text:
Mass protests in December and January shook Iran's reactionary regime to the core. Although facing severe repression, they signal a new confidence and preparedness by workers and young people to fight for their rights, in opposition to systemic corruption, repression and inequality. Robert Bechert writes.
The sudden, spontaneous and rapid eruption of protests across Iran at the end of 2017 transformed the country, putting the possibility of the end of the dictatorial Islamic Republic in sight. Clearly, these events are immensely significant for Iran and the entire region. The 1978/79 Iranian revolution against the Shah's totalitarian, western-backed regime initially inspired millions. It was one of the first revolutions seen on television as it took place. Millions watched a mass movement confront and then undermine one of the most repressive regimes in the world.
At that time, the western powers said almost nothing about democracy; in Britain the then Labour government backed the Shah's regime. But that was not really a surprise. After all, it was the US and British governments that had sponsored and helped organise the 1953 coup that overthrow the democratically elected government headed by Mohammad Mossadegh because it wanted to nationalise the oil industry. It was on the backs of this coup that the Shah built his brutal rule. Furthermore, during that 'cold war' time, less than four years after the final fall of South Vietnam, capitalist governments feared losing ground internationally against their non-capitalist rivals, the Stalinist Soviet Union and Maoist China.
After 1979, what seemed to be the final outcome of the Shah's overthrow was depressing and confusing to many who had initially supported the revolution as a blow against autocracy. The revolution ended with the suppression of most democratic and social rights, severe restrictions placed on women, and the crushing of independent workers' organisations. Most political parties were banned, followed by large-scale executions of opponents of the leaders of the new Islamic Republic, especially those on the left. The fact that it was in continual conflict with the US and its allies could not hide the fact that it was a counter-revolutionary regime which had come to power by establishing its own rule through crushing the workers' and socialist organisations under the false banner of 'defending the revolution'.
Nationwide rebellion
Now, for the first time since the days of the revolution, workers and youth took to the streets in many towns and cities in an almost nationwide protest against both poverty and the regime that has ruled for nearly 40 years. These were not simply protests on the pressing daily issues like food prices, non-payment of wages and unemployment. The slogans shouted included 'No to inflation!', 'Leave my country alone, mullahs!', 'Clerics, get lost!', 'The people are begging – the clerics act like gods', 'Death to the Islamic Republic!', and 'Death to Khamenei!' Other widely chanted slogans attacked the regime's expensive expansionist foreign policy, contrasting it with poverty at home.
While this was not the first movement against the Islamic Republic, its scale and hostility to the regime marked nothing less than the beginnings of a revolutionary period. Significantly, the regime's brutality in suppressing opposition is no longer completely successful. Many are losing their fear and are prepared to struggle. Over 20 died in the first round of protests, thousands were arrested and some have died in prison, but the regime is not confident.
This is because it was a rebellion across the country, involving most ethnic groupings, although in the capital Tehran the protests tended to be smaller. In some cities up to 50,000 protested while, in Ahvaz, a city with a large Arab population, 80,000 were reported to have demonstrated. Although there has been a decline in the mass street protests, new workers' struggles, particularly over non-payment of wages, have continued throughout January. A new period of struggle, of revolution and counter-revolution, has opened up.
Iran is one of the key countries in the Middle East, with the world's fourth-largest petroleum reserves and second-largest natural gas reserves. It has a large, youthful, overwhelmingly literate, urban-based society – three-quarters of the population live in towns and cities. Iran occupies a critical strategic position, one reason why rival imperialisms have been intervening in the country for over a century.
Today, in the aftermath of the 2003 US and British-led invasion of Iraq, Iran's regional position has been greatly strengthened, something which lies behind Donald Trump's and the Saudi dictatorship's hostility. It is ironic that this is the result of US and British imperialism destroying Saddam Hussein, whose regime it had previously backed against Iran, particularly in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. It is not accidental that the British government still keeps secret the documents relating to British weapons supplies to Saddam during the 1980s.
The demand for change in Iran has been building for some time. Recent years had seen a growing number of struggles, particularly by workers. In the last year it has been reported that at least 600 protests took place on issues ranging from non-payment of wages, working conditions, arrests of activists, to demonstrations against financial scandals.
The growing mood against the status quo was again reflected when president Hassan Rouhani, from the so-called 'reformist' wing of the regime, overwhelmingly defeated the conservative candidate when he stood for re-election in last April's presidential poll. But, while disappointment with Rouhani was partly reflected in the chants of 'Death to Rouhani!' – heard in the recent protests, initially, and possibly encouraged by some hardliners trying to weaken him – it is significant that these were rapidly overtaken by calls for 'Death to the dictator!', and even explicitly 'Death to Khamenei!', Iran's so-called supreme leader.
Falling living standards
The defeat of the so-called 'hardliners' in the 2017 presidential election may have contributed to the growing confidence that it was possible to make demands. However, the re-elected Rouhani was dashing the hopes of many who looked to him. The expectation that the 2015 nuclear deal – struck between the leaders of Iran, the US, China, Germany, the UK, France and Russia – would lead to an improvement in living standards has not materialised.
While the recent increase in the oil export price boosted Iran's income this did not translate into higher living standards or provide jobs for the large numbers of unemployed. Indeed, on average, Iranians have become 15% poorer over the last decade. In fundamentals, Rouhani's economic policy is neoliberal, based on cutting state expenditure and driving through privatisation, while giving more funding to the theocratic state's religious-based institutions.
In recent years, there has been a toxic combination of rising inequality, conspicuous wealth at the top of society, increasing inflation, subsidy cuts, mass unemployment and rotten working conditions, and mounting poverty. According to official data for 2015, 40% of Iranians lived below the poverty line and 10% live on less than $5.50 a day. Unemployment among 20- to 24-year-olds rose to 30% in 2016, and around eleven million workers, half the workforce, have precarious jobs. Against this background, an estimated 830,000 people, 70% of them university graduates, are expected to start looking for jobs in the year starting from March. So it is no accident that over 90% of those arrested in the first round of these protests were under 25 years old. The regime is not offering them a future.
These protests differed quite significantly from the last opposition movement, the so-called Green movement in 2009. That was sparked by the rigging of that year's presidential election and, centred in Tehran, had a mainly middle-class character. In contrast, the recent protests were overwhelmingly made up of youth and workers. Their demands were also very different from those of the Green movement. In 2009 the protesters looked towards one wing of the theocratic regime, the so-called 'reformers', to defeat the more conservative hardliners, sometimes called 'principalists'. Now the protests were directed at the leadership and the Islamic regime as a whole, such as 'Reformists! Hardliners! The game is over!'
Outrage at systemic inequality
The spark for this outburst of anger were sharp jumps in the prices of some basics like eggs (up 40%) at the same time as the Rouhani government announced large price increases for fuel (up 50%), and cuts in subsidies in the 2018 budget. Additionally, for the first time, the budget published details of the funding for the theocratic state's religious bodies and institutions, ranging from seminaries to the Revolutionary Guards, which showed big increases in their financing.
The budget proposed giving various religious authorities around $850 million. This would have meant that real-term spending on Islamic propagation bodies and seminaries would have increased by over a quarter since 2012. The budget's allocation for defence, $22.1 billion, was almost equal to the combined spending on education, health and social welfare, and $7.7 billion of the defence budget was allocated to the Revolutionary Guards. They are more than a military force. Through various institutions and foundations they control around 80% of the Iranian economy, a lucrative source of income and power to the ruling elite. At a time of continuing cuts this enraged large sections of the population and concentrated hostility towards the privileged, oppressive and hypocritical elite.
While each country has its own history and characteristics, at almost exactly the same time as events in Iran, the Middle East saw protests begin against cuts and inflation in Tunisia and Sudan – Morocco has seen continued protests since last October. One effect of this widening arc of protest was to hold back Trump from continuing to proclaim hypocritical 'support' for the Iranian demonstrations. It was one thing for Trump to back protests that may undermine a strategic competitor to the US in the region, it was another thing to risk endorsing movements against allies.
The autocratic Saudi regime, one of US imperialism's biggest Middle East allies and deeply hostile to the Iranian regime, adopted a largely low-key approach of simply reporting the events. It had implemented similar austerity measures at the beginning of 2018. However, it was so scared of provoking protests that, one week after it raised fuel prices, cut subsidies and introduced VAT, the Saudi regime announced that a special $266 monthly cost-of-living allowance would be paid to public-sector workers for a year, soldiers would receive a $1,330 bonus, and students got a temporary 10% increase in their monthly allowance. The Saudi regime under the new crown prince had already shown its fear of revolt last year when it reversed the wage cuts introduced in September 2016. All of this illustrates what a tinder box the entire Middle East and North Africa is.
Today's Iran is quite different from that of 1978/79. Its population has grown enormously from around 37 million to approaching 82 million. While this growth has slowed down recently Iran still has an overwhelmingly young population. Over 40% are under 24 years old and 1.2 million young people enter the labour force annually.
The recent protests illustrate how this generation, who have only known the 'Islamic' regime, are rejecting it. Faced with youth unemployment estimated to be anywhere between 25% and 40% there is huge anger against the regime and the wealthy elite. In a country where a majority have internet access this anger is fuelled by images of the lavish lifestyles of the rich displayed on sites like the Rich Kids of Tehran Instagram account.
Understandably, at the start of the movement there has been no clear idea of what to replace the regime with. There were widespread calls for a 'republic' or an 'Iranian republic', as opposed to the existing Islamic Republic. There were even a few calls for the return of the Pahlavi monarchy. In the past, it was clear that some Iranian youth looked to the US and, while Trump may lessen that feeling for now, some may still have hopes in the 'American dream'.
