The crisis of working class political representation is the crisis

Will Labour’s third annual conference under the Con-Dem government see any sign that the party could be reclaimed? Or is a new vehicle for working class political representation necessary? Earlier this year Sarah Sachs-Eldridge, editor of the Socialist, the Socialist Party’s weekly newspaper, hosted a discussion between the Labour left activist OWEN JONES, author of Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, and CLIVE HEEMSKERK, deputy editor of Socialism Today and the national election agent of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC).

Euro crisis: the latest temporary fix

Mario Draghi’s announcement that the ECB will embark on the unlimited buying of eurozone bonds to support debtor governments aroused a new wave of europhoria. In reality, however, the ECB’s intervention is another temporary fix that will, at best, buy some more time. The problems of the eurozone, rooted in the clash of national interests and the rivalries of capitalist leaders, remain as intractable as ever. A 24-hour general strike on 24 September in Greece, and huge demonstrations in Spain and Portugal (15 September), are some of the signs of a stormy autumn. LYNN WALSH reports.

The TUC's annual congress passed a motion to consider the practicalities of a general strike against austerity. Now the job of activists is to popularise this victory throughout the union movement, with the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) playing a leading role - fresh from its successful 800-plus lobby of the TUC calling for a 24-hour general strike. ROB WILLIAMS reports.