Forty years since first moon walk

Was going to the moon the greatest event in world history? Jack Conrad argues that the left would be mistaken to fall for the hype

On July 20 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the surface of the moon. Supposedly a defining historical moment. The planets and then the stars are said to be next. ... more

Letters
IBT knots; Not Bolshevik; Leftwing tendency; Circular; Inadequate; Oil-ignorant; Idealist; Non-event; Gala solidarity; Enlightening; Stimulating; Top class

Freedom for the Uyghurs
Eddie Ford calls for self-determination and the voluntary integration of peoples

Equipment row must not divert growing opposition to the war
Jim Moody sees a danger of opposition to the war in Afghanistan merging with the way that war is waged

More than a temporary electoral alliance needed
We should settle for nothing less than a single, democratic-centralist, Marxist party, writes Peter Manson

Yes to Democracy workers’ party
Dave Craig of the Socialist Alliance gives an assessment of the impact of No2EU on the left

Class struggle of miners illustrated
David Douglass reviews Peter Arkell and Ray Rising’s Unfinished business: the miners’ strike for jobs 1984-85 Lupus Books, 2009, pp96, £7.99

Large or small
A good Summer Offensive is central, writes Howard Roake

Useful dupes
James Turley calls for a stand against oppression, exploitation, and the imperialist order

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Fighting Fund

Keep you posted!

Robbie Rix welcomes another increase in our internet readership

The success of the last few months' fighting funds looks set to continue in November. I can announce a brilliant start, with no less than £387 already in the kitty.

Of course, a good slice of this takes the form of start-of-the-month standing order donations (17 of them, totalling £262, in fact). But there will be rather less of those for the next few weeks. In addition I've just received TR's usual monthly £60 cheque - it's so regular (even with the postal strikes) that it's as good as a standing order.

Finally, we got four handy contributions via our website - £20 each from JS and PJ, £15 added to his subscription to the paper from MZ, plus a tenner from MP. PJ tells me: I've been meaning to make this donation for a while, but have been at the mercy of the capitalists. I know the feeling, comrade. For his part, JS specifies that his is a donation towards the new hardware. I'll be down PC World over the weekend, comrade.

Further good news comes with another increase in our internet readership - we had 16,249 visitors last week. This figure has been increasing steadily since our old website was hit early in the year, but, with the new site gradually being filled out, more and more web readers are now returning.

Most of our archives will be back up hopefully within the next week or so, but unfortunately there is a period of about 18 months that will be missing at first. Their restoration will require a period of "grunt work" from a team of comrades.

Perhaps I shouldn't say this during the current CWU dispute, but I'll keep you posted!

Click here to download a standing order form - regular income is particular important in order to plan ahead. Even £5/month can help!
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