Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century
 
Revolutionary
Socialism in the
21st Century

Anindya Bhattacharyya

Video | End the siege of Gaza: building solidarity with Palestine

Anindya Bhattacharyya discusses the shifting landscape of Palestinian solidarity campaigning during the siege of Gaza.

Hope amid the horror: Palestinian resistance after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

Anindya Bhattacharyya analyses Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and its repercussions for resistance to occupation and imperialism.

Palestine solidarity, the anti-BDS bill and the security state

Legal attacks on Palestine solidarity are part of a wider clampdown on protests and strikes.

Protest in London on 6 March 2022. Placard reads 'Putin is murder, liar, gangster.' Ukraine flag in background. Photo by Steve Eason.

How the West made Putin

Anindya Bhattacharyya charts a recent history of links between Putin and key figures in the Western ruling class.

Palestine: never give up the struggle

What is happening to the Palestinians right now is not new, not some anomaly, not some break with the past.

It was Corbyn who brought down May

Anindya Bhattacharya reminds us where it all started to go wrong for Theresa May…

#GE2017: “The future is back”

There are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic going into election day

Racism renewed

Anindya Bhattacharyya traces the roots of the current anti-migrant racism back to the contradiction at the heart of New Labour’s immigration policy. Here he argues that changed circumstances necessitate a radical popular movement against racism. Everyone Who Is Here Is From Here, a one-day organising forum against racism and for migrant justice is taking place this Saturday (5 […]

A grudging vote for Labour in the London mayor elections

Anindya Bhattacharyya explains why to humiliate Zac Goldsmith in tomorrow’s London mayoral election, a grudging vote for Sadiq Khan is needed. There are elections across Britain tomorrow – for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, various councils in England, among others. London will be voting for its mayor – with Labour candidate Sadiq Khan the favourite […]

Protesters march against deportations

How will EU debate impact migrant solidarity?

A talk given by Anindya Bhattacharyya at the recent London2Calais summit about how the migrant solidarity movement can respond to the debates around migrants in the context of the referendum on Britain’s EU membership. I want to talk in general terms about the political situation in Britain, and the way that debates around migrants are […]

Nazis smash and draw swastika in blood on anti-fascist coaches on way to Dover demo

Report via Anindya Bhattacharyya Around 200 anti-fascists from London, who were en-route to protest against fascists in Dover, are currently held at Maidstone service station after a coachload of Nazi’s smashed up one of the anti-fascist coaches. While stopped at the services, fascists wearing Combat 18 and Enoch Powell t-shirts ran at the anti-fascist demonstrators […]

Boris wants to team up with Assad and Putin to rain more bombs down on Syria

Ministers in the UK, France and Spain are now calling for the West to work with Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Anindya Bhattacharyya takes on Boris Johnson’s arguments Today’s Telegraph contains a thousand words from Boris Johnson about why Britain should ally with Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin over Syria. Wade through his gollygosh prose if […]

Radicalising the rank and file

The following comments are extracted from a very lengthy and detailed discussion which rs21 members Anindya Bhattacharyya and a Unite rep recently conducted with the US Marxist labour historian Kim Moody.  A former member of Students for a Democratic Society and the US International Socialists, Moody served on the editorial board of the journal he […]

Dylan Roof

After Dylann Roof: What is fascism?

After Dylann Roof’s racist massacre in Charleston, we republish an article by Anindya Bhattacharyya written in response to Anders Behring Breivik’s massacre on 22 July 2011. The following article was originally a contribution to the ebook On Utøya edited by Elizabeth Humphrys, Guy Rundle and Tad Tietze. The reporting of Anders Behring Breivik’s massacre on […]

Troubles mount for beleaguered Tories

Anindya Bhattacharyya looks at the weaknesses on the right of British parliamentary politics. This article first appeared in Issue 3 of rs21 magazine. The big picture here is of a slow burning crisis in the British ruling class, which impacts on both the state as the instrument of its rule and the Conservative party as […]

An anti-racist demo

Trevor Phillips and the ideological battle over racism

Anindya Bhattacharyya discusses anti-racist responses to Trevor Phillips. “Trevor Phillips needs to shut up right about now,” read the Facebook update of a friend of mine on Thursday night. The former head of the Commission for Racial Equality was presenting a heavily trailed programme on Channel 4 that purported to state certain “truths” about race […]