In this situation, where a revolution is beginning, crucial political questions are posed. In all revolutions since the development of capitalism, the issues for socialists have been the need to build the workers' movement and win it to the idea of striving for a working people's government that will begin the socialist reconstruction of society.
The regime's grip weakens
As socialists discussed many times last year, up to now the only occasion when a mass movement of workers and poor have achieved this was the 1917 Russian revolution. Tragically, the 1978/79 Iranian revolution was one of the many examples where an opportunity was lost to follow in the tradition of 1917. Instead, we saw a mighty movement of workers and youth overthrow a dictatorship but fail to use its potential power to begin to run the country. The result was that it was cut across by a counter-revolution led by reactionary clerics who supressed democratic rights and freedoms, and developed into a privileged caste ruling the country along with a section of the traditional capitalist class and merchants.
The clerics did not achieve this immediately. There were struggles throughout 1979 and 1980 as the counter-revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini and using the cover of 'defending the revolution', sought to establish control. One of the first was on International Women's Day 1979, when 100,000 women and men protested in Tehran against the hijab law brought in the previous day, decreeing that Iranian women would have to wear headscarves outside their homes.
Unfortunately, the theocratic-led counter-revolution was assisted by the mistakes of some on the left. Major sections of the left ignored the lessons from the experience of the Bolsheviks between February and October 1917. Instead, they effectively allied themselves – to a greater or lesser extent for different periods – with the leaders of the would-be Islamic regime on the grounds that they opposed the major imperialist powers. Other left groupings, while rejecting this approach, were not able to sink sufficient roots to help build a movement able to defeat Khomeini's counter-revolution, a reaction assisted by the 1980 outbreak of war with Iraq.
Today, the regime is divided on how to respond. Some have an understanding of what is happening although that does not mean that they have a solution. In early January, Rouhani recognised that "people had economic, political and social demands". Later in mid-January, he said that the "problem we are facing today is the gap between we, the authorities, and the younger generation. The youth sees the world and life differently from us… the majority of the country's population is young which means we have to listen to the youth". Seeing the economic and social roots of the movement does not mean that the regime's leaders are able to deal with those issues.
It was noteworthy that the official television pictures of mid-January's pro-regime demonstrations showed they were largely older, overwhelming male, and appeared to be public-sector workers who may have been ordered to participate. Certainly young people and women were conspicuous by their absence. In an overwhelmingly young country this is a warning sign to the entire regime. The youth who have grown up under the Islamic Republic are rejecting it. The regime will try both repression and concessions. Thus Masoumeh Ebtekat, one of Iran's twelve vice-presidents, tweeted that Rouhani had called for all detained students to be released.
New revolutionary stage
Iran has entered a new stage, one of revolution. At the time of the mainly middle-class and student 2009 Green movement the CWI argued that "the question now is whether the working class emerges into the forefront of the struggle to take it forward". (Iran: Where Now for the Iranian Revolution? by Tony Saunois) Today, the protests and actions are being spearheaded by the working class and poor.
Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, the leaders of the Russian revolution, at different times described the broad conditions for revolutions to develop. In 1920, Lenin wrote: "For a revolution to take place it is not enough for the exploited and oppressed masses to realise the impossibility of living in the old way, and demand changes; for a revolution to take place it is essential that the exploiters should not be able to live and rule in the old way. It is only when the 'lower classes' do not want to live in the old way and the 'upper classes' cannot carry on in the old way that the revolution can triumph". (Left-wing Communism an Infantile Disorder, Lenin's emphasis) In 1931, Trotsky developed these ideas in notes on Britain: "A revolutionary situation… begins only when the economic and social prerequisites for a revolution produce abrupt changes in the consciousness of society and its different classes". (What is a Revolutionary Situation?)
This is precisely what has happened in Iran. However, the history of the last 100 years has shown that a successful revolution against capitalism needs more than a courageous movement willing to fight, it also needs a clear programme and an understanding of what concrete steps are required to achieve its aims. Such clarity can be forged through a combination of the experience of struggle and the activity of a revolutionary socialist party which clarifies what needs to be done at each point of the developing situation.
An article by an Iranian CWI comrade explained: "Despite its high level of militancy, this movement suffers from serious weaknesses. It is still in its very early stages and, with the absence of a revolutionary party able to propose a clear strategy, it faces the risk of losing momentum despite its rapid rise. Inevitably, this weakness, combined with the fact that this movement is in its very early stage, produces mixed and contradictory trends in the consciousness of the participants. Thus sometimes even slogans in support of the pre-1979 revolution monarchy can be heard, though this was not the dominant mood. The initial sphere of action of this movement was on the streets, and it has not yet fused with workplace protests. Only being in the open spaces and streets does not ensure the movement's survival, it needs to shape itself around factories, workplaces, communities and educational institutions…
"While the current protests may wind down, they have fundamentally changed the situation in Iran. This experience can lay the basis for the building of a workers' movement that can challenge both the regime and capitalism. First steps must be the bringing together of activists in groups and committees to co-ordinate activities and work out demands and programme. The left must start a dialogue to form a united front, as a step towards founding a democratically-run mass working-class party that can bring together workers, the poor and youth in fighting for an alternative". (Movement of Workers and Youth Challenges Iranian Regime, 4 January 2018)
Bringing together activists would provide opportunities to discuss experiences, demands and plan the next steps. Demands on economic, social and political issues could be formulated. These would include immediate payment of all wages due, an increase in the minimum wage, opposition to cuts, jobs on secure contracts. The defence and extension of democratic rights, the right to form trade unions and political parties, genuinely free elections, an end to censorship, and opposition to the oppression of women, national and religious minorities should also feature. Calls for action against the elite and looters, fighting corruption, opening the accounts of nationalised industries, religious institutions and big companies for public inspection by democratic bodies are also important.
Ending corrupt rule
Above all, opposition to the Islamic Republic poses the question of what sort of Iran should replace it. The call for a genuinely democratic constituent assembly to decide Iran's character is an important demand of the next Iranian revolution. Socialists call for an end to rule by the corrupt and privileged elite and the capitalists. That a new Iran must work in the interests of working people and the poor, and that this can only be achieved through a government composed of their genuine representatives ruling through democratic, popular organs of administration.
Preparation for the coming period should include discussion on when to call for and how to organise struggle, the role of demonstrations and general strikes as battles develop, alongside the important question of the self-defence of the movement. Linking together such groupings could become the basis of the rebuilding of the workers' movement. These steps could also lead to a new development of the shora (councils) which briefly appeared in the 1979 revolution before being suppressed by the Islamic regime.
In all revolutions, building an independent workers' movement with a clear socialist programme is key. The masses must be made aware of the danger of false friends, those who profess support for the revolution in order to derail it and prevent it carrying through the overthrow of capitalism.
A key significance of the recent protests has been its opposition to the regime. The splits within the Islamic Republic elite are significant but all its factions defend the basis of the system. An important aspect in the defeat of 2009 Green movement was its failure to go beyond supporting Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the candidate who lost that year's presidential election through the rigging organised by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's faction. Mousavi was never going to seriously stand against the regime's survival. He was a former prime minister responsible for repression against left-wing activists and probably viewed the huge demonstrations of the Green movement with alarm rather than joy.
Likewise, there are sections of the Iranian capitalist class who are hostile to the Islamic Republic, maybe because they feel squeezed out by the size of the Revolutionary Guards' economic empire and/or they would like closer ties to US and other imperialist powers. As explained in the 4 January CWI article: "The left must warn of imperialist-backed intervention to subvert and divert the movement. Trump's hypocrisy must be exposed, while professing 'support' for the Iranian people he embraces the Saudi dictatorship. At the same time, any illusions among layers of people that pro-western bourgeois alternatives may bring a better life for the people need to be combated with a socialist programme that explains what could be achieved if capitalism is overthrown.
"Only a society ruled by representatives of the workers and toilers can resolve the chronic crises in Iran, win democratic rights, and put an end to poverty and oppression based on gender, religion and ethnicity. A workers' revolution in Iran will stimulate progressive, democratic and socialist forces in the Middle East and cut across reactionary Islamist ideas and forces".
Iran 1979 – how can the workers achieve power?
Following the overthrow of the Shah in February 1979, a supporter of Militant, the forerunner of the Socialist Party, travelled to Iran. In a number of subsequent articles the revolution's development and the issues facing the workers' movement then – and still relevant today – were addressed. We reprint extracts from an article from the 6 April 1979 edition of Militant (No.450) which discussed the policies of different parties and groups on the Iranian left. Breaks from the original text are indicated by ellipsis.
The two months after the overthrow of the Shah have made it plain that the Iranian masses saw the Pahlavi monarchy's downfall as only a stage on the road to national and social liberation…
Workers have not only been fighting for purely economic demands. Many workers, in particular the oil workers in Abadan and tractor workers in Tabriz, have been calling for the sacking of the old bosses and the right to elect managers themselves. Workers at the General Heating and Ventilation factory in Tehran have been given permission by the government to run their factory themselves after the old bosses had fled. At the same time, a struggle has been developing for full trade union rights and the dismissal of the old 'workers' representatives' appointed by the SAVAK [the Shah's secret police].
Already some of these developments have run into opposition from Khomeini's Revolutionary Islamic Committees and their militia. In Tabriz a workers' demonstration was harassed by militiamen who called the workers 'communists' or 'SAVAK agents' and fired shots in the air. A workers' meeting called after this in Tabriz reported that the bosses now tried to suppress workers by labelling them 'communists' and that workers who tried to form unions, committees or other organisations had been hampered.
