Brexit and beyond: interview with Gareth Dale
Gareth Dale was interviewed by the Romanian left-wing site CriticAtac about the what Brexit will now mean in Britain and more widely in Europe. Here we republish their interview. CriticAtac: So, Brexit has won. Nonetheless, it is not entirely clear what this entails and, indeed, if anything really major has happened so far. What are the […]
Austria: The rise of respectable fascism?
Joe Sabatini reflects on the social, demographic and ideological issues behind the Austrian Presidential Election, and considers strategies to oppose the far right. On 22 May the Austrian electorate came within a percentage point of electing Europe’s first fascist head of state since the 1930s. On 1 July, the results of the second round of […]
After the Brexit vote we have to expect the unexpected
Mike Haynes reflects on the results of last week’s EU referendum Do you have a clue where we are going and what position to take? Did you see it coming? The imploding Labour Party? This is the world of the unknown unknowns. The Brexit vote has ripped up their rule book. It is having the […]
12 thoughts on racism and anti-racism after the referendum
The racism evident on both sides of the recent EU referendum campaigns, as well as the huge rise in racist attacks following the result, shows the need for a strong, united, radical and popular anti-racism. Jonas Liston offers 12 thoughts on where we are post-referendum and how to build the movement we need.
Sherrl Yanowitz: 1942 – 2016
Jonny Jones looks back on the life of a tireless fighter against injustice and for a better world. Sherrl’s funeral will take place tomorrow, 1 July, at 2pm, Mortlake Crematorium, Richmond TW9 4EN Sherrl Yanowitz, who has died aged 74, was a lifelong revolutionary socialist and anti-racist fighter. Sherrl was born Shirley Grosse – she hated the name […]
Post #Brexit vote: taking on the challenge of ‘acceptable racism’
Kat Burdon-Manley analyses reasons behind the vote in last week’s EU referendum and discusses where now Racism in Britain has been on the rise since the start of the recession. We have witnessed the increasing popularity of UKIP, the shift to the right and acceptance of racism by the Labour Party and the structural racism […]
After Brexit: Keeping our heads when all around are losing theirs
By Rob Owen June 24th was a dark morning. Colleagues at school arrived shell shocked at a result no one expected. Friend after friend asked in worried tones what the result would mean. Meshed with disbelief were two common fears: that Britain had crashed into economic chaos and that a previously hidden, racist and narrow […]
With Corbyn, but beyond Parliament
Andrew Stone argues that movement around Corbyn has created great potential for socialists to organise and debate about how fundamental change can be realised. The co-ordinated post-Referendum resignations from the Shadow Cabinet to unseat Jeremy Corbyn will have come as a surprise to few. Indeed, they closely follow the plan leaked to the Daily Telegraph […]
Five reasons why everyone should get behind Jeremy Corbyn right now!
Seb Cooke lays out the importance of the battle to keep Corbyn as Leader of the Labour Party. 1. Anti-Racism. Jeremy Corbyn is leader of the Labour opposition in the UK Parliament. What he says makes news and has a big impact on the left and to a lesser extent society in general. It matters […]
Samworth Brothers workers protest sacking of union activist
Mike Thompson reports Around 100 local trade unionists attended a protest at Samworth Brothers in Melton Mowbray on Sunday 26 June. The protest was called by the bakers union BFAWU over the dismissal of union activist Kumaran Bose by the Tory funding Samworth Brothers. After the government introduction of the ‘living wage’ Samworth Brothers sought […]
Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach
Albert Deck seeks inspiration from the new documentary about socialist filmmaker Ken Loach. Sometimes I find that I like the idea of Loach’s films more than I do the experience of watching them. Ladybird Ladybird, and Family Life being examples of this raw film-watching experience. There are no easy answers, no redemption for the characters […]
BMA votes against charges for migrants
On the day of the EU Referendum, doctors voted against borders. Report by Nick Evans The British Medical Association voted to denounce charges for migrants trying to access NHS services on Thursday. Delegates at the Annual Representatives Meeting voted on a motion, initially brought by medical students, to run training workshops, commission a report and […]
Over 1000 protest in London to show solidarity with migrants and refugees
Duncan Thomas reports On 23 June, Britain voted to leave the EU. The next day, we took the first steps in meeting the challenges ahead. Estimates vary, but between 1200 and 1500 people came out in solidarity with refugees and migrants, marching from Altab Ali Park in East London to Murdoch’s New Corp HQ. The […]
Demonstrate in London TODAY against racism and in solidarity with migrants
The EU referendum has unleashed a torrent of racism. Migration has been attacked and scapegoated by both campaigns – with Leave stoking up bigotry against immigrants and Remain responding by capitulating and echoing that bigotry. This tone of anti-immigrant politics has not been set by the far right. It comes from the mainstream parties […]
Why socialists should support a British exit
Building on arguments made in previous articles, Neil Davidson lays out why he believes socialists should vote to leave the EU.
