"Where there is discord may we bring harmony..." said Margaret Thatcher  30 years ago this May when she was elected as British Prime Minister in 1979. Some politicians are remembered for their achievements, in Aneurin Bevan's case the founding of the NHS; others like Tony Blair will be remembered as warmongers and traitors to the ideals of the Labour movement. Meanwhile John Major will be remembered, if at all, for his ineffectual personality and his blandness. But very few will have been hated by working people with such intensity as Margaret Thatcher.

General Motors, the largest car manufacturer in the United States of America, which employs nearly a quarter of a million people world wide, has filed for bankruptcy. This has initiated the largest industrial insolvency the world has ever seen with debts of £105 billion! The firm, which owns Vauxhall and its European sister Opel, employs 5,500 workers here in the UK. The future of the British employees have entered into uncertainty with sale of the European arm of General Motors to a consortium led by Canadian car parts manufacturer Magna, backed by Russian investment bank Sberbank.

On the day that the Pakistani army continued to be bogged down in a ferocious battle against the Taliban inside its own borders and yet another British soldier was killed in Afghanistan, the one hundred and fifty third since 2001, it is evident that the British military is engaged in a war it cannot win. Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth has outlined desperate measures which entail a wholesale reform of the Territorial Army. Gone forever will be the image of a glorified Dad’s Army as the TA is to be integrated with the rest of the army and better prepared for wars abroad.

If you hadn’t noticed, there is an election or rather a number of elections this week, what with the Euro Elections and the Council ones. Every lamp post, telegraph pole or slow moving animal has been festooned with posters for weeks. All of the hopefuls smile at you as you walk past, each photo carefully doctored so you can’t see the vampire fangs.

Britain is experiencing a deep crisis – not only in terms of a collapsing economy – but a political and social crisis affecting its very foundations. The daily revelations in the Daily Telegraph of the misappropriation of public funds and outright corruption amongst MPs of all major parties have caused public outrage at a time of mass redundancies, repossessions and pay cuts. These astounding events mark a sea-change in British society.

The MPs expenses scandal - based on nicked data 'obtained' by the Daily Torygraph - has become the talking point of the day. Around Britain people are furious that these same publicly paid MPs, who tell us all to cut back and grandly complain about every minor infringement of benefit claims, have taken expense claim fiddling to a level undreamt off by most of us.

The workers of Ireland are feeling the pinch. The so called "Celtic Tiger" has proven itself to be an illusion. The Irish economy is now in free fall and the  government and the bosses are doing their best to make the workers pay for the crisis. The only way to stop this onslaught is through co-ordinated industrial action.

Recent weeks have seen Ireland bear witness to two factory occupations that subsequently inspired similar actions across Britain. These events are significant developments in class struggle in that they pose the question of whether power resides with the boss or the workers. It is fitting that these events should coincide with the ninetieth anniversary of the Limerick Soviet.

In both Hungary and the Czech Republic we have seen recently so-called “technocrats”, ex-bankers and so on, being called to form governments, which the main political parties apparently have nothing to do with. It is a fig leaf behind which they are trying to hide their complete capitulation to the capitalists, and thus hopefully save them from the wrath of the people. How long can this last?

We recently received this interesting article that gives the facts and figures about the economic nightmare that is about to hit Eastern Europe. Twenty years after the disastrous collapse of Stalinism these countries now face an even bigger collapse, this time of the capitalist type.

Workers at Visteon, following a four-week battle, have gained a victory. After the occupation of the Visteon plants and 24 hour picketing when the company announced its liquidation, Ford/Visteon bosses were finally forced to concede to the workers' demands. Workers in Enfield and Basildon have already voted in favour of the deal, while those at Belfast will be voting soon. Rob Sewell interviewed Rob Fitch, shop steward at the Visteon plant in Basildon, who was also one of the national negotiators that secured the new deal.

This year May Day in Denmark was very different from previous years, with 200,000 demonstrating in Copenhagen. A sharp shift to the left is noticeable among Danish workers, who on the one hand are feeling the shock effect of the severe economic crisis, but also seeking radical left alternatives.

A report on the recent four-day national conference (9 to 12 April) of the Spanish Marxists of El Militante, with the participation of over 180 delegates and visitors.