counterfire.org —   The crisis of the British regime: democracy, protest and the unions       The British political regime faces a crisis of confidence. This report presents empirical evidence for the democratic deficit, growing protest, the state of the trade unions and the strategic implications for the left.       Contents       The democratic deficit and a crisis of institutional confidence The crisis of confidence in political institutions. Political parties. Voting. A decline in confidence in other key institutions. Why the decline? The rise of protest politics. The number of people who consider themselves to be ‘left wing’ has increased since the 1980s. This is what democracy looks like. The state of the trade unions. Strikes and union density. Young workers, low pay and precarious employment. Shop stewards. Workplace tensions. The prospect for social unrest. The shape of resistance. Political struggle and class consciousness. Conclusions. Download The Crisis of the British Regime as PDF (924Kb)       Main findings   There has been an unprecedented fall in public trust in government, the media, corporations and other central institutions in British society – with less than a quarter of Britons trusting national government, less than a fifth trusting parliament and fewer than 15% having any confidence in the press. There has been a marked and significant rise in protest movements – twice as many of us are taking part in demonstrations compared to the 1970s and the proportion of the population describing themselves as ‘left wing’ has grown by over 2 million since the 1980s. Trade unions retain greater public trust than other institutions but are facing a crisis of membership and confidence: 77% of private sector workplaces have no union members at all. That a viable strategy for the left involves focussing on the politics of protest and utilising this energy to rebuild the unions along ‘social unionism’ lines.     http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/theory/37-theory/14906-the-crisis-of-the-british-regime-democracy-protest-and-the-unions

guardian.co.uk —  European stock markets rocked by panic selling as debt crisis reignites Investors demanding high premiums for holding Italian and Spanish bonds as fears of double-dip recession grow http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/10/european-stock-market-panic-selling

socialism.com —   Steadfast ranks and solidarity win ILWU jobs in Longview — but the fight’s not over Linda Averill April 2012 A Solidarity Night, called Sept. 2011 by ILWU 21, drew hundreds of union and community supporters who recognized the importance of 21’s fight to all workers. Photo: ILWU Local 21 The tumultuous face-off between multinational consortium Export Grain Terminal (EGT) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 21 will go down in labor history as one of the great battles between the bosses and workers. But it’s unlikely the last chapter is written in this war over who will control the West Coast waterfront.   That ILWU won jurisdiction at EGT’s new $200 million terminal in Longview, Wash., is a big victory. From the get-go it was clear the corporate Goliath wanted a union-free facility, especially free of the historically militant ILWU.   In the course of the battle, EGT hired an army of private thugs and had the U.S. Coast Guard, police, courts, politicians, and mainstream media on its side. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) pursued fines against the ILWU and county prosecutors filed charges against members and supporters who allegedly stopped trains going into EGT’s terminal.   What was decisive in the union’s ability to beat back this unholy alliance was months of sacrifices by members, including 24/7 picketing, and community support, especially from the Occupy movement.   Dan Coffman, President of ILWU 21, credited a planned mass convergence on Longview in late February with getting EGT to the bargaining table. “It played a huge role … as far as EGT wanting to get something done.”   Yet the outlook for a lasting truce between EGT and the union is dubious. The union faces criminal charges and is saddled with a contract that gives EGT tyrannical management powers. Most likely, more battles loom. For starters, although the union is not officially requesting community support, it needs public pressure to back off county prosecutors and the NLRB.   Local 21 faces big guns. According to Coffman, the NLRB is still pursuing legal action against the ILWU despite agreement by EGT and the Port to drop related charges. County Prosecutors are pursuing numerous charges against members and supporters for actions taken last year to stop trains loaded with grain from coming into EGT’s facility. This includes felony charges against Coffman and International ILWU President Robert McEllrath.   Meanwhile, President Obama set a precedent of calling in armed Coast Guard and Homeland Security vessels to protect EGT’s ship-loading operations against protests by ILWU and its supporters. It’s been 40 years since the military was called in during a labor dispute.   Then there’s the contract itself. Several clauses outline severe penalties, including termination, for any member who engages in, or promotes a work-stoppage. A range of other union actions are also forbidden, including picketing. If union members protest conditions, they could be out the door. If Local 21 stands up for them it could face stiff penalties or lose the contract and union shop. This goes against the ILWU’s tradition of being able to shut down the docks, whether to protest a war or union-busting outfit like EGT — and it’s a blow to the entire labor movement.   Gabriel Prawl, a member of ILWU Local 52, which includes clerks, sees “no strengths in the contract,” and points out its exclusion of clerks from ILWU representation at EGT. Control room personnel are also excluded.   Prawl, a Pacific Northwest co-convenor of the Million Worker March, said, “we had them [EGT] on the run and we were sold out.” His criticism, which is directed at the International leadership, includes their failure to “come to the membership before a decision was made.” While members voted on broad terms of the settlement, they didn’t vote on the final contract. Whether they would have approved it will never be known, but it should have been their decision to settle or continue to fight, Prawl believes. Instead, bosses, the NLRB and International union officials decided the workers’ fate. Prawl was among the vocal rank-and-file leaders who pushed for bottom-up democracy throughout the struggle.   Labor and Occupy unite! A related weakness in the Longview fight was the International’s determination to keep tight control over its own ranks and the larger movement. This included casting the Occupy movement as an outside entity meddling in internal union affairs, rather than a welcome ally. In truth, ILWU rank-and-filers, building solidarity and working with Occupy activists up and down the coast, were key to making the port shutdowns effective. This was despite sabotage from AFL-CIO leaders and ILWU International officials.   To win upcoming battles, whether on the waterfront or a landlocked worksite, labor will have to confront both bosses and the anti-union government offensive that is criminalizing workers’ self-defense. In these coming struggles, solidarity with the Occupy movement and the community will be essential. And if the leadership of unions won’t forge those links, it is up to the ranks to continue to carry the ball forward. Drop all charges and fines against ILWU!   Contact Linda Averill at avlinda587@gmail.com.  

