Workers Solidarity Movement

The World Bank and its sisters organisations of global capitalism, the IMF and WTO have their origins in the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in July 1944. Although the World Bank attempts to present the goal of the organisation as “reducing poverty”, this has never been their objective. Their main objective is to fund large-scale power and infrastructure projects in the third world to prepare the way for the exploitation of these countries natural resources and cheap labour by northern corporations.

In recent times, with the increasing influence of business interests on the state, and with the near destruction of social security, workers’ existence is becoming more and more insecure. Precarity is a term that has been developed alongside casualisation to describe the changes wrought by these and the form of working class existence that has developed because of them. Rather than the job-for-life and job security associated with such, workers’ are being coldly moulded into an acceptance of labour that rests on the whims and qualms of the bosses rather than an environment that it is within the workers‘ power to effect and change.

CopWatch was formed to combat police brutality against oppressed groups. By documenting and exposing incidences of police misconduct and brutality they hope to foster a culture of resistance to state justice among working class people. This interview with a member of Berkeley CopWatch looks at some of their current activities as well as the broader political context for their work.

Community and grassroots organising are powerful tactics in the toolkit of Anarchism. To clearly answer *how* Anarchists can help to promote grassroots and community organising we must first look at *why* Anarchists should support and engage in community organising in the first place.

So, for the first time in the history of the Irish state the Green Party are in government. Does this mean we will see any real, radical change? Can the Greens stay true to their Manifesto promises?

Never have we witnessed an election like the one just passed in the states history. Essentially, we witnessed a public refurendum on two possible coalitions. In the end we were given a government unique in the states history, in that for the first time it features the Green Party.

A member of the WSM travelled to the protests against the G8 in Heilegendamm, Germany July 2007. He reports on the actions that were taken and then on his arrest and mistreatment.

The Build-Up - 2nd June 2007

We travelled to Rostock on one of the 30 buses going from Hamburg. When we arrived the city was awash with people and also a gargantuan police presence. We made our way to the starting point of the rally in which the anarchist block was due to march, the second rally being composed more so of NGOs and political parties. After an hour or so of boring speeches and the monotone gloom of David Rovics, the march set off.

Shelter, especially in the form of long-term housing, is a basic human need. That's why Abraham Maslow put it at the base of his hierarchy of needs back in 1943. As a basic requirement in life, it should also be seen as undeniable right - something all people deserve, no matter who they are or where they come from.

  These three pieces were written by WSM members for indymedia.ie about the results of the 2007 election and its impact on the left. See our Election 2007 page at http://www.wsm.ie/election07 for what we had to say in advance of the election.

The greedy consultants are taking advantage of the current crisis in the health system to help line their own pockets. They're not going on strike in solidarity with the nurses' justified industrial action. Instead, they've recognised the opportunity to make the health service unworkable and so increase the pressure on the Health Services Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health to make their new contracts even sweeter and grab some more cash in the process. They're delaying the much needed reforms in the health service and the increases in consultant numbers, that would benefit all of Irish society, for their own selfish reasons.

A story about how a Government who could see the winning line suddenly got side tracked by the issue of poisoning the very people they were hoping would elect them again.

Galway city has grown by over a quarter since 1996. Its major source of water is the big lake, Lough Corrib North of the city. This is the same water source which deals with sewage from two plants, and has its water treated by a plant which was built in the 1940’s. The planners and the gombeens at the Ministry for the Environment do not appear to be aware of the dangers of that old saying ‘don’t shit where you eat’.