Northern Europe
Ireland: Waterford occupation continues as protests grow against cuts and closures
By Steve James, February 10, 2009
Workers are continuing to occupy the Waterford Wedgewood crystal factory in Ireland as protests over the economic crisis spread.
Britain: Foreign Office colludes with US to cover-up torture of Binyam Mohamed
By Robert Stevens, February 7, 2009
High Court rulings regarding Guantánamo detainee Binyam Mohamed have revealed US and British complicity in suppressing evidence of torture.
Britain: Refinery dispute becomes focus of shift to protectionism within Labour
By Julie Hyland, February 5, 2009
The refinery strikes over jobs for “Britons first” have become the focus for a shift to protectionism by the trade union bureaucracy, which is also finding expression within the Labour government.
Britain: Tamils demonstrate outside parliament
By Paul Mitchell, February 5, 2009
Around 5,000 Tamils demonstrated outside the UK Parliament against the war being waged by the government in Sri Lanka, on the 61st anniversary of the independence of Ceylon.
Stalinists and Socialist Party defend “Britons first” refinery protest
By Julie Hyland, February 3, 2009
The Stalinist Communist Party and the Socialist Party are seeking to defend the demand for “British jobs for British workers” at the centre of the oil refinery dispute.
Ireland: Workers occupy Waterford crystal factory
By Steve James, February 3, 2009
Two hundred workers have occupied the historic Waterford Crystal plant and visitor centre at Kilbarry, Ireland.
Britain: Royal Mail faces privatisation and jobs massacre
By Richard Tyler, February 3, 2009
The Brown government has approved the partial privatisation of Royal Mail, the UK’s state-run postal service.
Protests over economic crisis topple Icelandic government
By Barry Grey, January 28, 2009
The collapse of the right-wing Haarde government in Iceland is the sharpest expression to date of the growing social and political turmoil across Europe arising from the economic crisis.
Ireland: Anglo Irish Bank taken into state ownership
By Steve James, January 27, 2009
The Irish government was forced to take the Anglo Irish Bank into full state ownership on January 15. The move came as fears that a collapse of the bank, one of Ireland’s largest lenders, would brin...
Iceland: Angry protests over economy force early elections
By Jordan Shilton, January 24, 2009
Special forces had to rescue Iceland’s Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde in the early hours of Thursday morning, as ongoing protests over the country’s economic crisis erupted into angry clashes outsi...
Britain: Demands for nationalization of banks from sections of big business
By Julie Hyland, January 24, 2009
The Labour government’s latest bailout of Britain’s banks has been greeted with widespread scepticism in leading financial and business circles, and calls for their “nationalisation” amid coll...
British defence secretary prepares escalation in Afghanistan
By Harvey Thompson, January 21, 2009
Britain’s defence secretary John Hutton delivered the UK government’s sharpest public criticism of its European NATO allies and called for an increase in troop deployment to the most dangerous par...
