The bourgeoisie naturally welcomes its new allies with joy. It sees in them a major increase in its power, a determined pack prepared for every form of violence in its service. The bourgeoisie, accustomed to rule, is unfortunately much more experienced and wise in judging the situation and defending its class interests than the proletariat, which is accustomed to the yoke. From the beginning the bourgeoisie has clearly grasped the situation and, thus, the advantage that it can draw from fascism. What does the bourgeoisie want? It is striving for the reconstruction of the capitalist economy, that is, the maintenance of its class domination. Under present circumstances, the precondition for achieving its goal is to considerably increase and intensify the exploitation and oppression of the working class.

The bourgeoisie is well aware that alone it does not possess the instruments of power to impose this fate on the exploited. Tormented by the scorpions of an upsurge in poverty, even the proletarian with the thickest skin finally begins to rebel against capitalism. The bourgeoisie can only conclude that over time, under such circumstances, even the mild and conciliatory sermons of the reform socialists will lose their dulling effect on the proletariat. It reckons that the proletariat can now be subjugated and exploited only through force. But the means of force available to the bourgeois state are beginning, in part, to break down. The state is losing the financial strength and moral authority needed to maintain blind loyalty and subjugation among its slaves. The bourgeoisie can no longer rely on its state’s regular methods of force to secure its class rule. For that it needs an extralegal and non-state instrument of force. That has been offered by the motley assemblage that makes up the fascist mob. That is why the bourgeoisie offers its hand for fascism’s kiss, granting it complete freedom of action, contrary to all its written and unwritten laws. It goes further. It nourishes fascism, maintains it, and promotes its development with all the means at its disposal in terms of political power and hoards of money.

It is evident that fascism has different characteristics in every country, based on specific circumstances. Nonetheless, in every country it has two essential features: a sham revolutionary program, which links up in extremely clever fashion with the moods, interests, and demands of broad social masses; and the use of brutal and violent terror.

- Clara Zetkin,
The Struggle Against Fascism

🇺🇦🏆New "record" for deserters: in May 2025, almost 20,000 people deserted from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

To be exact, 19,956 people. More likely, more deserted, but that is how many official cases were registered.

But even this figure is impressive. And yes, this is another new record. Thus, every week a whole brigade in full force defects from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In a month – a corps.

And so it goes month after month. Since January 1, almost 100,000 army has already fled (to be exact, 90,590 people).

January 2025 – 18,145 people.
February 2025 – 17809 people.
March 2025 – 16,349 people.
April 2025 – 18,331 people.
May 2025 – 19956 people.

At the same time, for the whole of 2025, only 2,732 deserters were found (3% of those who fled), and 1,375 people were returned to service (1.5% of all).

By and large, there are simply no people or time to look for such an army. After all, over the entire war, more than 200,000 people (213,722 people) have already fled from Zelensky's army. And almost all of them are wanted.

At the same time, the combat monthly irretrievable losses (excluding deserters) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are already approaching 30,000 people, and total mobilization for several months does not even provide these same 30 thousand hours. And thus, the total number of Zelensky's army in May fell by approximately 20,000 people.

@Slavyangrad

Fascism has another source. It is the blockage, the halting pace of world revolution resulting from betrayal by the reformist leaders of the workers’ movement. Among a large part of the middle layers— the civil servants, bourgeois intellectuals, and the small and middle bourgeois—who were proletarianized or were threatened with that fate, the psychology of war was replaced by a degree of sympathy for reformist socialism. They hoped that, thanks to “democracy,” reformist socialism could bring about global change. These expectations were painfully shattered. The reform socialists carried out a gentle coalition policy, whose costs were borne not only by proletarians and salaried workers but by civil servants, intellectuals, and lower and mid-level petty bourgeois of every type.

These layers lacked in general any theoretical, historical, or political education. Their sympathy for reform socialism was not deeply rooted. So as things turned out, they lost their belief not only in the reformist leaders but also in socialism itself. “The socialists promised an easing of our burdens and suffering, plus many beautiful things, and a reshaping of society on the foundations of justice and democracy,” they said. “But the top dogs and the rich carry on and rule with even more severity than before.” These bourgeois who were disappointed in socialism were joined by proletarian forces. All the disillusioned—whether bourgeois or proletarian in origin—nevertheless abandon a precious intellectual force that would enable them to look forward from the gloomy present to a bright and hopeful future. That force is trust in the proletariat as the class that will remake society. The betrayal by the reformist leaders does not weigh so heavily in the attitude of these disillusioned forces as another fact: namely, that the proletarian masses tolerate this betrayal, that they continue to accept the capitalist yoke without rebellion or resistance, indeed that they come to terms with a suffering even more bitter than before.

In addition, in order to be fair, I must add that the Communist parties as well, setting aside Russia, are not without responsibility for the fact that even within the proletariat there are disillusioned people who throw themselves into the arms of fascism. Quite frequently these parties’ actions have been insufficiently vigorous, their initiatives lacking in scope, and their penetration of the masses inadequate.


- Clara Zetkin,
The Struggle Against Fascism.

"Rest After Battle"
By Yuri Neprintsev (1951)

A fantastic view of the 'other side' of 30 James Street, Liverpool and the Overhead Railway.

"Bathing the Horses”, painting by Arkady Plastov (1938)

Ranjeet Brar speaks about the emerging split between the NATO powers as their aggressive war in Ukraine Flounders.

Why is Hegseth staying away? Why is “Labour” prime minister Keir Starmer so intent on pushing on towards world war 3?

What will the increasing drive towards militarism mean for British workers?

1. What reason could the U.S. Defence chief have for skipping the Ramstein group meeting for the first time since it's creation in 2022.... Can it really be that his schedule was too busy?

2. The head of Ukraine's delegation at the Ramstein meeting insisted U.S.-Ukrainian co-operation is strong - despite Hegseth's absence. What's your assessment of the recent dynamics regarding this relationship?

3. UK has stepped up to co-lead the Ukraine Defence Contact Group now the U.S. has backed off. As a British politician, how do you feel about that?

Raúl and Fidel Castro at their mountain hideout in eastern Cuba. Sierra Maestra, Cuba. Circa 1955-1959.

US-south Korean war games are fuelling the drive towards war in the Pacific.

The USA and its south Korean stooges are recklessly stoking the flames of war on the Korean peninsula by staging DPRK invasion and nuclear strike rehearsals.

South Korean soldiers rehearse an invasion of the DPRK under the supervision of their US commanders. This year has seen the resumption and expansion of joint military exercises between US and south Korean forces, amidst dangerously heightened rhetoric from the southern regime. There has also been an expansion of the rehearsal scenarios to include a ‘pre-emptive’ nuclear first strike and DPRK leadership assassination operations.

At the same time, joint exercises have been conducted for the first time between the USA, south Korea and a remilitarising Japan, showing clearly an emerging axis of anti-DPRK and anti-China forces that are preparing for war in the Pacific.

“Before engines, there were legs — welcome to the world of ‘legging’ through the tunnels.”

This striking 1961 photo captures a nearly forgotten craft: legging. In the days before engines, canal workers would lie on their backs atop narrowboats and push against tunnel walls with their feet, inching the boats forward through long, dark passages where horses couldn’t go.

It was exhausting, filthy work — damp air, mucky clothes, and pure muscle power. But this was the rhythm of Britain’s industrial waterways, where grit and determination moved commerce before machines took the reins.

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