism

One hundred issues


WHEN WE launched Socialism Today in 1995, we outlined a number of key issues and ideas that we believed should be the main themes to be developed in the magazine (What future for socialism today?)

At the height of the mood of international capitalist triumphalism that following the fall of the Berlin wall, we set out to combat the idea, regrettably widely accepted on the left, that economic planning could no longer be regarded as an alternative to the capitalist market. Linked to this was the delusion, induced by the bubble economy of the late 1990s, that capitalism was now able to ride out crises, delivering continuous growth and ever-rising prosperity.

We pointed to the rapid bourgeoisification of the traditional workers’ parties as their leaders adopted completely pro-market views, and raised the need for new, independent political representation of the working class. We reiterated the decisive role of the working class in fighting for a change of society, and reaffirmed the need to fight for "an anti-capitalist programme based on the ideas of Marxism and the perspective of a socialist transformation of society".

As the magazine of the Socialist Party (England and Wales), our approach has naturally expressed the political thinking of the Party and the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI). Events since Issue No.1 of Socialism Today have, in our view, confirmed the key importance of the issues we raised and validated our approach.

Continue...


Vital stage for the left in Germany

The new left formation which won 54 MPs in September’s general election – as an electoral bloc of WASG and Linkspartei.PDS – is engaged in a crucial debate. The outcome could determine whether it develops as a dynamic and combative left party capable of attracting significant sections of the working class and youth, or squanders this potential. TANJA NIEMEIER reports from Berlin. Translation by Seán McGinley.

This is an edited version of a report on the website of the Committee for a Workers’ International: www.socialistworld.net


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