Khomeini has continually attacked communist and socialist ideas as 'un-Islamic' and said "Marxists are at war with Islam". His supporters are continually attempting to whip up a nationalist frenzy against the left under the slogan of 'Opposition to Imperialism, Zionism and Communism'. Nevertheless, such is the pressure of the workers and masses that even Khomeini has been forced to make demagogic attacks on the rich and grant concessions, such as the cancellation of the water and electricity bills of poor people for the last six months of the old regime…
Already workers are beginning to draw conclusions from their own experiences in the revolution. A workers' representative speaking to a big rally in Tehran at the end of February explained that "the very foundation of our society was based on the activities of the working class. Look around you, everything in this country has been created by us and should we withdraw our labour power then everything would cease to exist. After all, it was us, the workers, who took arms and invaded the army barracks. Do you know of any employer or lawyer who attacked the barracks?"
One of the main reasons for the absence, so far, of the development of an independent working-class movement has been the lack of any clear leadership.
The Tudeh (Masses) Party, which in practice is the pro-Moscow 'Communist' Party, had a mass basis in the 1940s but its links with Stalinist Russia and its failure to lead a vigorous struggle against the Shah have limited its appeal. Now, in an attempt to build support by hanging onto Khomeini's coat-tails, the Tudeh has issued an appeal for a 'United Popular Front' which would "combine the strength of the supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini, of the Tudeh and other revolutionary parties".
No criticism is made against Khomeini. Noureddin Kianouri, a Tudeh leader, said just before the insurrection that, "the Ayatollah deserves the esteem of the whole Iranian revolution and has earned himself the title of leader of the political and religious opposition. The Tudeh Party fully backs his initiatives". He added that the Tudeh supported Khomeini's plans for a referendum to establish an Islamic republic.
Similarly, the fairly sizable 'Marxist' guerrilla group, the Fedayeen-e Khalq, have stressed time and again their support for "progressive religious leaders like Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Taleghani", and their opposition to attempts to "create disunity among the progressive forces of the country"…
No alliance with Bazargan or Khomeini
These groups do not openly take up an independent working-class position, and fail to explain the necessity for the working class to take power if the gains of the revolution are to be consolidated and extended. Only the socialist transformation of society can provide both a guarantee against reaction and lead to a solution of the crisis gripping Iran in the working people's interests.
A policy of seeking to mobilise support for a socialist revolution would mean explaining to the working class that it is necessary to have no confidence in either the Mehdi Bazargan government [the first after the revolution] or Khomeini. They must rely only on their own power and solidarity which already has toppled the Shah. They should build, extend and link up their own organisations, particularly democratic workers' and soldiers' revolutionary committees, against the unelected, self-appointed Revolutionary Islamic Committees.
The Tudeh leaders, apart from continual calls for an alliance with Khomeini, have up to now restricted their demands to vague calls for "a government which would recover the plundered wealth of the country". There have been no socialist policies advanced or any criticism of Khomeini. A call was made for a 'national democratic regime' but this now has been played down and the Tudeh is supporting an Islamic republic.
The only occasion when the Tudeh has been prepared to take an independent stand was a call in the middle of February for all the guerrilla groups to keep their weapons "until all vestiges of imperialism, colonialism, despotism and counter-revolution have been destroyed". But the socialist programme necessary to destroy these dangers was not put forward.
The Fedayeen, while still praising Khomeini and offering to co-operate with the Central Revolutionary Islamic Committee on arms control, have put forward a more independent programme than the Tudeh. Their main call has been for the election of democratic committees in factories, businesses, government offices and military bases. Alongside this has been the demand for the disbandment of the old army and the creation of a 'people's army' with elected officers. While calling for a "true and democratic land reform", cancellation of all farmers' debts and handing over of big farming enterprises to their workers, they do not put forward socialist demands for the rest of the economy.
The Fedayeen have stressed the "unity of all forces fighting for democracy and progress… and expected all popular and patriotic forces to co-operate in the struggle for democratic liberties and against the exploitation of man by man". This striving for unity irrespective of clashing class interests was best illustrated in the Fedayeen's March 11 appeal to the Bazargan government to "swiftly control the present situation" to prevent Iran being "plunged into an unwanted civil war".
In a letter to Bazargan's government the Fedayeen asked it to make use of "all political organisations in the country so as to be better able to fulfil its obligations". This was a repeat of the Fedayeen's earlier demand for a place in the government!…
The failure to understand the nature and role of imperialism as something intimately tied up with the existence of capitalism in Iran leads to the position where the Tudeh, Fedayeen, Mojahedin and the NDF [National Democratic Front] support, to varying degrees, Bazargan, the representative of the Iranian capitalist class. This politically totally disarms the working class. Bazargan is attempting to defend the continued existence of capitalism in Iran by holding back the further development of the revolution. This has to be made clear to the masses…
An independent working-class position
The key question facing the Iranian working class is the struggle for a socialist Iran, both to solve the social crisis and to strip the ruling class of their power and ability to later impose a new dictatorship. But this will not be achieved in co-operation with the Bazargan government; it can only occur through the overthrow of the capitalist government. Socialists in Iran must explain this, first to advanced sections of the working class and then, through them, to the mass of the class.
Similarly, Khomeini's position must be undermined by exposing his reactionary attempts to limit the gains of the revolution and explaining the utopianism of his populist demands…
All the major problems in Iran remain to be solved. The widespread support for the creation of an 'Islamic Republic' (which would still be capitalist) will not answer any of these problems. It does not show the mass of Iranians how living standards can be raised and how the masses' democratic rights can be secured. The 'Islamic Republic' means all things to all men…
The task of Marxists now is to explain the processes which are taking place, to show the inadequacies of the programmes which are being advanced and argue for independent working-class policies, based on the need for the organisation of the working-class movement; the election of democratic committees in every workplace and military unit, and the linking together of these committees on a district, regional and national level.
These committees would have to launch a determined struggle for the people's immediate needs – such as democratic rights, a 40-hour week, a higher minimum wage, a crash housing plan, the control of prices, the right to self-determination and autonomy for the national minorities. All this would be linked to the necessity of an independent workers' government which would nationalise the major industries, take over the property of the 22 families which control Iran, and draw up a socialist plan of production…
All that is preventing the rapid overthrow of capitalism in Iran is the absence of an independent workers' party campaigning on such a Marxist programme. But in the course of the unfolding of the revolution the ideas of Marxism can get a wider and wider response. This can lead to the development of such a party capable of guiding the Iranian workers and peasants to a democratic socialist Iran, which would be an inspiration to working people throughout the world.
Left wing groups
As the Khomeini regime tightened its grip, helped by the 1980 outbreak of the war with Iraq, left-wing organisations were suppressed. Many split over the question of whether it was correct to give any form of support to Khomeini.
The Fedayeen-e Khalq split in June 1980 into Fedayeen Majority and Fedayeen Minority. The minority rejected the majority's position, similar to that of the Tudeh, that the Khomeini regime was anti-imperialist and so should be critically supported. Despite persecution, the Fedayeen Majority followed this line until a heavy wave of repression was launched against it in early 1983.
The Tudeh Party attempted to work with the Khomeini regime, supporting its suppression of other left groups, until increasing repression in 1982 led to a heavy crackdown on the Tudeh in early 1983. This included the arrest of over 10,000 members and supporters.
The Mojahedin-e Khalq was a radical grouping which combined left-wing and Islamic ideas. It moved from supporting Khomeini in early 1979 to launching terror attacks against the Islamic regime in 1981. While having some support immediately after the revolution, it lost much support when it sided with Saddam Hussein in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. In recent years, under the banner of the National Council of Resistance, it has worked closely with the US Republicans and similar forces.
The National Democratic Front was a short-lived centre-left organisation which was critical of both the Bazargan government and Khomeini. Launched in March 1979, at a million-strong rally marking the anniversary of Mohammad Mossadegh's death, it was quickly subjected to attack and soon banned.


text: updated on May 18, 2022May 14, 2016Fashion clothes BRIDAL FASHION WEEK : WEDDING DRESS SUMMER TRENDS 2016 AmazingGenie Leave a Comment on BRIDAL FASHION WEEK : WEDDING DRESS SUMMER TRENDS 2016 Many brides choose the summer months of July and August for their wedding with hopes and dreams of a perfect blue sky day to make it a fun-loving and memorable day of their life . The trend sets a set of criteria along with the grandeur . The criteria would be versatility which tends to be useful to keep the sun from burning your shoulders . Considering silk for the season as Silk is breathable and will keep the body cooler if the weather gets sticky. Ignore the veil this would increase the level of comfort and make you feel at ease and comfort . use of silk makes u feel at heaven princess cut dress red princess tube dress The Lady in Red wedding bliss

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Your cart is currently empty.
© 2023 Mad Man
Sign up for our mailing list to receive new product alerts, special offers, and coupon codes.
Dry Gear Waterproof Outdoor Travel Bag - 20L Day Pak - Orange
Let the adventures begin! Dry Gear by Mad Man keeps all your items protected, everywhere you go. Lightweight but tough material prevents ripping and tearing to help protect your items. Rain or shine, let's move!
Our waterproof 20L Day Pak was created so you be free to hike, swim, kayak or any other outdoor sporting you want, while keeping your things DRY and safe. Zippers are waterproof to keep your things inside dry.
Best for a day-long or weekend trips where you want to bring a change of clothes in addition to all your essentials.
Makes a great gift for dads, husbands and all the outdoorsy men in your life.
Available in 4 colors: black, army green, blue and orange
Sign up for exclusive deals and specials delivered right to your inbox!
