With the re-election of a National led government we will most likely  see the bosses go on the offensive to further undermine workers pay and conditions, and beneficiaries entitlements .  Already the National led government has signalled major legislative counter-reforms against workers, which are aimed at weakening collective bargaining and the unions ability to operate effectively.  It cannot be ruled out that such measures may be rushed through parliament under urgency early in the New Year.

On December 7th, 2011, the Serious Fraud Office announced it was laying 21 charges against five people in the failed lending company South Canterbury Finance, which came to national attention in August 2010 when the National-led government bailed out the organisation for $1.6 billion (£729 million) under the 2008 Crown Retail Deposit Scheme that was introduced by the Labour-led government shortly before their defeat in the 2008 elections to protect individual depositors in organisations such as banks and financial companies in the event they collapsed. 

As we write these lines the Papandreou government is staggering towards collapse. In a matter of days the whole situation has been thrown into turmoil.

Facing an increasingly angry public backlash, the latest version of the industrial court used to decide labour disputes between the unions and bosses, the so-called “Fair Work Australia” court, stepped in and ordered the cessation of Qantas’ lockout of its workers and for the company to immediately resume flying.

Recently Angela Merkel was warning that peace in Europe could be endangered if an agreement was not reached at the EU summit on how to manage the crisis that has engulfed the euro and the whole of the EU economy. Speaking to the German parliament she said, “No one should think that a further half century of peace and prosperity is assured. It isn't. And that's why I say if the euro fails, Europe will fail, and that mustn't happen." Some of the more serious strategists of capital have even raised the prospect that the euro could break up. The 27 EU leaders on Wednesday night, however, finally produced a three part deal.

On Thursday in Athens during the mass workers' protests we saw the state collaborating with hooligans and provocateurs against the labour movement. What is now required is a political general strike! Here we publish a statement by the Greek Marxists of Marxistiki Foni. 

The capture and killing of Colonel Gaddafi has been described in detail by the mass media in all its gory details. With the death of Gaddafi and the taking of Sirte the National Transitional Council is talking about forming a transitional government. The NTC is recognised by the imperialist powers whose interests it represents. However, many ordinary Libyans look with justified mistrust at the NTC and their imperialist backers.

Today (October 19th), the first day of the 48-hour general strike in Greece was sensational. Apart from the government and public utilities workers that participated in the strike massively, hundreds of thousands of workers from the private sector came out on strike for the first time, and also joining the millions of striking workers were tens of thousands of small businesspeople and shopkeepers who closed the shutters to their shops in solidarity.