The devastation of the Great Depression led to bitter class struggles, enormous political upheavals, and a deep desire among many workers for a socialist future.
The Australian government’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis is a reflection not of its incompetence, although it has demonstrated plenty of that, but its cold-blooded commitment to profits before human life.
Argentina has a long tradition of workers occupying their factories and producing under workers’ control. In the crisis, workers who once had to sew police uniforms have taken control of their workplace and are now making surgical masks. A U.S. hotel worker currently in Argentina reports.
This speech was given at a video conference of Socialist Alternative’s national committee on 22 March. Mick Armstrong is a founding member of Socialist Alternative and is a member of the organisation’s national executive.