© 2023 Mad Man
| A Nicole Brayden Gifts Brand


text:
|watch trailer
A new breed of revolutionary stands poised along our information highways waging war on logos and symbols. They're "Culture Jammers" and their mission is to artfully reclaim our mental environment and cause a bit of brand damage to corporate mindshare. Director Jill Sharpe's subversively savvy one-hour documentary film - culturejam - Hijacking Commercial Culture- bursts our last bubble of illusion about free speech in public space and gives us spanking brand-new hope at the same time. Scream at the TV, but don't touch that dial! Yet. In the hour long film, Culture Jam: Hijacking Commercial Culture, we follow three outlandish jammers; media tigress Carly Stasko, Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping, and Jack Napier with the Billboard Liberation Front. Armed with DIY anti-ad stickers, custom neon, and stuffed mice on crosses, these jammers hijack, subvert and reclaim corporate media space. Enter the intriguing worlds of midnight billboard raids and the mid-afternoon hijacking of public space.
Ultimately Culture Jammers wage a war of "meaning". They use the tools of the medium to re-wire the "message". Will Disney's Mickey represent a "world of laughter" or will he become the anti-Christ representing "sweatshop labour practices". The verdict of public perception lies in a battle between billion dollar PR campaigns and guerrilla tactics of rebel activists. A relatively young movement, contemporary Culture Jammers first appeared in the early 80's in San Francisco. But court jesters of medieval Europe, and movements like Dada, Surrealism, and the Situationist International of Paris, as well as the recent range from punk to "post", all provide a philosophical lineage for this new brand of rabble rousers. French Situationist Guy Debord declared in the 1960's that we inhabit the "society of the spectacle" - where leisure and real living had been replaced by pre-packaged media simulated experiences. The moment has come for a new message to take back the medium. Through their interventions culture jammers make a spectacle of ad-culture.
Hard hitting, controversial, wacky and engaging, this film captures the drama of jammers in action and asks: Is Culture Jamming civil disobedience? Senseless vandalism? The only form of self-defense left?
|A film by Jill Sharpe. A Reel-Myth Production Inc. Produced by Lynn Booth and Jill Sharpe.Developed with the participation of Rogers Communications Inc.. Produced with the financial participation of Rogers Documentary Fund. Produced with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund and Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program, Rogers Cable Network Fund, British Columbia Film, The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and The Province of British Columbia: Film Incentive BC. Produced in association with VISION TV, Knowledge Network, Saskatchewan Communications Network and Canadian Learning Television. Distributed by Films Transit International.
© 2001 Right To Reel-Myth Productions Inc.


text:
Fear can drive you to do disastrous things you'll later regret. When we're confronted with a challenge, our brain's fight or flight response kicks in – our fear instinct.
We react irrationally without thinking through the full range of possibilities and consequences. On the open water, fear-based thinking is dangerous because it leads to fear-driven action. Fear that's not addressed when the seas are calm inevitably leads to trouble when disaster strikes.
That's why every experienced captain understands the importance of leading from faith over fear on his sailboat. Just like sailing captains, your steward leadership charts the course for either fear- or faith-based decisions at your organization. Today's uncertain and treacherous waters leave no room for fear. One poor decision made from a point of fear can lead your company down a dark path from which there's no return.
Unsurprisingly, today's remote workers report heightened fear and other negative emotions: 54% feel worried, 46% report anxiety, and 62% say they're stressed.
As leaders, we must prioritize faith in ourselves first so we can lead from faith in good times and bad.
Why Faith Over Fear is the Key to Steward Leadership
As a leader, your job isn't to bark orders, point out faults, and punish workers when they fall out of line or don't meet expectations. The best leaders know that they must fill a role as caretakers of the soul for everyone across their team.
Your team already faces enough fear around every turn:
- Economic uncertainty
- Missing deadlines
- Feuds with coworkers
- Losing income and livelihood
- Not living up to management expectations
- Letting coworkers down
- Poor company performance and the consequences
They don't need more fear-based leadership radiating from your presence every time you walk by.
Instead, it's your job as a leader to exude faith to and for your team. Faith that:
- They are capable and prepared to handle the route ahead.
- You'll support their decisions made in good faith.
- The organization is invested in their outcome and best interest.
- Their coworkers are there to offer critical support.
This faith over fear mindset allows you to become a steward leader who protects his team and creates a safe place for them to thrive. Steward leaders are caretakers: They ease fears, supply tools, and offer support so the entire team can function at optimal capacity.
What Does Fear-Based Leadership Look Like?
It only takes one cataclysmic event for teams running on fear-based leadership to fall apart when it matters most.
Exploiting Weaknesses
Things like performance evaluations and meeting callouts do nothing but instill fear across every member of your organization.
When performance is judged by shortcomings, employees grow reluctant to speak up when there's a problem they might get blamed for. Issues go unaddressed until they evolve into unavoidable roadblocks.
People point fingers to assign blame instead of finding the root cause of problems and working together to fix them.
Reactionary Thinking and Action
Fear-based leadership leaves you in a constant state of reactivity.
Since you're chronically focused on your team's weaknesses and shortcomings, you end up stuck ten minutes in the past backtracking, fixing yesterday's problems, and dishing out punishments.
Again, this reactionary thinking causes us to ignore a problem's root causes. Instead of fixing our boat's structural problems, we patch the holes and hope they don't leak again – but they always will.
Defensive Team Hostility
A fearful team operates from a defensive, and often hostile, disposition.
Your employees and colleagues show up to work every day worried about potential mistakes they've made that will be uncovered today and how leadership will react.
Everyone responds to criticism and complaints – even genuine ones – from a defensive state, seeking to avoid the full range of blame and its consequences. This leaves your team wholly distrustful of each other.
What Does Faith-Based Leadership Look Like?
When a leader prioritizes faith over fear, their team trusts them – and each other. Your team will know you have their back and you're invested in their best interest.
Focusing on Strengths
Faith-based leaders operate under the assumption that people are generally well-meaning and want to do their best.
Instead of punishing weaknesses, you uplift people based on their unique strengths. You celebrate their individuality instead of forcing them to fit into boxes.
Rather than operating in fear, employees become excited to share their accomplishments and take on the next challenge as a team.
This could translate into removing traditional performance evaluations, reassigning responsibilities for employees, and just adapting a supportive mindset overall.
Proactive Responses
It's always easier to prevent problems from happening instead of cleaning up after them.
As every sailor knows, regular boat maintenance and cleaning are key to keep your vessel in top shape. Otherwise, something could go drastically wrong at the worst possible time.
When you run on faith over fear, you lead proactively. You look for conditions that might create rocky water ahead and chart a new course.
Proactively preventing problems means no one is ever assigned blame, punished, or fearful.
Honest and Open Communication
Fearful employees don't speak up when something might go wrong. They've learned to keep their heads down and avoid making waves.
Steward leaders foster an environment where their teams trust each other.
With widespread trust, people feel comfortable voicing concerns, problems, and mistakes because they know they won't be punished. They also know that the issue will be addressed appropriately without anyone losing their job or being put in the corner.
People need faith in both leadership and those around them before trust can build.
Steward Leadership is Always the Answer to Trials and Tribulation
By definition, steward leadership makes you the caretaker of your team. Instead of promoting fears and exploiting weaknesses, it's your job to lift up each individual worker's strengths and create a trusting environment.
Effective steward leadership doesn't happen overnight. People won't suddenly trust you just because you've said something nice. It takes real actions, consistency, and time. Once your team realizes that you're prioritizing faith over fear, they can learn to trust you. Next, they'll start building trust and openness with each other.
That's the goal and it's the key to long-term success via steward leadership: the only caring way to lead and the only successful style for managing today's uncertainty.
Are you ready to chart the course towards faith over fear steward leadership? Space is still available for our exclusive spring leadership workshop in the Florida Keys aboard General Patton's historic yacht. Claim your spot now!


text:
6 Mistakes To Avoid When Selecting Your Plant Hire Provider
Date: 17/01/20
At Ardent Hire, we are always looking to give the best customer service. Here are 6 mistakes to avoid when choosing your plant hire provider.
Not Knowing What to Rent
Few people invest enough time in doing the right research. To optimise your time you must research about the available options that you will require to complete the job.
If you do not have enough knowledge, you should consult a plant hire professional. If you have already placed the order, you can double-check with the plant hire company before confirming it. If you have the wrong order, get it cancelled right away and place a new order with the right plant hire equipment.
Looking for the Cheapest Tools
Everyone wants to save money and get the best return of investment. However, you should not be looking at the cheapest machinery. If you choose plant, based primarily on the price, you might get inefficient and below maintained machinery. Plant hire companies offering their machines at rock bottom prices, standards are usually below par. This can lead to additional breakdown and maintenance costs. You must always focus on hiring the best machines at the most affordable rates. Check the condition of the machinery before hiring and compare to get the best rates.
Not Reading the Hiring Contract
As a rule of thumb, you must be careful when making a deal. There are several unscrupulous plant hire companies that are always ready to rip off their clients. So always make sure you have read the terms and conditions of the contract thoroughly, to avoid any hidden costs. Read the return policies, late return policies, etc. carefully. Late returns are one of the most common charges.
A lack of planning beforehand
Another common mistake when using a plant hire company, is when people know that they need machinery but have not planned out the project. This can lead to future mistakes, such as hiring the wrong equipment and the project running overtime.
Health And Safety Is Key
Always look for a plant hire company that takes health and safety seriously. Daily maintenance checks are extremely important in ensuring the machines perform at their best and maintain the safety of the operator. Simple things, such as regular checks for damage will ensure you do not experience punctures that could delay operations. Some suppliers also offer additional safety features that are worth considering. By choosing an updated fleet, health and safety issues are less likely to happen.
A lack of training
The final common mistake that we see in the use of plant hire companies is when the operator has a lack of training in the machinery. Operators of these machines need to be constantly retraining themselves to continue using the equipment optimally and safely. Where mistakes are often made is because the person 'behind the wheel' is familiar with older models, but not in using newer ones.
