International Marxist Tendency

The repolling at four polling stations in South Waziristan was blatantly rigged. Ali Wazir the Marxist candidate for Parliament had his victory stolen. But while the Parliament is the final goal for corrupt career politicians, for the Marxists the campaign was just a step in the struggle against the rotten Capitalist system.

Yesterday the Guardian Council in Iran announced the names of the eight candidates for the upcoming Presidential elections. The Council is a 12-member body of theologians and jurists, appointed by the Supreme Leader and the head of Judiciary, with responsibility for vetting presidential candidates ahead of the elections, scheduled for 14^th June.

The stream of distressing news seems to flow endlessly: School shootings from Colorado to Connecticut. Factory collapses and explosions from Bangladesh to Texas. Terrorist attacks from Pakistan to Boston. Crumbling infrastructure from Mexico City to Minneapolis. Kidnappings and torture from Ciudad Juarez to Cleveland. War and civil war from Syria to Somalia. Mass unemployment from Greece to California. What is at the root of this seemingly unstoppable wave of human misery, uncertainty, and chaos? What can the working majority of society do about it?

The New Scientist magazine carried an article recently, in its edition dated 13th April, with the title "Austerity’s Toxic Genetic Legacy". In the article the author explains how the high stress levels caused by high unemployment and a falling standard of living, such as the working class are experiencing now, can cause serious illness. Not only that but long-term psychological stress can cause long-lasting changes in genes that trigger chronic inflammation.

A new book details the human cost of capitalist crisis. "The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills" by economists David Stuckler and Sanjay Basu uses statistical analysis to discover the human effects of the recession. In a Guardian article, Stuckler describes the book as articulating “why austerity kills”.

Since the Pakistani general elections on 11 May this year, the forces of reaction have been manoeuvring to try to deny a democratically elected candidate his rightful place as an elected representative of the people of Pakistan. Tomorrow is an important day in this process as it will witness these reactionary forces doing everything they can to steal the victory of the Marxists.