French and British police block Calais Convoy
John Walker reports on the Convoy to Calais on Saturday, which say French and British police block activists from travelling to France to deliver aid On Saturday, several hundred of us confronted the police at the Dover ferry terminal then went to picket the French embassy in London, because the British and French authorities, acting […]
Join the demo on 24 June
Demonstrate against racism, for migrant rights, against fascist violence – on the day after the EU referendum.
‘Movin’ on up?’ – extended review of Richard Seymour’s ‘Corbyn: the Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics’
Jonas Liston reviews Richard Seymour’s latest book, Corbyn: the Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics, and gives his own thoughts on the movement around the Labour leader, the history of his party, and the future of the left. The book is available directly from Verso’s website for £9.09.
The details of Sherrl Yanowitz’s funeral
Sherrl Yanowitz (13.01.1942 – 02.06.2016) was a fighter for justice and equality from a young age and a revolutionary socialist for virtually all her adult life. Her earliest struggles were in the Black Freedom Struggle and as an activist in the Free Speech Movement at the University of California. Her final battles took place as a member of London Palestine […]
From farce to tragedy: thoughts on Jo Cox, the referendum and the rise of racism
Duncan Thomas on Jo Cox’s murder, the rise of racism in mainstream political discourse, and the need to build a strong anti-racist movement after the referendum – whatever the result. Together with other groups and activists, rs21 are support marches of solidarity with migrants and refugees on Monday 20 and Friday 24 June. Join us if […]
In or Out, we must show solidarity with migrants and refugees. March with us on 20 June.
The EU referendum has dominated political debate, and the left is divided on which way – if at all – to vote. Yet it seems clear that, whatever the outcome, attacks on migrants and refugees will intensify; whatever the outcome, we need to unite and mobilise against these. We start on World Refugee Day on […]
Orlando vigil: We will not live in fear
Colin Wilson reports from central London. Thousands of people crammed the whole length of Old Compton Street on Monday evening to send the message “London stands with Orlando”. The huge crowd included Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor. Gay and lesbian couples stood side by side with tourists. Several young women wearing hijabs took part. […]
Don’t turn homophobia into Islamophobia
rs21 members feel both deep sorrow and anger at the murder of 50 people at an LGBT club in Orlando. We send our love and solidarity to everyone affected. Here we reproduce the response of Nicole Colson, writing in American Socialist Worker. Vigils are planned around Britain this evening: we hope to have a report […]
Migrant workers: legislating for precarity
Mikhil Karnik, an immigration lawyer in Manchester, explains how changes in immigration law are driving migrant workers towards greater precarity One measure of the distinction made between EU nationals and other immigrants is the disproportionate use of detention in Britain. Despite making up less than half the migrant population, non-EU migrants constitute about 90% of those […]
Part of the Union? – What should socialists argue in the EU referendum?
Can socialists take a principled position in relation to the EU referendum on 23 June, or should we wish ‘a plague on both your houses’? Charlie Hore puts the case for a ‘remain’ vote, Christina Delistathi to ‘leave’ and Rob Owen for a ‘radical abstention’ Campaign to remain There’s no dispute that the EU is a […]
Trans politics today: an interview with Roz Kaveney
Back in 2014, Time magazine ran a front cover featuring actress and trans activist Laverne Cox with the headline ‘The transgender tipping point’. In the past five years the number of trans figures in the public sphere has grown, whilst at the same time the murder rate of trans women, predominantly women of colour, hit […]
The democratic wager: why the Left must support the Syrian Revolution
Nick Evans Reviews Jules Alford and Andy Wilson (eds.) Khiyana. Daesh, the Left and the Unmaking of the Syrian Revolution. Essays by Muhhamad Idrees Ahmad, Javaad Alipoor, Leila Al-Shami, Mark Boothroyd, Joseph Daher and Shiar Neyo, Sam Charles Hamad, Bodour Hassan, Michael Karadjis, Louis Proyect, Eyal Zisser. London: Unkant, 2016. 278 pp. £9.99. The title of this book means “betrayal”: […]
The Rise of Donald Trump, ‘Anti-Politics’ and the Left
Bill Crane argues that while Trump is a clear threat, this must be understood within the history of American politics. Donald Trump’s race for President of the United States has shocked the mainstream political establishment. Trump, a billionaire real estate mogul most famous as a TV star with his successful long-running reality series The Apprentice, […]
US elections: “This is going to go down as a pivotal election American history”
With only days to go before the penultimate primary elections in the US, Amy Gilligan spoke to California based journalist, writer and activist Adam Hudson How do you think that Sanders will do this week in the California primary? Sanders has a decent shot of winning California, but it’s still up in the air. His […]