0 Comment
Nobody has commented yet. Why not add one?
Add your Comment
Ardent Hire have the ability to edit and/or delete posts and comments. Links should be relevant to the topics. Please note all comments are subject to review before inclusion.
Login to comment
Register to comment
Blog Archives
- 21 2023
- 16 2022
- 39 2021
- 20 2020
- 43 2019
- 50 2018
- 54 2017
- 43 2016
Ardent Blog
Unlocking Cost Savings: The Power of Data in Equipment Rental
In an increasingly competitive business landscape, companies across industries are constantly...


text:
The Best Website Builder On the Market in 2023 (Top Solutions Reviewed and Compared)
So you're ready to build a website and start carving out your place on the internet. That's a big step. So, unsurprisingly, there are many things you need to consider. But, luckily, these days, building and hosting websites isn't as much of a challenge as it was a decade ago. Recently, website building software has exploded, so now, there are tons of companies offering easy-to-use drag-and-drop website builders at affordable prices. Many provide hundreds of beautiful templates you just tweak to meet your needs.
In essence, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to platforms that don't require any web development expertise to get your business website up and running.
But, the vast number of web building solutions out there presents a new problem: which is the best website builder on the market? Of course, the answer to this question hinges on what you'll use your site for. For instance, do you want to launch an e-commerce store? A blog? An online delivery service? Or, just set up a simple website for your brick and mortar store?
Whatever your requirements, we've taken a look at the best website builders the industry has to offer. This comprehensive guide walks you through the most popular options, what you'll pay for each of them, and which might best suit your needs.
The Best Website Builders
- Web.com – Best Value
- Wix – Best Overall
- Shopify – Best for Ecommerce
- Squarespace – Best Templates
- BigCommerce – Best for Large Ecommerce Business
- WordPress.com – Best for Small Business
- Weebly
- Webflow
- GoDaddy Website Builder
- Jimdo
- Site123
Keep the following considerations at the forefront of your mind, as you embark on assessing and choosing the best website builder for you:
- Customizability: Does this website builder provide the flexibility and features you need to create the design you're envisioning?
- Security and performance: You'll want to ensure the platform boasts packages that come with excellent uptimes, secure hosting, and SSL certificates.
- Price: Even if you're just using the free plan to get started with, you'll eventually want to upgrade to a program that allows you to use your own web domain and doesn't plaster the web builder's branding all over your site.
- Ease of use: Some website builders require a bit of coding know-how to make the most of them, while others only offer simple drag-and-drop editors
- Scalability: How much space does the website builder offer? Can you easily upgrade? Can you launch an online store?
Make a note of your needs and keep these in mind as you read on.
So, without further ado, let's jump into the nitty-gritty of this review!
Best Value – Web.com
Web.com takes the spot as our overall best website builder and this is for good reason.
It offers incredibly easy-to-use web builder tools for small businesses at an affordable introductory price, so anyone can design a website without knowing how to code. You can choose from a plethora of gorgeous pre-built website templates and customize them to the needs of your brand with just a point and click.
Web.com also comes with all the powerful features that the top web builders provide such as the ability to add videos, contact forms, testimonial sliders, photo galleries, social media buttons, map locations, and lots more.
They even allow you to add unlimited pages to your site as well as customize each page's design individually. Plus, every one of their website templates is mobile-friendly and they allow you to customize your website's design for varying devices (mobile phones, tablets, and desktops).
Web.com provides eCommerce tools that permit you to add 50 products, track and manage orders, offer discounts, accept credit card payments securely, and a lot more. Beyond the above, every Web.com plan comes with a free business email address, SEO tools, website security solution, website analytics, a free domain name, and additional website tools.
The winning feature of Web.com is its custom web design service. The website builder offers design services, where an expert can build your entire website for a cost-effective price.
Pricing 💰
Web.com offers a couple of affordable paid plans that users can choose from:
- Starter: The Starter plan costs $1.95 for your first month and is created for people just starting online. After your first billing cycle (4 weeks) the plan costs $10.00. That said, there's an annual offer that has a discounted rate of $50.00 for your first year. You are then charged $100.00 after the discounted year. The major features of this package are a do-it-yourself website builder, hundreds of design layouts that you can choose from, and access to thousands of stock images.
- Marketing: This Web.com website builder plan costs $2.95 for your first month and is for businesses that intend to reach their target audience online. When the first billing cycle (4 weeks) is over, Web.com charges a recurring fee of $15.00. There's a discounted offer for the annual subscription and this goes at a rate of $75.00 for your first year. After the first annual billing cycle, the plan costs a recurring fee of $150.00 per year. The key features of this package include search engine submission to Bing, Yahoo, Google, and much more. The plan also offers a business profile in tons of local directories as well as everything in the Starter plan.
- Ecommerce: The Ecommerce plan costs $3.95 for your first month. After your first billing cycle, you'll be charged a recurring fee of $20.00. You can also opt for an annual subscription that includes a discounted rate of $100.00 for the first year. When this year is over, you will be charged a recurring fee of $200.00. This plan is built for businesses that require a website to sell products or receive payments from customers. The key features in the plan include everything in the Marketing package, the ability to track and manage customer orders, connect your website to your Facebook Marketplace, sell up to 500 items, and accept major credit cards in a secure system.
- Custom Website: The Custom Website plan allows you to put your business online with a professionally built and SEO optimized website from experts at Web.com. This plan outsources your entire website designing process to professionals. The Custom Website plan normally costs $1499.99 but goes for a promo setup fee of $750 currently.
It's important to note that Web.com automatically bills your recurring fee to the payment method you have on file or your credit card. You can also cancel your subscription before the end of the promo period (the discounted first billing cycle).
Pros 👍
- Web.com offers expert custom design services for your entire website so you can have a completely hands-off experience.
- This web builder includes SEO tools that help enhance search engine visibility.
- You get access to Google Ads certified experts that can help you run your PPC adverts.
- Web.com helps you maintain online credibility by not just listing your website in professional business directories but monitoring them daily for correct information.
- Web.com is extremely affordable in comparison to other services that offer similar features.
- The service includes a discounted promo offer for your first billing cycle.
- There's a Marketing Bundle included in all their business plans for promoting your brand.
- You receive a free domain if you don't have one already.
- Web.com offers a drag and drop design interface which makes it easy to use even for non-tech users.
Cons 👎
- Web.com offers great introductory plans but their regular prices may be expensive for starters.
- Web.com doesn't offer a free trial or free plan so the only way you can try out the web builder is via its promo discount prices.
- Web.com does not offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Web.com is great for basic tweaks but you may face issues if you try getting creative.
- When you purchase one of their web design packages you have to dig deep on the page to find the real price of the offer. The real price is not boldly stated.
- Web.com doesn't offer live chat for tech support.
- Their user interface, though easy to use, is basic.
Wix – Best Overall Website Builder
Wix is incredibly easy to use and offers plenty of tools for creating beautiful sites. That's why it's used by over 100 million people worldwide. The drag-and-drop editor provides full creative control over the look of the website without any need for programming.
Wix is both a template-based and AI-fuelled solution, so you have the option of spending time tweaking your chosen website theme, or you can harness the power of AI to get up and running. Yes, with Wix's AI site builder, you can have an entire website created for you with just a few clicks.
Wix boasts hundreds of templates explicitly designed for several industries. These include portfolios for photographers, graphic designers, and musicians, as well as business pages for hotels, cafes, and small businesses – just to name a few! No matter what niche you operate in, Wix is bound to have a suitable template.
Pricing 💰
Wix has a free plan, but like many of the freemium versions already discussed, you'll have to use Wix's subdomain and put up with their ads on your site.
In terms of premium packages, Wix splits its plans into 'website' and 'business and ecommerce' packages.
For the purposes of this review, we'll only outline Wix's website plans, which there are four of:
- Connect: For $4, you can connect your website to your own domain, with 1 GB of bandwidth and 500MB storage.
- Combo: The combo plan will set you back $13 a month and rids you of Wix's ads on your website.
- Unlimited: For $17 a month, the Unlimited plan is better suited for larger sites. No limits are imposed on bandwidth and get 10GB of storage.
- Business: For $23 a month, you can start selling online and get access to business apps, like Wix hotels and Wix bookings.
Pros 👍
- Wix offers one of the most highly intuitive website building editors and interfaces on the market
- Wix provides affordable solutions with excellent value for money
- The Wix AI website creator can help you design a site within minutes
- Templates are purposeful and industry-centric (and there are tons to choose from!)
- You can download extra functionality and features from Wix's app marketplace
- Wix's customer support is often praised
Cons 👎
- Wix's blogging features are quite basic compared to some of its competitors
- Once you choose a theme, you can't switch templates without having to re-do your content.
- To access advanced features like analytics and tracking, you'll need to shell out for a more expensive plan
- Sites aren't transferable, so if you want to move away from Wix, you're forced to create a new website from scratch.
- Some users find the number of customization features available to them overwhelming
- Wix's plans are single-site only, so they aren't suitable for freelance web designers or businesses needing to design and manage more than one website.
Further reading 📰
- Wix vs WordPress – Which Comes Out on Top?
- Wix Ecommerce Review – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
- Wix vs Shopify – Which is the Absolute Best?
Shopify – The Best Website Builder for Ecommerce
For most people, Shopify stands out as one of the most memorable and effective ecommerce tools on the market. The solution simplifies the art of building your own online store or non-ecommerce website from scratch, with access to a no-code builder that's ideal for beginners. Everything is wonderfully easy to use, and you can use a range of themes and templates to get started.
While Shopify also allows you to do a little more with your underlying website code, you may need to hire a developer for this part, as the solution uses its own proprietary code system.
