A united front against US aggression: difficult but necessary
Rob Owen argues that revolutionaries need to engage with the anti-war movement that exists to build the one we need On Tuesday 4 April two U.S. warships fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Al Shayrat airfield in Syria. The airport was the base from which the Assad regime had carried out the Sarin gas attack […]
Review: The Battle of Grangemouth: A Worker’s Story
In late October 2013, workers at the Ineos twin plant at Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, suffered an epic defeat, which in terms of the sacking of site stewards, the scrapping of the pension scheme and the imposition of a three year pay freeze and strike ban, represented one of the worst assaults on one of the best […]
revolutionary reflections | Critical Theory in the Age of Trump Part 1: Organised Pessimism
The election of Trump has raised the stakes in terms of how the left should respond to the growing crises of economics, politics, ecology and geopolitics. Joe Sabatini explores the work of the Frankfurt School in this context. Photo courtesy of iamyouasheisme.wordpres.com Footnotes to this piece are included in the PDF. 20170330_Critical Theory Part 1 Methodological introduction […]
Free movement is a workers’ right – Unite must defend it
Lisa Leak argues that defending freedom of movement for migrant workers is the only way forward for British trade unions. On Monday (27 March) Unite members started to vote on who will be their next General Secretary – the centrist incumbent, Len McCluskey; the right-winger, Gerard Coyne; or the socialist, rank-and-file candidate, Ian Allinson. We are currently […]
Beauty and the Beast: why beauty industry workers should campaign for the Living Wage
Belle discusses the need for a campaign for the Living Wage in the beauty industry. In the spring budget speech Phil Hammond split his own party by announcing a rise in national insurance contributions (NICs) for the self-employed. Though he U-turned on the policy for middle and high-earning workers, the policy still threatens to impact […]
The wrong red line: why Unite needs a change on Trident
A Unite rep argues that Unite members should support Ian Allinson’s anti-Trident, pro-diversification candidacy for the post of General Secretary. On Monday (27 March) Unite members start to vote on who will be their next General Secretary – the centrist incumbent, Len McCluskey; the right-winger, Gerard Coyne; or the socialist, rank-and-file candidate, Ian Allinson. Over the next few […]
Obituary: Martin McGuinness
Pat Stack looks at the struggles which shaped Martin McGuinness and calls out the double-standards of the British Establishment’s response to his death. The death of Martin McGuinness has allowed two fairly standard, and on the face of it contrasting, narratives to emerge. The official one – as espoused with greater or lesser enthusiasm by the likes […]
Breaking with the bureaucrats: how to reclaim Unite
Joe Hayns writes about the need to end the bureaucratic stasis at the top of Unite and support dynamic grassroots struggles led by rank-and-file members. On Monday (27 March) Unite members start to vote on who will be their next General Secretary – the centrist incumbent, Len McCluskey; the right-winger, Gerard Coyne; or the socialist, rank-and-file candidate, […]
Robber baron Ineos takes over Forties fields
Brian Parkin comments on the extension of chemical giant Ineos’ control over the Scottish energy economy and calls for radical, democratic and green working class resistance.
#M18: Vienna protests against racism and attacks on the right to protest
Report and photos by Nick Evans. “Stop instrumentalising us. Muslim women are fed up with being told what to wear. We want freedom to wear what we want.” The #M18 demonstration in Vienna began with speeches by Muslim women, Afghan and Syrian refugees and socialists, condemning the recent ban on the full-face ban and attacks […]
revolutionary reflections | Perspectives on the crisis
Today the world is gripped with a sense of crisis to a degree that is as a great as in living memory. In this piece Sebastian Cooke provides a perspective on the nature of the crisis and how we should respond politically. A pdf of this piece can be accessed below: Perspectives on the crisis […]
Fascism and free speech: why I’m glad the LD50 gallery is being shut down
The Shut Down LD50 campaign announced today that the fascist art gallery is now closed. Adam DC responds to the Hackney Citizen, arguing that free speech is no reason not to shut it down.
