Welcome to Marxism 2025, 3-6 July Shoreditch, London
For over 40 years this event, run by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), has been held at one of the capital’s major educational institutions such as University College London or the School of Oriental and African Studies. This year, in fear of government reprisals, none were willing to do so because of the SWP’s stand on Palestine. Around 5,000 gathered at a location in Shoreditch to listen and share ideas at over 100 sessions. Below is a flavour of just six of them.
Taking over the world? A Marxist analysis of AI
Jess Walsh
Jess Walsh spoke about the environmental impact of using AI. Some US projections show that data centres could consume as much as 12% of US energy by 2028. Included in this projection is the huge amount of water required by the cooling systems essential for large concentrations of high-power computers.
She also mentioned employment concerns, including that people who use AI are increasingly de-skilled and de-motivated, and that employees face redundancy and reduction in their working hours due to AI.
Further concerns about the future of AI include increased social alienation and that those involved with AI training create new forms of exploitation. Walsh continued by discussing the impact on the wider economy and whether the huge bubble created by AI would be followed by another economic crisis.
The floor raised other issues, including the ethics of using AI to mark students’ work, how AI fuels consumerism and how young people are turning to ChatGPT for therapy. Missing from Walsh’s presentation, however, was how international oligarchs use AI to manipulate our democratic processes.
The end of neoliberalism? And what comes next?
James Meadway and Joseph Choonara
James Meadway challenged the notion that capitalism was perhaps better in the 1960s than the neoliberalism of today, as workers were just as exploited then – and other “bad stuff” happened. Although rhetoric still espouses the virtues of market forces driven by competition and the fundamental desire to win, growth has become harder.
In some key sectors, China’s state capitalist model is doing better than the US, and government has been forced to invest in semi-conductor manufacture; the ability of the US tech companies to extract value from data also depends on state capital.
Joseph Choonara underlined the need to avoid nostalgia for earlier capitalism, and how state and central banks intervene to save capital. Capitalism is running up against its limits. Economists are groping for a new solution, but in trying to find one, they could do a lot of damage, leading to a murderous assault on the poor. New times need fresh new politics.
What should the left do? The Labour party has become more authoritarian, leaving a big gap with no one to fill it. We need a broad-led left coalition, a loose umbrella offering a mass anti-racism movement to counter the threat of Reform.
Leaving that session, we heard that Zarah Sultana had announced that a new left party was being formed, electrifying the event. Suddenly, there was hope …
Sudan’s revolution and popular movements
Rania Obead, Khalid Sidahmed and Muzan Alneel
The revolution and civil war in Sudan do not get a lot of coverage, and this was a rare opportunity to hear directly from those who have lived through it. The origins of the crises lay in a departing colonial authority, which left wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few. Ultimately, the authoritarian President al-Bashir ruled for 30 years. His government followed a neoliberal path, with the UAE investing heavily in agriculture and logistics to feed the UEA.
For ordinary people, the price of basic goods started to rise. In 2018, the price of bread triggered revolution. Following massacres in many cities, al-Bashir was deposed. Yet, a transitional democracy rooted in civil society seeking justice and peace struggled to establish itself.
The Sudanese army progressively took control of more of the economy, building a military economic and industrial complex to sustain itself. As progress to democracy stalled, the revolution faced two counter-revolutionary groups: the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), funded by Arab investors to defend their interests. Civil war between the two armed groups erupted in 2023 as they fought for control, resulting so far in over 40,000 deaths and more than 10 million displaced.
Amidst the war, grassroots organisation continues. Mutual aid has become a tool for the survival of their political project. Currently, everything has broken down, with no government or military in control and international organisations seemingly standing back.
Party time? What kind of left do we need?
Jeremy Corbyn, Andrew Feinstein, Michael Lavalette, Lewis Nielsen and Salma Yaqoob
Fired up by Sultana’s announcement, the hall was packed to hear if the left could really come together to challenge Reform.
Their messages were simple: there are better ways to organise society. We need to fight racism, tackle the inequalities in our society, bring justice to the oppressed here and abroad, progressively roll back neoliberalism and bring our public services back into public ownership.
Hope was written in the faces of many there, hope in a party with no members or name but polling at 10%. It remains to be seen if the movement will be strong enough to counter Reform’s use of elite-funded online and traditional media, and many questions still remain.
From a global movement to winning freedom for Palestine
Ghassan Abu Sitta and Rima Hassan
For Rima Hassan, a Palestinian born in a refugee camp, it was a bittersweet visit to the UK. Under British rule, 10% of the Palestinian population had been either killed, jailed or exiled. Now as a French MEP, she tried to break the blockade around Gaza on board the yacht Madleen, a part of the freedom flotilla.
Describing the questions she faced in France about why a politician would join the flotilla, she explained why it is so important to show people from many different countries what Israel is doing, exposing their lack of humanity and intentions. She was elected to stand up for the oppressed, not to sit in an office.
We heard her account of her arrest. The media reported that they were arrested in Israeli waters, but they were in international waters – “in law, Israel is the terrorist”. The boat was surrounded by four drones and six boats. They were boarded, and the occupants then taken off by Israeli soldiers.
Neither the EU parliament nor other EU countries objected to their arrest. The right-wing governments in Europe are supporting Israel. The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner; arms flow from US, Germany and Italy; and munitions from France. Trade contracts with the EU depend on human rights being observed. How much clearer can it be that human rights are being denied? However, any discussion of human rights violations by Israel is blocked by the right-wing contingent in the EU. Civil disobedience continues. Activism is our duty.
Climate justice is a class issue: time to reframe the climate crisis
Suzanne Jeffrey, Zack Polanski and Asad Rehman
Zak Polanski, contender for the Green party leadership, talked of how many people are just getting by from paycheque to paycheque and why the 99% need to come together to take on wealth and power. He explained that to address climate change, there has to be system change, how pressing for this has become a class struggle and that is why trade unions, churches, mosques and communities have a vital role in that struggle.
Suzanne Jeffrey expects us to break through 1.5 degrees in three years, with no hope of keeping the global temperature rise to two degrees. With Trump urging, “Drill, baby, drill”, the climate crisis is being weaponised to divide the working class. Capitalism is the generator of climate change, all were urged to join the Global Climate Strike on 14 November, the first Friday of the COP30 Conference in Brazil.
Asad Rehman set out a framework for a “movement of movements” – one that should press for the right to basic services for everyone in the world. These services that should be publicly owned and not-for-profit cover energy, food, shelter, transport, water, education, healthcare and justice.
Glad to have attended
Overall, the event was really good, attracting a range of socialists from around the world. Thanks as ever to the SWP for organising this. I’m looking forward to next year already!
Editor’s note: All photos are by the author
Comments? We want to hear them. Please write to editor@westenglandbylines.co.uk
