Skip to main content

Global Left Midweek – September 7, 2022

News and analyses from and about social movements, political parties and unifying activists

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022). Credit,Sergei Guneyev/Getty Images
  1. Controlling Inflation at the Workers’ Expense
  2. Chile’s Constitution
  3. Workers in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Georgia
  4. Puerto Rico Energy Showdown
  5. UK Unions Flex Political Muscle
  6. Gorbachev in Context
  7. Which Way for the SACP?
  8. The Honduran Left in Power
  9. Italy: Unione Populare
  10. Need to Know These Comrades

 

__________
Controlling Inflation at the Workers’ Expense

Prabhat Patnaik / Peoples Democracy (New Delhi)

No matter what kind of inflation we are talking about, it can always be controlled at the expense of the working class; and, what is more, under capitalism it is invariably controlled at the expense of the working class. Not allowing wages to rise in tandem with prices is capitalism’s cure for any inflationary upsurge.

__________
Chile’s Constitution: Implications of a Rout

If you like this article, please sign up for Snapshot, Portside's daily summary.

(One summary e-mail a day, you can change anytime, and Portside is always free.)

Charis McGowan / Al Jazeera (Doha)

The proposed constitution would have replaced the current Magna Carta which was imposed by the Pinochet dictatorship 41 years ago. More than 60 percent of Chileans voted against the proposal, which emphasized feminist, pro-environment and progressive transformation of society. The opposition distorted the content via mass media.

__________
Workers in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Georgia

__________
Puerto Rico Energy Showdown

Angely Mercado / Gizmodo (New York)

Last year, the islands electricity was privatized and taken over by LUMA, an American-Canadian company. The company was supposed to help repair the power system after extensive damage from hurricanes and earthquakes. Residents say that outages are still as frequent, if not worse than before, and they are asking government officials to revoke LUMA’s 15-year contract.

__________
UK Unions Flex Political Muscle

Alexandra Topping / The Guardian (London)

As Britain heads into an autumn of strikes – and the Labour party comes under pressure to come up with ideas to tackle the  cost of living crisis – and support stoppages – we look at the (mostly) union leaders becoming a powerful force of opposition to the Tory government.

__________
Gorbachev in Context

__________
Which Way for the SACP?

__________
The Honduran Left in Power

Matt Ginsberg-Jackle interviews Gerardo Torres / Convergence

LIBRE under President Xiomara Zelaya and with a candidacy as strong as hers has been able to put an end to the historic hegemony of the conservatives and make way for the progressive forces. For the first time in Honduras there is a party that is not capitalist in character and that is historic.

_________
Italy: Unione Populare

Muhammed Shabeer / Peoples Dispatch (New Delhi)

Left-wing groups in Italy have launched the Peoples Union (UP) to contest the upcoming general elections. Its promises include taxing the rich, improving public services and an ecological transformation for the transport system.

__________
Need to Know These Comrades