dollarsandsense.org —  Dollars & Sense is a non-profit publisher that produces the bi-monthly magazine Dollars & Sense and the Real World college textbook series and other readers.   About Dollars & Sense Magazine   Dollars & Sense publishes economic news and analysis, reports on economic justice activism, primers on economic topics, and critiques of the mainstream media's coverage of the economy. Our readers include professors, students, and activists who value our smart and accessible economic coverage. Read articles from the current issue. About Dollars & Sense Books   Dollars & Sense publishes anthologies and textbooks that explain the workings of the national and global economies to a new generation. D&S books are used by thousands of college students every year. Unlike mainstream economics texts, D&S books offer clearly–written information and analyses that place economics in the context of real life, questioning the assumptions of mainstream academic theories and empowering people to think about alternatives to the prevailing system. Suitable for students, professors, journalists, activists, and the general public, D&S books cover a wide variety of economic topics that are timely and particularly relevant in the current economic climate.

cepr.net — Established by Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives. In order for citizens to effectively exercise their voices in a democracy, they should be informed about the problems and choices that they face. CEPR is committed to presenting issues in an accurate and understandable manner, so that the public is better prepared to choose among the various policy options.

antiauthoritarian.net — Next Left Notes (NLN) is an independent Left news source that covers the following Movement related issues and topics: abortion rights, anti-war activism, civil rights, the Constitution, Free Speech and protected First Amendment activity, human rights, health care, labor, LGBT rights, the Middle East, the National Writers Union, peace, trade unionism, the United Auto Workers, women's rights and New York City politics. NLN is edited by Thomas Good and was founded in March of 2004.

cepr.net — Established by Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives. In order for citizens to effectively exercise their voices in a democracy, they should be informed about the problems and choices that they face. CEPR is committed to presenting issues in an accurate and understandable manner, so that the public is better prepared to choose among the various policy options. Toward this end, CEPR conducts both professional research and public education. The professional research is oriented towards filling important gaps in the understanding of particular economic and social problems, or the impact of specific policies. The public education portion of CEPR's mission is to present the findings of professional research, both by CEPR and others, in a manner that allows broad segments of the public to know exactly what is at stake in major policy debates. An informed public should be able to choose policies that lead to an improving quality of life, both for people within the United States and around the world. CEPR was co-founded by economists Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot. Our Advisory Board includes Nobel Laureate economists Robert Solow and Joseph Stiglitz; Janet Gornick, Professor at the CUNY Graduate School and Director of the Luxembourg Income Study; and Richard Freeman, Professor of Economics at Harvard University.  

wellstone.org —   Wellstone Action is a national center for training and leadership development in the progressive movement.  Founded in January 2003, Wellstone Action's mission is ignite leadership in people and power in communities to win change in the progressive tradition of Paul and Sheila Wellstone. For the past eight years, Wellstone Action has worked to turn the tide away from conservatives and give tens of thousands of progressives the skills to win elections and advance an agenda of change.  Now, with the election of President Barack Obama and the mobilization of millions of Americans to become engaged in politics for the first time, Wellstone Action and the progressive movement have incredible opportunities to not only tap into the energy of those volunteers and voters, but build on the skills and experience to develop thousands of candidates, campaign workers, and issue campaign organizers.