The Russian war of aggression is meeting surprisingly strong resistance from the Ukrainian army and population. The Russian troops failed to occupy the country or to overthrow the government. They are bombing residential areas and vital infrastructure. Tens of thousands of people have already died. At the same time, governments in Europe are using this war of aggression as an opportunity to systematically push ahead with their previously planned rearmament projects. The ranks are closing. We discussed with socialist activists in both Ukraine and Russia about war, resistance and perspectives of solidarity for the whole of Europe.
Speakers:
Denys Pilash, historian and activist of the socialist organisation Sotsialnyi Rukh (Social Movement), Kyiv.
Maksym Shumakov, activist of the socialist organisation Sotsialnyi Rukh (Social Movement), Kyiv.
Hanna Perekhoda, from Donetsk, political scientist at the University of Lausanne, member of solidaritéS.
Ilya Budraitskis, contributor to the magazines openleft.ru and LeftEast, lived in Moscow until recently.
Gilbert Achcar, professor at SOAS in London, author of several books on imperialism and the new Cold War.
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Already the backsliding begins. ITV news is reporting that the Government has changed one point in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. They have accepted that academies will retain their ‘freedom’ to set their own pay scales for teachers. So the criteria in the School Teachers Pay and Conditions document will only apply to teachers in Local Authority schools. Why have the Government climbed down on this issue? It’s not as if this is a major financial problem for academies. But what will be the next change/climb down by the Government? Will academies be exempt from the National Curriculum? Will Local Authorities be able to build schools according to the needs of their communities or will all new schools, as at present, have to be academies?