764 pages 17-21 — missing pieces

This episode of *Solidarity & More* explores multiple interconnected themes of class struggle, political ideology, and social justice across global movements. It begins with a deep dive into the historical roots of Chartism and Karl Marx’s engagement with it, highlighting how Marx synthesized the British working-class movement’s demands for democratic reform with a vision for revolutionary socio-economic transformation. The discussion then shifts to contemporary struggles, focusing on the backlash against trans inclusion in Girl Guiding UK, where a former leader resigns in protest over a policy restricting membership to cisgender women, sparking national outrage and organizing efforts like 'Guiders Against Trans Exclusion.' The episode also examines the escalating war between the U.S. and Iran under Trump, critiquing the administration’s reckless foreign policy, military overreach, and the existential danger posed by nuclear brinkmanship. Simultaneously, it covers grassroots resistance in France, where public school workers strike against austerity, and in the UK, where university staff and students mobilize against massive cuts to jobs, pensions, and education quality. These struggles are framed as part of a broader global fight for dignity, solidarity, and democratic renewal in the face of authoritarianism, neoliberalism, and reactionary politics.