Red Portcullis: Straight questions as Corbyn challenges Cameron at PMQs
Red Portcullis reports from inside Westminster on Corbyn’s first Prime Ministers Questions as Labour leader I just managed to get squeezed in by one of the door staff (it really does pay to be friendly to staff and share a pint with them) to what was probably one of the most eagerly awaited, though probably […]
Teeside workers fight racism with solidarity
Brian Parkin reports For over a year construction workers on Teesside have been protesting about the rising numbers of migrant workers being employed at the former ICI Wilton site, where a new energy from waste plant is being built. But don’t despair. Unlike such previous disputes, this one is different. This time the protesters are […]
Letter from an agency worker
Agency work is exhausting, precarious and increasingly the norm but, as one former agency worker writes, recent campaigns around tips offer a glimmer of hope. As a history student I suppose I have a tendency to look at things from a historical perspective. It often used to occur to me on the way to work that […]
And so the radical vagina was most patriarchal of them all
Annie Teriba has had enough of a style of identity-politicking that delivers nothing for most women, but beats the war drum against Jeremy Corbyn, This summer, the trajectory of the Jeremy Corbyn surge has been mirrored by the most fascinating but also irritating brand of identity-politicking. After frequent reminders of Yvette Cooper’s radical vagina, comment pieces about how […]
A quarter of a million voices for change
Jeremy Corbyn has been elected by a quarter of a million people – but the Labour right is already on the attack, writes Colin Wilson. How do we defend Corbyn and seize this opportunity for the left? An era has ended, and I can actually remember how it began, or at least the moment when I […]
Thousands show solidarity with refugees at London demo
Steve Eason reports: Following the public response to news reports of refugee deaths in the Mediterranean and the recent publicity of the struggles of refugees camped at Calais, and ahead of Monday’s EU emergency meeting on the refugee crisis, on Saturday marches and rallies were held in solidarity with refugees across Europe. The two biggest marches […]
Indian workers resist Modi’s reforms
More than 150 million workers in India participated in a general strike on 2 September, in a nationwide day of protest called by 10 major unions to protest the anti-worker labour “reforms” of the right-wing BJP government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kavita Krishnan, a leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), reports on the […]
Turkey: Erdoğan’s Cynical New War Against the Kurds
Coordinated attacks took place on 8 September against the leftwing HDP in Turkey – attacks for which the stage has been set by the ruling AKP party. In an article written before 8 September and originally published by Marx21 in Germany, Erkin Erdoğan writes about the renewed escalation of the conflict between the Turkish state […]
The Syrian Revolution and the crisis of the anti-war movement
Suddenly, everyone is talking about Syria. Saturday’s demonstration will be in solidarity with all refugees, but a Syrian refugee is one of the key organisers. Campaigners from the Syria Solidarity Movement UK and Stop the War Coalition are among those involved in the planning, along with many other organisations. Everyone should welcome this commitment to […]
Support John Burgess in Unison’s General Secretary election!
Charlie Hore discusses why rs21 members in Unison are supporting John Burgess in the upcoming Unison General Secretary election and the battles that the union faces. This autumn Unison will hold an election for its General Secretary. This is the highest position in the union, and the only directly elected national official, so the […]
Refugee crisis: Merkel’s double game
The media has shown refugees being welcomed to Germany, and Cameron’s response has been so inadequate he’s made even Angela Merkel look good. But, as Mark Bergfeld writes from Germany, the government there has its own motivations – and the welcome of the last few days may quickly sour. The media here is full of photos, videos […]
Bel Druce 1940-2015
We republish Ian Birchall’s obituary for his very close friend, and rs21 member Bel Druce, who died at the end of August. It was originally published on Ian’s personal website Grim and Dim. My dear friend Bel Druce died in August 2015. I had known her only in the last five years of her life; […]
Civil Rights and the Trade Union Bill
Ian Allinson discusses the Tories attempts to attack our right to organise in the context of civil rights Since the election the Tories have moved swiftly to attack civil rights. The is the centrepiece of measures restricting the right to resist. Despite our inadequate response to the first five years of austerity, the government is […]
Cambridge rallies to refugee cause
Mitch Mitchell reports on a march and rally in support of refugees in Cambridge.
LET – THEM – IN!