Racist Scottish Defence League humbled in Alloa
Luke from Edinburgh UAF reports The Scottish Defence League came to Alloa yesterday as they thought they could take advantage of a 2000 signature petition claiming that the council was giving refugees priority for housing over disabled and homeless locals. Just 40 SDL were confronted with a loud and proud demonstration of 200 overwhelmingly local […]
Review: Ali Smith’s Autumn, the first Brexit novel
Kate Bradley argues that Ali Smith’s Autumn is precisely the kind of book about Brexit we don’t need in our changing political climate. Autumn is a novel about Brexit. It’s also a book about Pop Art and family and nostalgia. But it’s mostly about Brexit, and after reading Autumn, it’s pretty clear that Ali Smith […]
‘End investment in fossil fuels’ occupation at King’s College London
Students at Kings College are occupying part of the Strand Campus in order to pressure management to divest from fossil fuels
Interview: Women in the Revolution
Estelle Cooch interviews Katy Turton author of Forgotten Lives – the role of Lenin’s sisters in the Russian Revolution The role of women in the February Revolution is relatively well known about, but how involved were women in the events of October? As you would expect, women were participants in the October revolution, but they […]
Fidelity to February: The People’s revolution
In days where revolution can seem more remote than ever, Dan Swain explores the height of the February revolution and reflects on its relevance to revolutionary politics today In 1917 Russia was a vast empire covering much of modern day Poland in the west, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the south, and Kazakhstan and Siberia in […]
Those who got it wrong in Stoke don’t have the answers for the Labour party
Despite dire warnings about Labour’s prospects in the Stoke by-election, they succeeded in retaining the seat.
Why is Donald Trump the president of the United States?
Amy Gilligan and Dominic Jones crunch the numbers to understand what happened in November’s election in the United States To the surprise of most observers, Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election in the United States. It is clear that an important task at the present time is to oppose his policies and the political […]
8 Radical Actions across the UK and Ireland for International Women’s Day
A hundred years ago in Russia, huge numbers of women used International Working Women’s Day to strike for food and better conditions, and sparked a movement that would ultimately overthrow the tsar and completely reorder Russian society. This year, there are many events being organised in the spirit of 1917, calling for mass action from below […]
Video: Anti-Trump voices
Many people protesting and marching against Trump are doing so for the first time. Who are they? What are they saying? What motivates them? What do they want the revolt against Trump and May to look like? What should we all be doing? On the anti-Trump protest on 20 February, Colin Revolting and Tony Aldis […]
It’s up to us to change this Town called Malice: the politics of Paul Weller, The Jam and The Style Council
John Wheeler looks back at The Jam, who became arguably the most popular and political band to emerge from the punk explosion of 1977. “We’ll all be voting Conservative at the next election.” Fanzine interview, 1977 “Imagine, if tomorrow the workers went on strike. Not just British Leyland but the whole world. Who would earn […]
Fighting for the NHS, a moment for Corbynism
Rob Owen reflects on the largest demonstration for the NHS in recent memory.
Whose NHS? #ourNHS
Thousands of people are making their way to London to demonstrate for the NHS, to say no to cuts, closures and privatisation. This march brings together NHS users and workers who want to resist the government’s constant erosion of services, funds and morale within the NHS. This winter has been the hardest ever for the NHS. […]
Uneven and Combined Development: Modernity, Modernism, Revolution (5): China: Where All Roads Meet
In this last of five pieces on Uneven and Combined Development, Neil Davidson looks at its applicability for China today and concludes on how we think about revolutionary conjunctures in the 21st Century.
‘Solidarity Saturdays’ see hundreds continue to fight against fracking
Ewa Barker reports on the continuing fight against fracking in Lancashire.
Re-reading Reed: Ten Days that Shook the World
Lisa Leak considers John Reed’s classic book on the Russian revolution, Ten Days That Shook the World. The centennial of the October Revolution later this year will be a windfall for booksellers. Possibly no other event in history has been written on so extensively, or from such a vast variety of ideological perspectives: there’ll be […]
Uneven and Combined Development: Modernity, Modernism, Revolution (4): Continuities and Changes
In part 4 of his series on Uneven and Combined Development Neil Davidson looks at its relevance in the contemporary world.
Peckham Pride: ‘When one marginalised group becomes a target, it is a risk to all of us.’
Last Saturday saw the second year of Peckham Pride; marching through south London in a show of solidarity between the LGBT community and migrants. Ida-Sofie Picard, an organiser for Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants, writes on the politics of Pride, solidarity, and the importance of celebrating histories of resistance for struggle today. February the […]