Editorial

Their international standing has been battered by mass movements against the neo-liberal project they champion. In May the French people voted no to the EU constitution, the European bosses' pet project. The vote was a result of a mass popular campaign uniting the left, the unions and the global justice movement. It was soon followed by a similar result in the Netherlands.

The defining image of this year's Labour Party conference was 72 year old Walter Wolfgang being manhandled out of the hall for heckling. That says a lot about both the conference and the popular perception of New Labour. The incident was shocking and demoralising for even the most hardened delegates. That Walter and 600 others in Brighton were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act has become another mini scandal among Labour members.

This myth was blown apart recently when British troops launched an assault on a prison in Basra. The images in the press which saw British troops forced to flee burning tanks after they were set alight by protesters says much about the relationship between the British army and local Iraqis.

Angela Merkel, the leader of the CDU and strongest advocate of neo-liberalism, was the biggest loser. Having led the polls for months and widely tipped to be the next chancellor, she was unable to secure an overall majority and is now desperately trying to cobble together some sort of workable coalition. Gerhard Schröder's SDP received its lowest vote for 15 years as people expressed their anger against high unemployment and economic stagnation. The political turmoil looks set to continue for months, leading to further instability in Europe's largest economy.

Despite initial claims, Jean Charles was not wearing a padded jacket, he didn't run from the police, nor did he jump the tube ticket-barrier and there were no grounds for seeing him as an immediate threat.

This is being openly discussed in the US as recent polls now show support for the war slipping dramatically. A Gallop poll last month showed that 54 percent of Americans now believe it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq, and Bush's approval rating has slumped to the low 30s. The comparisons with the Vietnam War are now being made as once support for the government for that war dropped below 50 percent it never recovered.

Using brutal tactics reminiscent of the attack on Fallujah, the US army sealed off the town (population over 60,000), trapping hundreds inside. Over 7,000 refugees were forced to flee to the desert in a desperate attempt to survive.

Experience suggests that this latest offensive will only increase the resistance's determination to step up its attacks on occupying forces and those in the Iraqi government who support them. Since prime minister Ibrahim Al Jaafari announced his cabinet on 28 April nearly 1,200 Iraqis have been killed.

The organisers of the $275 million G8 summit at the luxury Gleneagles Hotel have used the usual scare tactics to try to minimise the protests. On the other hand the G8 leaders - and Gordon Brown and Tony Blair in particular - have tried to associate themselves with the public desire for real action on debt relief, aid and trade. The Make Poverty History (MPH) campaign has struck a chord with millions.

New Labour's heavily reduced majority on 5 May gave the lie to the first assumption, and the growth of Military Families Against the War (MFAW) to the second.

More used to subservience from its visitors, instead it was the Senate committee and, by extension, the whole Bush administration which found itself on trial for the illegal war in Iraq. George Galloway has spoken for the millions throughout the world who have opposed one of the great crimes of modern times.