Julian Jones examines what the record gains of big tech companies during the COVID-19 pandemic mean for the Marxist understanding of capitalism, monopolisation and crisis in 2020.
Robert Griffiths, General Secretary of the Communist Party, was invited to speak at the (COVID-19 delayed!) International Scientific and Practical Conference in honour of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, hosted by the Leningrad Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, last Saturday (17 October 2020). Challenge carries a transcript of the speech delivered by the CP General Secretary.
Last week saw the foundation of yet another new YCL branch, this time for Brighton and East Sussex, by young workers and students in the area.
Challenge republishes below the founding statement of the YCL’s newest branch which outlines their campaigning priorities – trade unionism, housing struggles, the student movement, environmentalism, anti-racism and anti-imperialism. As ever, the branch is unlikely to retain the title of newest branch for long with many new branches on the cards in South East England and across Britain …
If you are interested in getting involved in the YCL in Brighton & East Sussex (or further afield!) contact Brighton@ycl.org.uk or go to www.ycl.org.uk/join/.
Peter Stoddart reviews David Attenborough’s latest Netflix special which, while poignant, fails to deliver answers.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Sitaram Yechury, discusses the historic struggles of the CPI(M) in its centenary year and the contemporary struggle for secularism in the face of Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.
Full Moon at Tierz: Before The Storming of Huesca by John Cornford.
John Cornford from a relatively privileged families and attended Cambridge University. It was at Cambridge that he met and fell in love with Margot Heinemann and where they both joined the Communist Party. John’s mother, Frances Crofts Cornford, was a poet, and he himself was already writing poems at school.
After gaining a BA first-class honours in History, he became the first Englishman to enlist against Franco in the Spanish Civil War and was killed in battle on the Andujar and Cordoba Front on 27 or 28 December 1936.
Cornford wrote just a few poems in Spain, including A Letter from Aragon and the poem featured here Full Moon at Tierz: Before The Storming of Huesca.
Dennis Broe reviews Spike Lee’s recent and celebrated film which attempts to tackle the experience of African-American US soldiers during and after the Vietnam War.
In a question to the European Commission last week, the Communist Party of Greece’s (KKE) EU Parliamentary Group demanded the full and permanent return of the 2,500 year-old Parthenon Marbles, also known as the “Elgin Marbles” in Britain.
Jamie Perkins marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Gay Liberation Front and discusses its importance in the struggle for LGBT+ rights in Britain.
Last weekend (3/4 October 2020), young communists conducted home to home leafleting on estates in Cable Street scene of a famous battle against fascism in 1936. The three day campaign included a street stall, giant projection of a film on the Battle and postering, with a banner display on the Sunday.
In a speech delivered in 1962, Ernesto Che Guevara discusses the task of communist cadres in building socialism in Cuba – outlining fundamental lessons for young communists the world over.
On the 53rd anniversary of his death, Joe Weaver explains the origins of an iconic image of the world’s most famous revolutionary
Increasing state repression of left and democratic forces should come as no surprise – and communists must be prepared to tackle it head on, writes Adam Jenson.
Jamie Perkins discusses the fight for LGBT+ rights in Russia and across Eastern Europe, the lessons which can be learned from socialist Cuba – and how they can be applied today.
Denise Lynn explores the life, work and revolutionary contribution of, now legendary member of the Communist Parties of the USA and Britain, Claudia Jones.
The famous victory in 1936 is still felt today far beyond the East End, says Liz Payne.
The International Relations Committee of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) details the ongoing fight by students in the country for proper and effective protection from COVID-19.
Yesterday (30 September 2020), events professionals around the country took part in various actions to expose the dire situation facing workers in this highly profitable industry. Graham Dakin writes about the conditions and challenges that have led them to this point.
Why I Choose Red by Hugh MacDiarmid
Dr Christopher Murray Grieve, who wrote under the pen-name of Hugh Macdiarmid, was the greatest Scottish poet of the twentieth century. Best-known for what he called “Lallans”, a literary form of the Lowland Scots language that he developed, he also made use of English.
At different stages of his life he was a supporter of Scottish nationalism and communism. Famously, he stood for the Communist Party against Tory Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, in the Kinross & West Perthshire constituency in the 1964 general election, as part of an unsuccessful bid to get television time for the Party. His A Sprig of White Heather in the Future’s Lapel, written for former Communist MP Willie Gallacher on the occasion of the latter’s 80th birthday, is particularly famous among Britain’s Communists.
Here we feature Why I Choose Red, one of McDiarmid’s strongly political poems.
Nick Wright discusses the prevalence of rampant individualism among Britain’s media and ruling class during the coronavirus pandemic and the ideological significance of attacks on public health measures as ‘Stasi hell’.
