Analysis

"Good morning, dear comrades, Today is May First. May First, International Workers' Day. May First, the day when the workers' world makes its voice heard. May First is the perfect day to talk about the growing inequalities in our society.

After the shock of the corona crisis and the shock of energy prices, the economy is facing a new shock: the interest rate shock. Central banks around the world hope to control inflation by raising their interest rates at lightning speed. Those high interest rates are a new financial policy that breaks with the recent past. How the global economy will respond is not yet clear. But what is certain is that, by doing so, central banks and governments are making ordinary people bear the consequences of inflation. What is going on and how can we avoid being the ones who are losing out again?

Preface by Peter Mertens to the 175th anniversary edition of ‘Het Communistisch Manifest’, EPO Publishers, Antwerp, Belgium, February 2023

Charlie Le Paige at the Youth Forum of the Havana International Conference For World Balance, January 25, 2023

May Day Speech 2022 Raoul Hedebouw, president of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB)

The war was started by Vladimir Putin. There is no excuse for it. Russian troops must leave Ukraine. Period. Moreover, it is urgent to have a debate on how to move towards de-escalation and guarantee security in Europe.

New Year's speech by Raoul Hedebouw, president of the PTB-PVDA 2022 will be a year of resistance. We are going to fight to make it better. Better than 2021, which was not an easy year. We, the workers, the young people, the grassroots, the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA), are going to give all to make 2022 different.

On Sunday 5 December, Raoul Hedebouw was elected president of the PTB-PVDA at the closing session of our Unity Congress. Here is his speech at the closing session.

An extraordinary story lies behind the emergence of the PTB from a small party to a major political player. The announcement that Peter Mertens is will not run again for president is an opportunity to look back at the renewal movement that began in 2004. We have traced this history through quotes from the mainstream press.

Dear friends, dear comrades, A friend in need is a friend indeed. That's what the popular wisdom says. This summer, there was a lot of need. And there were many friends. After the floods, there was an unprecedented wave of solidarity. From the very first day, thousands and thousands of volunteers went to Wallonia to help the people there. To empty the cellars. To distribute soup. To clean schools and shops.