In his fortnightly column MARK SEDDON reflects on the death of Major Oak and why such ancient trees matter to us
THE Communist Party of Britain has organised a New Year feminist conference celebrating Sisterhood, Socialism & Struggle in the UK and across the world. This free weekend event on January 16-17 2021, will provide a virtual opportunity for women and men on the left to discuss and debate the importance of women’s liberation for the whole human race.
The conference will focus on a Marxist analysis of women’s oppression and super exploitation. It will also highlight the Communist Party’s policy on women & gender. The first session of the conference will explore these themes with speakers from the London Communist Party & YCL including Mary Davis, Jen Izaakson and Jess Duggan. Drawing on this analysis, the conference will go on to discuss the three themes of our Charter for Women.
The Charter for Women, which originated in the Communist Party, was launched in the labour movement in 2004 and has since been adopted by 27 trade unions (including 18 national unions) and trades councils. It has been re-launched in 2020 under the aegis of the National Assembly of Women.
Professor MARY DAVIS argues that feminism has been hollowed out by liberal co-option – and only a revival of socialist, class-based politics can restore International Working Women’s Day’s original, radical purpose
As Ash Regan’s Unbuyable Bill sparks debate in Scotland, the real issue remains unaddressed: a digitalised sex industry and a neoliberal economy that repackages exploitation as empowerment while leaving women’s material conditions unchanged, argues LAUREN HARPER
Our charter’s demands for fair pay, affordable housing and environmental security will recruit working-class youth into the political struggle for socialism, emulating the success of the Women’s Charter, writes YCL general secretary GEORGINA ANDREWS
LYNNE WALSH reports from the Women’s Declaration International conference on feminist struggles from Britain to the Far East


