Kes: a tale for our times. Remembering Barry Hines.
Barry Hines, the author of such books as A Kestrel for a Knave, which became the film Kes, has died aged 76. Colin Revolting offers an appreciation of his seminal work.
M19 -Thousands march against racism
21 March 2016 marks the fiftieth International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Saturday before (19 March) was the date for a national demonstration entitled ‘Refugees Welcome; Stand up to racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism and fascism’, called by Stand Up To Racism. – Ashmeet T reports The demonstration assembled at Portland Place where the […]
Six reasons why academisation of our schools should be opposed
George Osborne has announced that all schools are to become academies. The teachers at John Roan School in London are already campaigning to save their comprehensive school from academisation and here explain why. 1. Academies don’t have to follow the national curriculum – the pressures to achieve in English and Maths GCSEs narrows the educational […]
All in this together: IDS drops the Tories in the shit
The resignation of Iain Duncan Smith exposes the deep divisions within the Tories. Now, writes Duncan Thomas, we need to bring them down.
The First Workers’ Government
145 years ago today a disastrous war among European capitalists produced the first workers’ government in Paris. James B introduces Marx’s analysis on the Commune. Today marks the 145th anniversary of the foundation of the Paris Commune. In 1870 Emperor Napoleon III led France into a disastrous war with Prussia. Paris, defended by the citizens’ militia of […]
On cultural appropriation, from American Spirit to Palmyra
While symbols and their deployment undoubtedly structure our experience, Charlie Jarsve argues that power relations have a materiality that an uncritical understanding of ‘cultural appropriation’ can obscure. I still remember the first time I came across American Spirit tobacco. I was in Berlin roughly two years ago and I saw a Swiss friend rolling a cigarette. Even […]
Turkey’s endless war
Phil Buyum Jackson discusses the latest bombing in Ankara, Turkey’s endless war against the Kurds, and the hypocrisy of the EU’s refugee deal.
Kill the Housing Bill: 13 March National Protest
Emily M explains the implications of the Housing and Planning Bill and reports from a London demonstration against it. Follow Emily on twitter: @millyrosered On Sunday 13th March, thousands of activists met at Lincoln’s Inn Fields to demonstrate their opposition to the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill. The changes to the Housing and Planning Bill will include […]
James Connolly: ‘Socialism and Irish Nationalism’
Connolly’s 1897 article from an issue of L’Irlande Libre addresses socialism versus the chauvinist conception of Irish nationalism. Marking the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, we are republishing this from the Marxist Internet Archive. It was transcribed by the James Connolly Society in 1997. The public life of Ireland has been generally so much identified with the struggle for political […]
Save the Lukács Archive
The Hungarian government is threatening to close the Georg Lukács Archive. Anyone with an interest in the role that intellectuals have played in left-wing politics should be appalled at such a possibility, write Joe Sabatini. Sign the petition to keep it open here.
What we should learn from Clinton’s lies
Colin Wilson puts Hillary Clinton’s comments on Nancy Reagan and AIDS into a personal and historical context.
John Roan Resists: Kick-starting a community campaign
Fighting against the academisation of a London school, by Colin Revolting with Juliana J. Recipe for a community campaign: Ingredients: a small group of parents and teachers passionate about comprehensive education. Mix them together in a pub or similar receptacle. Whisk up ways to spread the word of ‘academisation’ of their school – i.e. word […]
TV Review: Happy Valley
Violence against women is central to this popular quality crime series says Seb Cooke. Happy Valley burst onto the scene a couple of years ago. At the time, British crime drama was caught napping, largely unaware of what was going on in other parts of the world. Without the series, the genre would probably be […]
‘Shut down Yarlswood’: momentum grows at large demo
On Saturday 12 March, Movement for Justice by Any Means Necessary organised a demonstration calling for the closure of Yarlswood detention centre. Duncan Thomas reports.
Stuart Hall on Gramsci – does it help us to understand the current period?
