Revolting Europe
public services
Thousands rally for publicly run health services in Madrid
More than 60,000 health workers and citizens turned out in the streets of Madrid in the fifth mass protest against the privatisation of the capital’s health services since the start of the year. Unions CCOO and UGT and the radical United Left party formed part of the ‘white tide’ rising against the plans of the … Continue reading
Italians say ‘enough’ in mass protest against new government
“Enough. We can not wait any longer.” This was slogan behind which tens of thousands of workers, students, pensioners and radical left activists were marching in Rome Saturday in the first major protest against Italy’s new centre-left-right government. Led by metalworkers’ union Fiom, thousands of people marched to the beat of drums and whistles in … Continue reading
Margaret Thatcher: the architect of Europe’s crisis
Thatcher introduced to Europe the economic and political model that is now destroying it. Here’s some dedications from critics (from the European mainland) of the late British prime minister, who has received such lavish, and unwarranted praise, in recent days. French Communist Party: For some she put an end to the “monopoly” of the unions, she … Continue reading
How Austerity is Hurting Women in Europe – In Numbers
Women are disproportionally affected by austerity cuts because they are society’s main carers, and the main users of public services and welfare recipients, where there have been heavy reductions in budgets; they predominate in low paid, insecure employment, which is expanding, facilitated by labour counter-reforms; because they are heavily employed in the public sector where … Continue reading
Spain’s Unfinished Civil War
By Vicente Navarro The history of Spain in the twentieth century (and into the twenty-first century) is the constant conflict between, on the one hand, financial establishments, focused on banking, and business, focused on large employers (assisted by a state dominated by conservative forces, including the armed forces and the judiciary and police, and the … Continue reading
Fresh Privatization Push in Europe Bucks Recent Trend As No Benefits Found
A new privatisation bonanza is underway in southern Europe, with Greece and Portugal leading the way. But recently published research shows the trend in recent years in Europe has been in the opposite direction as it becomes ever clearer that there are no benefits – except for the corporations and fat cats The European economic … Continue reading
New network of economists launches European rescue plan
A new European Progressive Economists Network has launched a radical plan to rescue the Continent from austerity and the terror of finance with a democratic and green model of development that brings the banks under social control and promotes public services. The network includes Belgium’s Econosphères, Spain’s Econonuestra, France’s Economistes Atterrés and Italy’s Sbilanciamoci! and … Continue reading
The Tea Party in the US (and in Spain)
By Vincent Navarro In the elections to the Catalan Parliament in 2006 in one of the most conservative newspapers in Catalonia, La Vanguardia, a columnist ideologically close to the banks and large employers, interviewed the Socialist candidate, José Montilla, and with great arrogance wondered how a person like him (Mr. Montilla, from a working class … Continue reading
Poverty on the increase in Europe as austerity bites, new study shows
Despite the promises of the European Commission to tackle unemployment and the social consequences of the crisis, poverty has increased by 2 million since 2010 as the focus on austerity undermines benefits and public services, according to a new study by the European Anti-Poverty Network. More
Italy’s employers warn Monti of ‘social butchery’
Even some leading employers are flinching at the human cost of the latest austerity measures of Mario Monti’s ‘technocratic’ government. The country’s first UK-style spending review now heading for parliament will see big cuts to health expenditure and to the public-sector workforce as part of a 26 billion euros reduction in expenditure over the next … Continue reading
Portugal: health service cuts spark vigils, protests
Cuts to emergency services and health centres has been met with outrage by medical associations and the public who have staged vigils and protests to show their opposition The most recent focus of anger was the Hospital dos Covões in the municipality of Coimbra in the centre of the country, whose emergency health centre has … Continue reading
Madrid’s men and women in black
Last Friday thousands of local government workers took to the streets of Madrid. The reason – cuts by the capital’s right wing Popular Party administration to public services and work rights of the public servants delivering them. The government had just imposed changes to collective contracts and wide ranging increases to local taxes and tariffs. … Continue reading
Spanish unions kick off campaign to stop health cuts
Spanish unions kicked off a rolling programme of protest actions on Thursday to highlight an accelerating health emergency in the country. The actions by healthworkers, which are designed not to disrupt services to patients, will kick off in Madrid and then roll out across the country. The right wing government of Mariano Rajoy recently unveiled a €7 … Continue reading
Why President Hollande will need to embrace Melenchon’s spirit of rebellion
The Socialists are set to wrest back the Elysée Palace from the Right after a gap of 17 years in Sunday’s Presidential poll. Francois Hollande has maintained a consistent and comfortable lead over Nicolas Sarkozy in opinion polls and the incumbent’s increasingly desperate swing to the far right appears to have failed to shore up … Continue reading
Spanish students to take to streets over education cuts on May 10
Spain’s Students Union has called a day of protest against massive cuts in the public education system. General secretary Thoil Delgado is in talks with the UGT and CCOO trade union centrals to try and coordinate action with teachers to make May 10 a ‘response from the educational community.’ The action would come just five … Continue reading
WAGES SLIDE
Wealth Inequality in Europe
RADICAL VOICES
Italy’s Healthcare Crisis
NO TO WATER PRIVATISATION
Filthy Rich
SANTA DRAGHI’S COMING
WORKERS FIGHTING BACK
FLORENCE’S BUS LUMACA
Massive Spanish protest
FRENCH FACTORY OCCUPATION
International Workers Day 2012
DATA
Discrimination: legal news
- Lithuania - A group of NGOs address the Parliament proposing amendments to the Law on Equal Treatment (PDF 63 kB)
- Romania - Amendments to the Anti-discrimination Law adopted as emergency ordinance without observing public consultations procedures (PDF 59 kB)
- Romania - Proposed amendments to the Anti-discrimination Law are presented by the NCCD for public consultations (PDF 58 kB)