Shopify does make it easy to enhance the functionality of your site, however, with a wide selection of different apps and add-ins to choose from. You're not limited to building simple stores, you can also build portfolios, blogs, and news sites.
Pricing 💰
Shopify has a range of pricing options to choose from, starting with a 14 day free trial so you can test the functionality. Plans include:
- Starter: $5 per month for just the ability to add a checkout to your messaging apps and social media pages. There's no website builder included here.
- Basic: $29 per month with basic reports, up to 2 staff accounts, 4 inventory locations, and a 77% shipping discount from some carriers.
- Shopify: $79 per month with all the features of basic, plus more professional reports, 5 staff accounts, up to 5 inventory locations, and an up to 88% shipping discount
- Advanced: $299 per month for all the features of Shopify, plus a custom report builder, 15 staff accounts, up to 8 inventory locations, and enhanced support.
- Shopify Plus: Starting at $2000 per month for advanced features like 3D and AR product pages, enhanced reporting, and state-of-the-art customer service and support.
The Pros:
- Highly intuitive and easy-to-use website builder with drag-and-drop function
- Easy to use back-end environment with lots of reporting options
- Fantastic range of themes and templates to choose from
- Wide selection of apps and add-ins for extra functionality
- Support for online and offline selling
- Excellent cross-channel ecommerce functionality
- Wide community full of developers for support
The Cons:
- May require extra specialist support to tap into Shopify code
- Some features are locked into much more expensive pricing plans
- Some apps and themes require additional fees
- Some limitations if you want a more customizable store
- Can take a while to get used to all the features
- Best discounts are for long-term plans
Further reading 📰
- Shopify vs Shopify Plus – What is the Difference?
- Shopify Reviews – Is Shopify the Best Ecommerce Platform? Shopify Pros and Cons
Squarespace wins our vote for the overall best website builder.
Because it offers one of the simplest-to-use interfaces and web building editors on the web. Anyone new to website design that might be worried about the technical side of things can relax with Squarespace – you can rest easy knowing that building a beautiful will be as simple as one, two, three, with this platform!
Squarespace has a plentiful selection of stunning pre-made website templates you can use for free. No matter what you're trying to achieve with your site, Squarespace has got you covered. From designing a sophisticated digital store to creating simple contact pages and blogs, you can build anything you set your mind to without writing a single line of code.
Pricing 💰
Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial (no card registration required). After that, there are a few paid plans available:
- Personal: The personal plan costs $12 a month, and as its name suggests, it's ideal for creating a personal website. This plan doesn't allow you to take online customer payments, but it offers plenty of features for launching portfolios and creating simple sites.
- Business: The Business plan is available for $18 a month, it's great if you're looking to start an eCommerce site. You can take customer credit card payments with a 3% transaction fee.
- Basic: Squarespace's Basic Plan costs $26 a month, and doesn't charge transaction fees. This package is better suited to established shops, where despite the hike in the subscription price, you'll pay less overall because of the saving you make on transaction fees.
- Advanced: This is $40 a month.
Squarespace is undeniably competitive when it comes to pricing. This is just one of the many reasons why we consider it the best overall web page builder! Business plan users (or any of the higher tiers) also gain access to premium apps, including the OpenTable and Acuitypluginss. Plus, if you opt for an annual payment, you'll reduce your month-by-month subscription cost by 25%.
Pros 👍
- Squarespace's entire platform is incredibly user friendly
- There's an impressive variety of free templates, all of which are very professional looking
- There are plenty of useful image management options
- Squarespace offers excellent tools for creating and running online stores and blogs
- The Zapier integration enables you to connect with hundreds of web applications, including Google Apps, Xero, and Mailchimp.
- You can sell both digital and physical goods
- Enabling an SSL certificate is free of hassle
- You can set video backgrounds on your web pages
- Squarespace provides a logo creation app, which builds basic, albeit professional-looking logos
Cons 👎
- Although Squarespace has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, it comes with a little bit of a learning curve. For example, unless you're using the prebuilt blocks, new segments aren't automatically mobile friendly. Some users also say it takes a while to figure out all of Squarespace's customization options (but in our opinion, this platform is certainly worth taking the time to figure out).
- Squarespace's SEO tools aren't as advanced as some of its competitors. For example, it's challenging to customize rich snippets. This makes the tricky task of rising through the search engines, all the harder!
- The Personal Plan is quite limiting – it doesn't include analytics tools, and you can't make online sales. Plus, it only allows for two contributors, and you can't customize the CSS or JavaScript code. However, these limitations only apply if you want to launch an e-commerce store and tinker with the website's code – so this plan's still suitable for creating a personal, basic website.
- Squarespace only allows for one level of navigation. If you want to create something more complicated, you're better off with a different platform.
- When it comes to GDPR compliance, you'll need to use a third-party plugin – Squarespace offers next to no support for this
- The only payment gateways you can use are Paypal and Stripe
- Email campaigns come at a pricy additional cost without a single-opt-in option.
Further reading 📰
- Squarespace Review – 11 pros and cons of using Squarespace
- Squarespace Pricing Plans – Which Squarespace pricing plan Should you pick?
- Shopify vs Squarespace – Learn when Squarespace is a good fit for an ecommerce business and when you should be using Shopify.
- Squarespace Alternatives – Find out what is the best alternative to Squarespace
BigCommerce – The Best Website Builder for Enterprise Ecommerce
BigCommerce is another fabulous eCommerce platform designed to help you develop your store, list items, and sell products online via multiple channels.
Next to Shopify, it's a leader in the field of online selling, and especially appeals to larger companies and enterprises. But, that isn't to say BigCommerce doesn't offer plans that cater to smaller and mid-sized businesses. However, BigCommerce is best if rapid growth is on the table for you – if that sounds like your company, you'll enjoy excellent value for money out of this platform.
BigCommerce prides itself on having the most extensive set of in-built features and analytic tools of any eCommerce store builder. So, rest assured, they provide everything you need to build a successful site. The platform also claims that small businesses looking to scale up will enjoy an average yearly growth of 28% using their solution!
BigCommerce boasts a few household names amongst its client list, including Toyota, Kodak, and Ben&Jerry's. Impressive, right?
Pricing 💰
BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial, and you can request a demo on their website before signing up. Beyond that, there are four pricing tiers.
*You'll be pleased to hear, BigCommerce doesn't charge transaction fees with any of its plans.
- Standard: This costs $29.95 a month and packs quite a punch with plenty of sales features and unlimited products and staff accounts. This plan is valid for generating up to $50k in sales a year.
- Plus: This sets you back $79.95 a month and suits businesses making up to $180k a year in sales. This plan also unlocks extra features like abandoned cart recovery, customer segmentation, and store credit cards.
- Pro: Here, you get access to BigCommerce's full set of features. It costs $299 a month and is valid for up to $400k a year in sales. You'll also get a custom SSL, faceted product filtering, and a 'Google customer reviews' tool.
- The Enterprise Plan: If your business passes a certain threshold of sales, BigCommerce offers an enterprise plan with custom pricing and a comprehensive set of features. This entitles you to 24/7 dedicated support and provides extra functionalities that enable you to run multiple stores. Pricing depends on how much you earn in annual sales. In essence, you'll scale your BigCommerce subscription as your business grows. Contact BigCommerce directly if this plan might be suitable for you.
Pros 👍
- BigCommerce is one of the most scalable solutions on the market
- It's great for larger enterprises
- BigCommerce offers an impressive set of in-built features – beating most of its competitors with its most basic package
- BigCommerce offers excellent reporting tools (on all pricing plans)
- Access to built-in product review features
- You can sell in multiple currencies
- Due to BigCommerce's partnership with Braintree, you can take advantage of cheaper-than-usual PayPal transaction fees.
- Support for multi-channel selling- including social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
- Access to fantastic SEO and cart-abandonment tools
- Multiple out-of-the-box discounting and coupon tools
- Access to an in-built blog
- BigCommerce provides flexible and easy-to-use selling solutions that suit a variety of products and types
- You can register unlimited staff accounts (even on the basic plan).
- No transaction fees
Cons 👎
- Some of BigCommerce's terminology can be confusing for beginners.
- It can take a while to learn how to harness BigCommerce's full potential, and use its more advanced features
- Compared to competitors, accessing BigCommerce's abandoned cart tool is expensive
- Due to BigCommerce's annual sales limits, you're eventually forced to upgrade your program even if you're happy with your current set of features (that's providing your business is growing)
- The in-built blog doesn't enable RSS feeds
Further reading 📰
- BigCommerce Enterprise Review – Everything You Need to Know
- BigCommerce Reviews – 20 BigCommerce Pros and Cons
- BigCommerce Pricing – How Much Are You Going to Pay With BigCommerce?
- BigCommerce vs Shopify – The ultimate comparison
WordPress.com – The Best Website Builder for Blogging
WordPress is a famous household name when it comes to website building platforms, which is hardly surprising when you consider this open-source solution powers over 30% of the internet!
However, where WordPress really excels, is with its blogging and content management system. If that's something you need, WordPress.com might be the right choice for you. When you start building your website, WordPress assumes your content is integral to your brand – so if you're thinking about creating a blog, it's a no brainer.
There are two versions of WordPress:
- WordPress.com which is a hosted service (similar to other website builders on this list). You can build a website for free or with one of their paid-for plans. Just like with other website builders, you choose from one of WordPress' hundreds of themes and use this as the basis of your web design.
- WordPress.org is open-source software. It's free to install, modify, and use, but you need to find your own hosting and web domain.
