Chancellor Angela Merkel seems to be unopposed in Germany at the moment. Her incorrect story about the Eurozone crisis along the lines of "Germany did it best" rather than "Germany wins at the expense of others" puts her above criticism within the German domestic context. Werner Sauerborn reflects on the situation of left-wing policies and trade unions in Germany with a specific focus on the conflict around Stuttgart 21, the planned new railway station for this city in the South-West of the country.

On Saturday, there will be protests against the Monsanto biotech company around the world. Organizers are expecting as many as 300 cities to be involved. Now joining us to discuss all of this is Patrick Bond. Patrick is director of the Centre for Civil Society and the author and editor of the recently released books Politics of Climate Justice and Durban's Climate Gamble.

Briarpatch Magazine is celebrating 40 years of radical publishing with a 40-day campaign to step things up. From May 15 to June 23 we're giving away daily prizes culminating in a grand prize draw. We're looking for 40 new Sustainers who will donate $10 or more a month to keep Briarpatch thriving. Every new Sustainer gets the goods...

The May 14 general election in British Columbia was a setback to progressive political forces in the province and throughout Canada. The incumbent BC Liberals won a fourth straight term, winning 50 seats with 44 per cent of the vote, compared to 33 seats and 40 per cent for the opposition New Democratic Party.

The European Union is facing an increasingly severe crisis. The EuroMemorandum 2013 critically analyses recent economic developments in Europe and emphasises the need for an alternative economic policy. Neoliberal policies adopted by European and national authorities in response to the crisis have exacerbated unemployment and social hardship across much of Europe.

Contrary to the hysteria from conservatives, health care spending continues to decline as a percentage of the provincial budget. Last year, health care accounted for 38.5 per cent of total expenditures, this year the government plans to bring it down to 38.3 per cent. This continues the trend downward since 2003/04 when health care accounted for 40 per cent of total expenditures.

Construction unions in British Columbia and the broader union movement in Canada lost a court battle this week in Ottawa over the efforts of an upstart coal mining company, HD Mining, to build and operate a coal mine in northeast BC using workers from China. Below are three news articles describing this case.