Miriyam Aouragh salutes solidarity initiatives from below that counter the racist border policies of our rulers. “I’m happy to look after children, take them to kindergarten, school and wherever they need. I can cook for people and show them friendship and warmth. I can pay the airfare for one small family. I can contribute with […]
Corbyn and class: opportunities for socialists in the anti-austerity movement
The success of Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign for the Labour leadership has thrown up a series of questions over what might happen if he wins. Jen Wilkinson argues that Corbyn will need support and pressure from an independent movement, based in workplaces and communities, that stretches beyond the ranks of the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign […]
RISE: new socialist organisation builds on participation and activism of Scottish independence campaign
Up to seven hundred people attended the launch conference of RISE in Glasgow on Saturday 29 August. Supporters of International Socialism Scotland have been involved in the building for the launch of “Scotland’s Left Alliance”. IS Scotland comrades, including some who chaired conference sessions or spoke during the day, have compiled this report. The run […]
Official harassment won’t stop us, say Calais campaigners
Members of the Convoy to Calais were held for several hours yesterday after returning from France. But campaigner Mona D says convoy participants won’t be intimidated and will keep supporting refugees in desperate need in Calais. Mona’s statement reads as follows: Yesterday British border police threatened to refuse my “leave to enter” the United Kingdom. This happened after […]
Cops raid gay escort website: time to stop criminalising sex work
Colin Wilson condemns the US authorities’ raid this week on the New York-based website rentboy.com. On Tuesday, the New York Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security raided the offices of rentboy.com, taking away computers as evidence and arresting the site’s Chief Exec and six others on prostitution charges. The defendants face up to five years […]
RMT strike over services and safety
RMT members are striking to defend services after First Great Western have failed to guarantee that there will continue to be a guard and buffet on every train. Steve Eason reports from the picket line at Paddington station. Members of the RMT union – drivers, station staff and engineers on First Great Western – are […]
Bringing down the government, one song at a time…
Colin Revolting reviews a rally and fundraiser for Jeremy Corbyn at Union Chapel, Islington. Featuring Thee Faction, Owen Jones, Robb Johnson and the Socialist Magician. Credit for all photographs to Theo Michael. Queues and crowds have followed only one of the candidates competing for Labour leader. And despite tickets costing £15 for this fundraiser, the […]
As Middle East goes nuclear, climate change goes critical. Part 3: Imperialism and climate
In the final part of Brian Parkin’s article, he shows that imperialist wars, arrested development and impending climate catastrophe are all linked through industrial capitalism’s continuing dependence on oil. He argues we need to replace capitalism before it causes any more irreparable damage to our societies and our world. (See parts 1 and 2. See […]
As Middle East goes nuclear, climate change goes critical. Part 2: Saudi Arabia
Here we publish the second part of Brian Parkin’s article, where he looks at Saudi Arabia’s own nuclear ambitions, and an emerging reconfiguration of imperial alliances in the Middle East. (See part one here.) The regional nuclear domino effect: Saudi Arabia and ‘friends’. To a large extent eclipsed by Iran’s more controversial bid for nuclear […]
Left solidarity: supporting grassroots movements in Syria
Last weekend, Syrian activists and their supporters around the world held demonstrations to mark the second anniversary of the Sarin gas attack in Ghouta. Many Syrians feel that they have been at best ignored by much of the mainstream international left and anti-war movements, who often focus on geopolitics rather than the demands of the […]
As Middle East goes nuclear, global warming goes critical. Part 1: Iran
Over the next three days we will be publishing a major new article by Brian Parkin exploring the inextricable links between climate catastrophe, capitalist crisis and imperial competition. The three parts taken together form a single argument with serious ramifications for our approach to the international climate talks this autumn, and to the continuing bloody […]
Migrant workers’ victory in Korea
Sam MacDonald reports from Seoul on migrants’ successful struggle to win legal recognition for their trade union. Over the past 50 years, few countries have experienced such a dramatic economic rise as South Korea. A country once known for sweatshops and cheap manufactured goods now produces some of the world’s most advanced ships, cars and electronics. An […]
Discrimination in selection?
Professional statistician Nancy Carpenter and Unite activist Ian Allinson explain how to check for discrimination in situations like redundancy selection. It’s common for employers to select employees for various purposes, including recruitment, redundancy, appraisals, pay rises, bonuses and promotions. It’s common for people to say such actions should be subject to “equality impact assessments” to […]
Hey, hey, Theresa May, how many kids have you drowned today?
Campaigners are standing up to the Tories’ racism against immigrants and refugees. Sherrl Yanowitz and Neil Rogall report from the protest at Downing Street on 20 August. Yesterday our vile Home Secretary Theresa May was in Calais. When the refugees tried to go and join a demonstration in the city centre they were stopped by police. […]
Corbyn: big opportunities for the left as anti-austerity hits the mainstream
The importance of Jeremy Corbyn’s success can’t be overestimated, writes Pat Stack. It means we can argue for socialist politics in a way that’s not been possible for decades. A few weeks ago the political landscape looked pretty bleak. The Tories had a little earlier defied the polls and won an overall majority, and began embarking on […]