Originally published in The Anvil, vol. 12, no. 2. Iraq On the 20th of March 2003, the United States, at the head of a “coalition of the willing”, in which both Britain and Australia were prominent, invaded Iraq. The main justification offered was the need to destroy Saddam Hussein’s supposed cache of weapons of mass destruction, which was to be achieved by overthrowing his regime.    The invasion was carried out in defiance of international law and the biggest series of coordinated demonstrations in the history of the world.    Contrary to many peoples’ expectations, the Iraqi military quickl ..read more

In the aftermath of anti-Trans bigotry and violence in Melbourne and Sydney some progressive activists have focused their wrath on socialists rather than the bigots, police or the state. Attacks on the right of socialists to openly organise and proclaim their politics only strengthens the powers that be and undermines solidarity. Revolutionaries of every tendency should support one another in the face of liberal reaction. On the 18th of March anti-Trans bigot Posie Parker’s “Let Women Speak” tour stopped in Melbourne. Neo-Nazis from the National Socialist Network turned up in support of her ev ..read more

Steve Wright is the author of Storming Heaven: Class Composition and Struggle in Italian Autonomist Marxism (Pluto Press 2017) and The Weight of the Printed Word: Text, Context and Militancy in Operaismo (Haymarket Books 2023). Luca Tavan’s recent article on “Workerism and autonomism in Italy’s ‘Hot Autumn'” in Marxist Left Review is a textbook example of constructing one’s case based on the selective use of selected sources – and then ignoring not only other sources, but also the line of argument presented in many of the sources that were used (above all, those that fall outside a certain can ..read more

How should anarchists, concerned with rebuilding a fighting movement of the working class, organise today? As anarchists, we recognise that our fight against the bosses isn’t made through elections, or in parliament, but at work. We have power when we organise with our co-workers, take action which disrupts the ability to make profit, and when we link our struggles across industries. Easier said than done. So what strategies should we be using to build this kind of movement? Anarchists are in agreement that, just as our struggle can’t be outsourced to politicians within the State, we also can ..read more

This article first appeared in The Anvil, Vol 11 No 6, published 31 December 2022. What is the significance of the recent protests in China and what should we take from them here in Australia? The capitalist press have mostly stuck to a simplistic explanation based purely on opposition to Covid lockdowns. Clearly, the draconian policing of a ‘Zero Covid’ policy which had become unrealistic (implemented as a substitute for a poorly executed vaccination effort and significantly privatised health system) has been a major source of anger. An important event in building popular support for the prot ..read more

“The myth of Nin or Durruti is of no use to us at all, whereas their shortcomings and mistakes are useful, because they teach us something. The myths of yesterday are the chains of today; to reveal their errors allows us to advance beyond the point where they failed.” Agustin Guillamon – The Theorisation of Historical Experiences December 2022 marks the centenary of the International Workers Association (IWA). Founded by a range of ‘syndicalist’ unions as an alternative to the Communist International, the IWA once organised millions of workers. Syndicalist unions had been leading organisation ..read more

First published as “Victorian Election 2022”, in The Anvil, Vol. 11, No. 5, September-October 2022. The Victorian State election will be held on 26 November.  The Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group is not participating, of course, but the occasion provides an opportunity to reflect on capitalist democracy, on how to build a movement to change society and how not to build it. Capitalist democracy exists because the capitalist class is too big to meet in a single palace.  They need Parliament and democratic rights to work out what they themselves think.  Working class strugg ..read more

Ted Reese’s ‘The End of Capitalism: The Thought of Henryk Grossman’ sets out to introduce the ideas and life of Henryk Grossman, an important if somewhat little known Marxist economist.  Grossman, a Polish born economist wrote ‘The Law of Accumulation and Breakdown of the Capitalist System, a study in Marxian crisis theory.’ Though the work was largely sidelined by the official Marxist movement subordinate to Soviet interests, there has been something of a resurgence of interest in Grossmans ideas. This has proven valuable, as Grossmans efforts to expand upon Marxs insights may be amongst ..read more

This article was originally published as ‘The Burning Issue’ in The Anvil vol. 11, no. 4. Each year, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases.  Polar ice melts to an unprecedented degree.  The Great Barrier Reef suffers worse and more frequent bleaching events.  Droughts lengthen.  Record breaking floods hit Pakistan.  Unprecedented heatwaves bake China, Europe, India, West Asia or Australia.  A polar vortex diverts icy storms deep into North America.  And, behind the year-to-year variations, the global temperature trend climbs ever h ..read more

This is the final article in a series of articles by Matt Crossin, ‘Critical Notes on Developments in the Anarchist Movement’. There are some who now consider themselves anarchists who tell us, ‘Yes, anarchy is our goal, but we are nowhere near achieving it and have to think about winning desperately needed reforms. That means campaigning for politicians, even running for office ourselves, so that laws can be passed in the interest of the working class.’ There are several problems with this. First, it is important to clarify that anarchism not only entails a belief in the ideal of anarchy – of ..read more