“I’m going to kill a cow.”

by Anindya Bhattacharyya “I’m going to kill a cow,” he declared, scrutinising my face. I stared back blankly. There was a short awkward silence. “So are you offended by that? I bet you’re really offended by that.” He would then proceed to explain why I ought to be offended by him killing a cow – but […]

Clapton pier

Why Labour should be worried about Clacton

Anindya Bhattacharyya analyses UKIP’s success in Thursday’s two by-elections. One of the peculiarities of mainstream political chatter is its tendency to seize on the unexpected and discount long-term predictable trends. The response to Thursday’s by-elections is a case in point: UKIP’s Douglas Carswell was expected to win in Clacton, so no surprises there, but the Heywood […]

Who killed Blair Peach? Call for new inquest into antifascist protester’s death

Defend the Right to Protest and the NUT teachers’ union have teamed up to launch a pamphlet about Blair Peach, the antifascist protester killed by police in 1979. Anindya Bhattacharyya reviews it in the latest issue of rs21 magazine. One of my earliest memories of TV news was watching footage of Anti Nazi League protesters demonstrating […]

Vote Yes graffitti

Trouble in Toryland as the referendum gets rocky

The possibility of Scottish independence has got our rulers in a tizzy, writes Anindya Bhattacharyya. What a weird week it’s been. Monday night saw YouGov’s announcement that its latest Scottish referendum poll had the Yes camp on 51%. This sparked jubilation among independence campaigners. But the reaction of political establishment south of the border was little short […]

The end of Nazi Nick Griffin

Anindya Bhattacharyya looks back at the years of campaigning that led to Griffin’s downfall. So it’s good riddance to Nazi Nick. He was declared bankrupt in January and kicked out of his Euro seat in May. Now Nick Griffin has been booted out as leader by what’s left of the fascist British National Party. Griffin’s replacement is Adam Walker, a former teacher with a record of violence, bigotry and […]

A sunny success for the People’s Assembly

Anindya Bhattacharyya writes: Saturday’s march through central London was a test for the People’s Assembly Against Austerity’s – the first time it had organised a national march primarily through its own resources, rather than putting a call out for a march that brought bigger forces (the TUC, the big unions) behind it. It passed that test smoothly […]

Euro elections: consolidation on left and right

Anindya Bhattacharyya follows up his predictions for the Euro elections with analysis of the results. He argues that the problem isn’t necessarily UKIP, but the space that UKIP occupies, and that space needs to be shut down. The Western Isles refuses to count ballots on a Sunday, and Tower Hamlets ended up taking an extra […]

rs21 guide to the European elections: predictions and recommended votes

Anindya Bhattacharyya crunches the figures and predicts polarisation, with a right wing consolidation around UKIP and a left wing tussle between Labour and the Greens I’m going to stick my neck out and give my predictions and recommendations for the European elections in Britain on Thursday. First the headline news: Yes, UKIP is riding high, […]

The politics of depression: Mark Fisher on mental health and class confidence

Anindya Bhattacharyya spoke to Mark Fisher about the politics of mental health, magical voluntarism and the ideology of neoliberalism.

UKIP and the deadly truth about construction jobs and safety

by Anindya Bhattacharyya and Brian Parkin “EU policy at work. British workers are hit by unlimited cheap labour. Take back control of our country. Vote UKIP 22 May.” A picture of a white, presumably British, construction worker begging for small change. But the real picture in construction is pretty much the opposite of this UKIP election […]

Jubilation as crown case collapses and Antifascist 5 walk free from court

Prosecution grovels as key witness fails to show. Judge refuses to adjourn to September; crown folds. Humiliation for state tactics aimed at repressing protest.

Ukraine: four points in response to Chris Nineham

Acknowledging Russia’s imperialism has consequences for our understanding of national liberation movements.

An anti-racist demo

London #m22 demo: Sunshine and strong turnout from newly organised migrant communities

The anti-racist movement has a lot of work to do if it is to get fit for purpose. We all have to play a part in that.

Racism: old, new and neoliberal

Anindya Bhattacharyya reflects on the changing nature of racism under neoliberal austerity, and its lessons for activists today, UN anti-racism day, 22 March 2014.