Mark Winter looks back at Stuart Hall’s article Gramsci and Us, first published in 1988, and finds a piece that we can usefully use to understand the current period First things first: Stuart Hall is a tremendous writer. Second: he wrote this prescient, intelligent and polished piece in 1988, but was not heard at the […]
Climate crisis, jobs crisis, crisis of democracy
Pete Cannell and Brian Parkin discuss how the oil price crisis is leading to tens of thousands of jobs losses in Scotland, and what we could do about it.
Why are the Tories divided over Europe?
David Renton argues that the argument within the Tory party lies in Thatcherite politics, despite changes to the EU over the last 30 years. The way I see it, Europe is the unfinished business of the 1980s. By 1990, there was an emerging Thatcherite critique of the EU. The EU was led by a social democrat […]
Syria: #TheRevolutionContinues
On the fifth anniversary of the Syrian revolution, Mark Boothroyd discusses the how people have recently returned to the streets, once again voicing their commitment to overthrowing the regime Protest in Kafranbel, Idlib With the lull in the fighting brought on by the ceasefire, Syria’s popular revolution has returned to the streets. Demonstrators have […]
Rumble in the “Jungle”
Mitch Mitchell reports on the French state’s destruction in the Calais refugee camp on February 29.
EU debate: 38 points on Brexit and the Left
Ian Allinson examines what points the radical left can agree on, and what points remain contentious, concluding that we should not lose sight of the fact that our united campaigning for migrant solidarity, for genuine democracy, against austerity, and against neoliberalism puts in opposition to the establishment in both referendum camps. Now the EU referendum campaign […]
Dancing on the picket lines – Junior Doctors’ strike continues to a second day
The 48-hour junior doctors’ strike, in defence of their working conditions, patient safety and NHS is continuing for the second day. Our reports from the picket lines yesterday can be found here. At King’s College Hospital in south London junior doctors were dancing on the picket lines outside of the hospital: [wpvideo 47kpkIJO] (Video: Fraser […]
Government tries to overturn teachers’ 86% strike vote
Andrew Stone reports Nicky Morgan has followed through on her threat to mount a legal challenge against Tuesday’s planned strike by NUT 6th form members, on the nonsensical grounds that we can’t oppose funding cuts because they don’t affect our terms and conditions. We won’t know the result of the challenge until Monday afternoon – […]
Junior doctors strike for the third time – reports from picket lines
Junior doctors began a 48-hour walkout at 8am this morning (Wednesday) to oppose the new contract that Jeremy Hunt says he will impose upon them. Doctors argue that this contract is bad for healthcare workers, bad for patients and part of a plan to dismantle and privatise the NHS. Check back throughout the day for […]
On consent
Siân Ruddick, an independent sexual violence advocate, unpicks how revolutionaries should understand the politics of consent. In this article perpetrators are referred to as male and survivors as female. This is most common, but in no way seeks to deny that women can be perpetrators of sexual violence, that men can be survivors, or deny […]
Social reproduction: from theory to practice
Sara Bennett discusses the relevance today of Lise Vogel’s understanding of women’s oppression and the dynamics of capitalism Lise Vogel’s 1983 book Marxism and the Oppression of Women is an attempt to bring women’s oppression into the realm of Marxist political economy. She theorises the role of women in the reproduction of labour power, and […]
‘Angry White People’, a review
David Renton reviews Hsiao-Hung Pai’s Angry White People: coming face-to-face with the British far right. He finds an ‘exemplary account’ of the rise of the English Defence League and bemoans the left’s failure to contest the same terrain.
rs21 podcast, episode 1: refugees and the rise of the far right
Episode 1 of the rs21 podcast is finally here! Duncan Thomas introduces the show. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/250534323″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Review: Making a Murderer – the stain of blood marks the white exterior.
Seb Cooke reviews the popular Netflix series, which raises questions that are uncomfortable for those in power and a call to arms for those who are not.
A review of Steve Silberman’s ‘Neurotribes’
Roderick C reviews Steve Silberman’s Neurotribes: the Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently, finding a work rich in historical insight, but unfortunately lacking in political understanding.
EU debate: A socialist case for leaving the EU
Neil Davidson, in a piece originally published on Bella Caledonia, makes the case from a Scottish perspective about why socialists should support leaving the EU.