Traditionally WordPress isn't a drag-and-drop builder, although, these days, there are plugins available that enable you to change that. So, if you opt to use WordPress's interface as-is, there's a steeper learning curve than some of the other website builders reviewed here. If you have some programming know-how – that's great! You can dip into your website's source code to really bring your vision to life.
WordPress's premium plans enable you to install plugins from their app store. This is a real asset – namely because WordPress boasts a massive and engaged community that continually creates new themes and third-party widgets for WordPress users to utilize. Consequently, if you're after a specific tool or feature, you have a good chance of finding it.
Pricing 💰
WordPress.com has three pricing tiers (after the free plan); the costs listed below are based on annual billing:
- Personal: $5 a month – This removes WordPress's branding from your site, and you can use a custom domain name.
- Premium: $8 a month -This unlocks advanced design tools, custom CSS editing, and Google Analytics support.
- Business: $25 a month – Here, you can install custom plugins and themes and access up to 200GB worth of storage.
What About the Free Plan?
As we've already mentioned, WordPress offers a free plan. However, it's somewhat limiting as you're stuck with WordPress's subdomain and its branding all over your website. You also don't get very much in the way of storage, you can't edit the code, and you can't install extra plugins.
So, as you can imagine, you don't get much freedom to customize the design and functionality of your website. But, if you're only looking to create a personal website or blog, the free or personal plan may be enough to suit your purposes.
Pros 👍
- WordPress's blogging and content management features are superior to their competitors
- If you have coding experience, you'll enjoy incredible customization freedom.
- There are thousands of themes and plugins to choose from
- Uploading content to your blog is easy and intuitive, and organizing existing blog posts is a breeze
- WordPress has an excellent reputation and is used all over the web – this alone is a good indication of what's possible with this website builder.
- The platform has an active community and plenty of support documentation – finding help with your website from should be easy, and there are many guides available online
- WordPress comes with 'WordPress Reader.' This helps you to discover other blogs and find readers for your own website.
Cons 👎
- To access WordPress' full potential for customization, you'll need to upgrade to the Business plan.
- WordPress demands a steeper learning curve than other website builders, as its true potential is unlocked when you know how to edit CSS.
- Despite access to so many free plugins and themes, you may still want to pay extra for third-party add-ons that offer more functionality
- Some WordPress themes contain generic code that can slow down the speed of your website.-If you don't know which code snippets to remove; you might not be able to fix this yourself
- The interface isn't as intuitive to use, in comparison to other website builders that come with drag-and-drop editors as standard.
Further reading 📰
- WordPress.com Review – For Hobbyist Bloggers and Those Who Want to Practice WordPress
- WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which do you need?
- Best WordPress Hosting – The Top 5 WordPress Hosting Services Reviewed and Compared
- The Best Free WordPress Ecommerce Plugins
- 20 Best Ecommerce WordPress Themes 🛒
Weebly – The Best Website Builder for Low Maintenance Sites
Weebly is a straightforward and easy to use website builder. However, you may find that its functionality is more limited than some of the other contenders amongst our best website builders. But, Weebly will get the job done if you're looking for a quick-to-build and easily maintainable website.
You don't need prior coding knowledge to get started with Weebly. The menus and interfaces are fun and easy to navigate, so rest assured, you'll have your website set up in next-to-no time. Although Weebly can be used for e-commerce, in our opinion, it's best suited to brick-and-mortar stores that want to establish an online presence (and don't need more than one navigation menu).
Pricing 💰
Weebly has a free plan, which comes with SSL security and 500MB storage. However, if you want more storage, your own domain name, and to remove Weebly's branding, you'll have to upgrade to a premium plan, which are as follows:
- Connect: This basic plan allows you to connect your site with your own web domain for $5 a month. Beyond this, all features and storage limitations stay the same as Weebly's free package.
- Pro: For $12 a month, you can remove Weebly's ads and enable site search. You also get unlimited storage, Google Ads credit, and basic eCommerce features like a shopping cart and payment processing.
- Business: For $25 a month, Weebly won't charge credit card fees (yay!). You also unlock more e-commerce features, including coupon codes, item options, inventory management tools, and tax calculations.
There are plenty of free templates to choose from, but if you want to invest in a premium theme, these typically cost under $50. The app-store, too, includes both free and premium apps, which on the pricier side of things can cost as much as $150 a month – so plan for your future needs as you set your budget!
Pros 👍
- Weebly has lots of beautiful and professional-looking templates
- Weebly websites are usually reliable with quick loading speeds
- The dashboard is super intuitive, and the same goes for their website editor
- You can download and use Weebly as a mobile app, which is handy for managing your site on the go
- All of Weebly's paid-for plans include a free domain name
- Upgrading to more expensive plans is easy
- Exporting your entire site to another web building platform's possible. This makes Weebly a decent starting point for simple website creation.
Cons 👎
- Launching an e-commerce store with Weebly costs extra
- The image editing tools aren't very advanced, so you're usually better off editing images offline.
- Weebly's blogging functionality is minimal unless you invest in more plugins. Blogging teams are better off looking at other site builders – which, as we've just said, we'd recommend WordPress for.
- Compared to competitors, Weebly doesn't offer as many customer service options (unless you purchase its more expensive plans).
- If you want to create a sophisticated website, look elsewhere.
Webflow is another platform with an impressive suite of web design features. The service has a decent selection of fully customizable templates and an intuitive interface that empowers you to create the site of your dreams.
But where Webflow really shines is with its impressive free website builder as well as its extensive library of self-help resources. So, if you're looking for a platform you can master on your own without resorting to the help of customer support agents, Webflow's got you covered. They have tons of in-depth video tutorials, written content, and resource lists. So if you're worried about running into walls with your site creation, Webflow's a safe bet.
We also want to point out that Webflow has a couple of impressive names on their client roster, including Eventbrite and Zendesk.
Pricing 💰
Let's start by mentioning Webflow's impressive free plan. Webflow doesn't limit your customization or its CMS tools with its freemium version. As such, you can use it without ever paying a dime, (forever!), which is excellent for experimenting with Webflow's features! In essence, you can take as long as you like creating the perfect website with Webflow, without stressing about your budget.
You are, however, limited to two pages, two projects, and you have to use Webflow's subdomain. Once you're ready to invest in a paid-for plan, Webflow has several pricing tiers with different audiences in mind. There are site plans, which are best suited for personal websites and blogs, or eCommerce plans which are intended for businesses.
Additionally, Webflow offers account-based programs for web designers. In this category, there are both individual and team plans. Overall, Webflow has 11 different pricing plans (don't worry, we won't list them all here). Instead, we've provided a brief overview:
- The Site plans enable you to connect your Webflow site with a custom domain, invite other collaborators to work on your website, and allow an online checkout. Personal website plans start from $12 a month billed annually and go up to $36. The tiers are limited by monthly visits, so as you grow, upgrading becomes a necessity.
- The Ecommerce plans are available from $29 per month, and go up to as much as $212 a month, billed annually. Plans restrict your yearly sales volume and staff accounts, so again, growing businesses will need to scale to a higher tier eventually.
- Account plans unlock extra features, including being able to create more websites (projects), code exportation, and publishing your logo onto your editor. You can also create a team dashboard to work with others on the same project.
If you're curious about the individual tiers, head over to the Webflow website to view all their packages.
Pros 👍
- With Webflow's freemium version, you get the extraordinary chance to try out their full set of design features
- Webflow websites can be exported to other platforms
- Webflow places a heavy focus on customer experience, with an extensive library of online resources
- You get access to HTML and CSS code, so anyone with web design experience can customize their website to their heart's content
- You can integrate your site with multilingual solutions
- All of Webflow's templates are mobile responsive
Cons 👎
- Some of Webflow's advanced features present a steep learning curve, and their interface can be a little intimidating to start with
- Managing a successful eCommerce website is difficult because you need to download several plugins and add-ons. These advanced features aren't built-in, so if your primary focus is online selling, you're better off looking at BigCommerce or Shopify.
- Comparative to its competitors, Webflow's selection of templates is limited.
- There's no refund policy
- Some of their packages are very expensive, especially considering their limitations. This is especially true if you just want to launch a simple website for personal use. You can create this kind of site much cheaper with Weebly, Squarespace, or Wix.com.
- Due to the visitor caps placed on pricing plans, you're forced to upgrade to a higher plan to grow
GoDaddy Website Builder
You might already know GoDaddy as one of the leading providers for domain names and web hosting services. However, the platform now also offers a website builder – which means you can handle your web domains, hosting and website building all with the same provider. Handy, right?
The platform is very beginner-friendly and offers several mobile-optimized templates. It's ideal for any small business or individual that's time-conscious and wants to launch a website fast. However, this convenience does come at a compromise, as GoDaddy's website builder software certainly isn't the one with the most features on the market, but it's practical and easy – so check it out if that's your jam.
Pricing 💰
GoDaddy offers four pricing plans; all of them include 24/7 support and web hosting. However, domain names aren't included. It's also worth saying for the get-go, that if you're looking to build an eCommerce store, you can only do so with GoDaddy's most expensive e-commerce plan.
- Basic: $10 a month – This is ideal if you want a quick and straightforward, ad-free website.
- Standard: $15 a month – This unlocks a PayPal integration and https protocols.
- Premium: $20 a month – Here, you get access to email marketing tools, social media integrations, and your website is optimized for speed.
- eCommerce: $25 a month – This provides you with an online storefront, payment processors, and an abandoned cart recovery tool.
Pros 👍
- For the first month, you can use GoDaddy's website builder for free.
- The e-commerce plan comes with decent features like abandoned cart recovery; you can add up to 5,000 products, and customize your shipping options.
- GoDaddy offers 24/7 live web chat and phone support as well as an extensive help center. They even provide country-specific phone numbers to over 50 locations around the world.
