Trade unions need to step up and force a turn in the policies of the labour movement to effectively confront the far-right threat, argues NICK WRIGHT
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Reclaiming the ‘free market’ from capitalist control
Idealised notions of free markets conceal the reality of a system designed to generate profits at the expense of workers and consumers — we need social and moral foundations for markets based on human need, writes BHABANI SHANKAR NAYAK
As the 90th anniversary of the outbreak of the Spanish civil war is marked, Teesside campaigners will gather to remember the local men and women who stood against fascism, explains TONY FOX
Whatever differences exist among international sympathisers of the Bolivarian revolution about its current trajectory, they should unite against the imperialist power that is the source of an enforced retreat, argues ROGER D HARRIS
Washington’s inability to subjugate Iran is an example of how it is trying to preserve a regional order that no longer exists, argues RAMZY BAROUD
US financial instability is exposing the limits of a dollar-dominated global economy — and giving the Global South a historic chance to build an alternative, says MURAD QURESHI
Deprivation is a fundamental factor in criminal behaviour that must be addressed but, KENNY MacASKILL argues, there needs to a major rethink in sentencing to tackle overcrowding
THE concept of the “free market” under capitalism is often promoted as an emblem of individual consumer choice and a driver of national economic growth and development.
The priests of capitalism view the free market as the most effective and efficient mechanism for resource allocation, framing it as a key engine of economic progress.
However, in practice, the free market is neither free nor fair for producers and consumers. Instead, it is largely controlled by capitalist interests.
This idealised notion of a free market under capitalism becomes a mechanism that separates producers from consumers, establishing independent pricing structures designed to generate super-profits — often at the expense of working people.
In a capitalist system, a “free market” implies that the state, government, and working masses — as both producers and consumers — cannot interfere in the market’s operations. Instead, market forces alone control prices, production, supply, demand, distribution, and consumption.
Within this framework, the purchasing power of consumers and the productive capacities of producers determine individuals’ perceived worth.
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