Miners march to protest President Rodrigo Paz’s decision to remove fuel subsidies in La Paz, Bolivia, December 29, 2025
BOLIVIAN police used tear gas and rubber bullets to keep striking workers away from the Congress building on Tuesday during an eighth day of anti-austerity demonstrations.
Miners launched fireworks at police and let off of sticks of dynamite during the battle against the elimination of decades-old fuel subsidies and other neoliberal measures by new President Rodrigo Paz.
Petrol prices have risen by 86 per cent and diesel is up by 162 per cent, following the scrapping of the subsidies under Decree 5503.
The Bolivian Workers Centre (COB) union bloc is planning to intensify protests in the coming week, following a unity agreement between miners, peasants, factory workers and teachers that was signed on Sunday.
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Workers’ ire rose after the Paz government insisted that it would not modify “a single article” of 5503.
The decree also gives the central bank the green light to borrow money without the approval of Bolivia’s legislature.
COB second secretary Jose Choque said at least 101 of the 121 articles in the decree were unconstitutional.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer talks to soldiers during a visit to the Netherlands marines training base, June 24, 2025
Labour’s cynical recruitment drive normalises militarism, diverts attention from youth unemployment and public service cuts, and seeks to build consent for an increasingly aggressive defence agenda, argues GEORGINA ANDREWS
THE Labour government has announced that it will launch an armed forces “gap year” for under-25s. It will initially be open to 150 recruits, expanding to 1,000 in the future, with a starting salary of around £26,000.
It will include training in the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force for those looking for a career in the military.
Presented as an opportunity to young people, this scheme in reality is to manufacture consent for warfare and militarism among youth as more personnel leave the military rather than join it these days.
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This military gap year scheme is cited as tackling youth unemployment which has reached a staggering 15.3 per cent, meaning 702,000 young people are not in education, employment or training, up 60,000 from last year.
Youth unemployment is intrinsically linked to cuts to public services, which are in crisis. Genuine job opportunities for youth are lacking, which might make this scheme tempting for some young people, and highlights the lack of genuine investment in youth and public services from successive governments. Young people demand jobs not bombs.
Young communists oppose this gap-year scheme, which promotes careers in the military to young people instead of genuinely investing in youth and public services to tackle unemployment. Young people should be part of building strong and organised labour, peace and progressive movements to demand peace, fully funded public services, and the implementation of the ADR in their workplaces, campuses and communities.
Vast military expenditure increases must end in favour of the demilitarised strategy on conflict, which promotes human security, co-operation and diplomacy, outlined by the ADR. Public services should be fully and adequately funded by an end to militarism and drive to war alongside other measures.
The Communist Party and its youth wing the Young Communist League offer youth an alternative to militarism and drive to war, through Britain’s Road to Socialism. Let us build the united front against war and austerity for peace, jobs and socialism in our lifetime.
Georgina Andrews is general secretary of the Young Communist League.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAGenocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.
Jeremy Corbyn (left), Ayoub Khan (centre) and Zarah Sultana on stage as the end of the Your Party founding two day conference at the Liverpool Arena, November 30, 2025
YOUR PARTY will back independent community-based socialists in next year’s local elections in England, the new party’s members have agreed.
In a vote taken at the party’s founding conference at the weekend, and by members online, it decided to support “independent socialist candidates of good standing where there is evidence of candidates being engaged in community campaigning and having the support of their local communities or trade unions branches.”
The vote was by 81.5 per cent to 18.5 on a turnout of over 10,000 of Your Party’s 55,000 members. The party will also stand its own candidates.
Members also endorsed an electoral strategy of targeting seats where the party has a reasonable chance of winning, rather than seeking to stand everywhere.
Miners march to protest President Rodrigo Paz’s decision to remove fuel subsidies in La Paz, Bolivia, December 29, 2025
Jeremy Corbyn (left), Ayoub Khan (centre) and Zarah Sultana on stage as the end of the Your Party founding two day conference at the Liverpool Arena, November 30, 2025