- There's an excellent selection of website templates for small businesses, with more being added to the collection all the time.
- Access to automatic backups of your website
- GoDaddy's drag-and-drop website builder is very intuitive
- GoDaddy's pricing options are affordable
- On-the-go editing is available
Cons 👎
- There isn't a massive amount of creative freedom or customization possible. For those that like to get artistic with their websites, GoDaddy won't be a good fit.
- The website builder isn't as stylish as many of its competitors
Further reading 📰
- GoDaddy Website Builder Review – Can it possibly match up to the scale of other GoDaddy services?
- GoDaddy Online Store Review – Is GoDaddy Online Store worthwhile?
The best website builders all have one thing in common: They make website creation easy and intuitive – and Jimdo certainly achieves this. With its simple drag-and-drop editor, Jimdo's unquestionably one of the most accessible platforms to use. Jimdo's developers aim to ensure new features don't overcomplicate the existing tools. So, rest assured, you can always look forward to a straightforward and fun experience whenever you log onto Jimdo's dashboard.
To date, this website builder has helped create over 20 million sites – and for a good reason. With its affordable options and simple layout, this might be one of the best website builders for complete beginners.
Pricing 💰
Jimdo offers a free plan where you can try out its features. Here, you can publish a site using Jimdo's subdomain and test its basic functionalities. Beyond this, Jimdo splits its programs into 'website' and 'online shop' plans.
For this review, we're only going to explore the website plans in more detail. There are four to choose from:
- Start: $9 a month – This is perfect for creating personal or creative projects. It allows you to connect your website with your own domain and removes Jimdo's ads from your web pages.
- Grow: $15 a month – This unlocks visitor statistics.
- Grow Legal: For a few dollars more than the Grow plan, you gain access to Jimdo's Legal Text generator, which helps you to make your site's GDPR compliant.
- Unlimited: $39 a month – This entitles you to unlimited storage, priority support, and professional design analysis.
Pros 👍
- Access to an easy-to-use website builder
- Jimdo's very beginner-friendly
- You can easily optimize your site's SEO, including your page and URL descriptions
- Sites are SSL encrypted
- The Legal plan offers GDPR compliance, which is vital for many businesses
- Jimdo has an easy-to-use mobile app, which permits you to access and edit your site while you're on the go
- It's cheap to make your website ad-free
Cons 👎
- Jimdo isn't the most flexible option when it comes to customizing its templates
- While an integrated store is available on Jimdo's more expensive plans, Jimdo doesn't offer much in the way of online sales tools. For instance, it doesn't provide a credit card gateway. Instead, it only allows for manual and PayPal transactions.
- Some templates look a tad dated
- There are no restoration options
- Editing and arranging elements on the website can feel clunky at times
Site123 might not be the best website builder if creative presentation is essential to you. So, those in artistic fields may shy away from this platform. Although you can create a site in no time at all, Site123's customization options are somewhat limited. Instead, practicality is at the forefront of this solution.
One might even go as far as to say websites created using Site123 look a bit old fashioned. Not only that, but Site123 doesn't provide as many in-built features as the majority of other website builders mentioned in this article.
Pricing 💰
Site123's pricing scheme is straightforward and transparent. There's a free program that offers 1GB of bandwidth, 500MB of storage, and a subdomain. However, Site123's free program displays its ads on your site. Despite that, it certainly comes in handy for trying out some of Site123's features. There's also a 14-day money-back guarantee should you decide to go for its premium plan.
The premium package is available for $12.80 a month, which includes a free domain for the first year, the removal of Site123's ads, 5GB of bandwidth, 10GB of storage, and access to e-commerce features.
Pros 👍
- There's a free plan available where you can test site123's features
- The pricing is transparent and simple
- The code used by site123 produces excellent SEO results
- Website creation is quick and straightforward
- The customer support, especially over live-chat, is excellent
- Site123's templates are responsive and look great on mobile devices
- You can change your website template at any time
- The premium plan is very affordable and is one of the cheapest on this list offering e-commerce features
Cons 👎
- Site123's feature set is minimal and can be limiting regarding both the creative and technical aspects of website creation.
- You can't access your website's source code, which further limits customization. This might be especially frustrating if you're a web developer and want to put your skills to good use!
- Even though the platform offers eCommerce features at an affordable rate, the breadth of Site123's online selling functionality is restricted (in comparison to competitors). So, if you're serious about selling online, you would be better off looking elsewhere – most notably, Shopify or BigCommerce.
- Site123's website templates aren't the most modern-looking, so if you care about presentation, a different platform will better suit your needs.
Let's Recap – Which of These Solutions is the Best Website Builder for You?
In the end, the best website builder is whichever platform that fulfills your requirements and meets your budget. If all you want is a simple, personal website, most of these options will satisfy your needs, and you can simply choose based on price alone.
However, if sleek and creative templates are an absolute must, then selecting a website builder with a vast selection of high-quality, customizable designs is essential. For this, we recommend Squarespace, Wix, or Weebly.com. All of them make website creation fast and simple while providing beautiful, functional, and responsive templates to kickstart the web design process.
However, if you're a blogger, or if you're building a content-rich website, WordPress offers the best blogging and content management tools in this list. With a little programming knowledge, WordPress has the best customization options…it's truly limitless, so you're only restricted by your coding ability and imagination!
And finally, if you're focusing on selling online, an e-commerce shop builder might is the right choice for you. Shopify and BigCommerce are both leading providers in this niche, and each feature an extensive toolkit for selling via multiple sales channels. Also, both are hugely scalable and offer excellent value for money. The critical difference between the two may lie in their pricing schemes.
So to summarize:
- For an easy-to-use, all around drag-and-drop website editor, Squarespace is the best.
- To blog, manage content, and enjoy full control over your site, choose WordPress.com.
- For online selling and establishing a growing business, Shopify is an exceedingly scalable option that provides excellent value for money.
- For enterprises looking for a platform to handle multiple stores and facilitate hundreds of thousands of sales, BigCommerce is your best choice.
Before you head off…
We hope you've enjoyed this list of the best website builders on the market. As you can see, website builders have exploded as SaaS products, and we look forward to spotting even more innovation and development in this area.
So, having got to the end of this lengthy review, which website builder will you go for? Let us know in the comments box which one you chose. Speak soon!
Leave a Reply


text:
Sunam, May 9, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
Calling for a united vote to wipe out the communal Akalis, who had shamelessly resorted to sacrilege to polarize communities ahead of the Assembly polls, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said this land of martyrs was an inspiration for those who had sacrificed themselves for an India that belonged to all religions and communities.
Addressing an election rally here in support of Congress candidate from Sangrur, Kewal Singh Dhillon, Captain Amarinder made an emotional appeal to the people not to let Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) destroy India's biggest strength – its unity.
Vowing not to spare the Badals or anyone involved in trying to divide the people of Punjab through desecration of the holy scriptures of various religions, the Chief Minister said they would have to pay for their sins, including the firing on peaceful and unarmed people protesting against sacrilege cases.
Paying his tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh, whose picture he was presented on the dais, the Chief Minister said the freedom fighter's selfless sacrifice remains an inspiration for Indians even today. He recalled the incident of Udham Singh keeping a bottle of the blood-soaked Jallianwala Bagh soil next to his pillow, for years, out of sheer grief at the tragic killings of innocent Indians. Those people were of a different mettle, he said, exhorting people to ensure that the India of their dreams is not destroyed by communal forces.
The nation was passing through difficult times and these Lok Sabha elections would decide its future by choosing between those engaged in communalizing politics and those desirous of building the secular India of the dreams of the freedom fighters, said the Chief Minister. Modi and his men were breaking the strength of the nation and usurping the achievements of the armed forces as their own, for furthering their political interests, he said, quipping that as an Army officer he had served Indian forces and not Modi's forces.
Attacking the Akali candidate from Sangrur, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Captain Amarinder squarely blamed the former Punjab finance minister for the fiscal crisis faced by the state and the additional debt burden of Rs 31000 crore he had put on the coming generations in the state.
The Akalis ruined the state, lamented the Chief Minister, declaring that his government would complete the farm debt waiver process for the 10.25 lakh small and marginal farmers, as promised. "If we can do it despite the fiscal crisis in Punjab, why could Prakash Singh Badal not do it," he asked, pointing that while all states were trying to help their farmers the relief provided by his government was the maximum. However, he reiterated that debt relief was only a temporary measure and in toto implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission report was the only solution to the woes of the farmers across the country.
Nostalgically recalling his first campaign in Sunam, which was then part of Patiala constituency, 42 years ago, the Chief Minister said he was elated to see the same love showered on him even today, and promised to fulfill all the expectations of the people.
His government, said Captain Amrinder, was doing its best to ease the unemployment problem by facilitating jobs in government, private and self-employment. In the government sector, there are still 1.2 lakh vacancies, which were left unfilled by the Akalis as they diverted and squandered resources, said the chief minister adding that these jobs would be given to the youth of Punjab in phases in the coming year.
Asserting that he had broken the backbone of the drugs mafia, as he had vowed to do, the Chief Minister said the SIT and Punjab Police were in pursuit of the big fish and were working closely with other north Indian states to track and nab them.
The promise of smart phones to aid youth in education was also on way to being fulfilled, Captain Amarinder said, adding that the first batch of such phones would be distributed soon after these elections.
The efforts of his government to improve education standards in the state were showing results, he said, congratulating the Class X students who had passed the PSEB exams and also lauding the efforts of the Education Department and government school teachers for the recor 88.21% pass percentage – an increase of 30% over the previous year.
Others who spoke at the rally included PPCC's Election Campaign Chairman, Lal Singh, Cabinet Minister, Vijay Inder Singla, and former CM, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.