To defend Puerto Rico’s right to peace is to defend Venezuela’s right to exist, argues MICHELLE ELLNER
Strikes at home and war abroad: 1973 meets 2023
A proxy war raged in Vietnam between the West and East, while strikers took on a Tory government — JOHN ELLISON considers the similarities
YEAR OF UNREST: Union marchers on the mass May Day demo, 1973
Despite the apocalyptic destruction RAMZY BAROUD points to Gaza’s triumph of spirit against the architecture of genocide
We are demanding action from our politicians to deliver justice, fairness and decency throughout our communities – join us, says ROZ FOYER
After NGOs and the EU, UN condemns Germany’s crackdown on Palestine Solidarity, writes LEON WYSTRYCHOWSKI
It’s not just the Starmer regime: the workers of Britain have always faced legal affronts on their right to assemble and dissent, and the Labour Party especially has meddled with our freedoms from its earliest days, writes KEITH FLETT
Once again Tower Hamlets is being targeted by anti-Islam campaigners, this time a revamped and radicalised version of Ukip — the far-right event is now banned by the police, but we’ll be assembling this Saturday to make sure they stay away, says JAYDEE SEAFORTH
IF a comparison between today’s political issues and developments and those of just half a century ago seems a peculiar historical exercise, the fact remains that the early months of 1973 and those of the present year have features in common.
This year, of course, we have been witnessing rapid price inflation and much industrial action affecting the railways, health service, schools, universities, Royal Mail, civil servants and more — against a background of Conservative harsh austerity rule for the past 13 years.
As 1973 began, a Conservative government had been in place since June 1970, with dour Edward Heath at the Downing Street helm. Inflation was then rising rapidly too. On January 6 the Morning Star’s headline was “Steak for rich — scrag for pensioners.”
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KEVAN NELSON reports back from a delegation to the epic celebrations for the anniversary of Vietnam’s 1945 revolution, where British communists found a thriving, prosperous socialist country, brimming with ambition and well-earned national pride
The summer of 1950 saw Labour abandon further nationalisation while escalating Korean War spending from £2.3m to £4.7m, as the government meekly accepted capitalism’s licence and became Washington’s yes-man, writes JOHN ELLISON
KYRIL WHITTAKER looks at what guides Vietnam 50 years after reunification
LOGAN WILLIAMS believes there are lessons to be learned from Vietnam’s education system whose excellence is recognised internationally