Berlin Rent Cap overturned, but housing movement has bigger plans
The Rent Cap in Berlin has been overturned by the Federal Constitutional Court. But the policy was created by centre left politicians to undermine a renter led movement to expropriate the cities’ largest landlords. How did this policy come to be? What did it attempt to do? And what does it’s defeat mean for renters and radical housing struggle in Berlin?
Turning a profit from death: Modi’s pandemic response in neoliberal India
The recent upsurge of Covid across India has laid bare the Indian state’s utter failure to protect its population.
Colombia: ‘the hegemony of the right is cracking up’
The mass movement has forced the withdrawal of President Iván Duque’s tax reform proposal and has shed light on a much broader situation of discontent.
Ongoing Manchester bus strike defeats fire and rehire
The longest bus strike in British history is poised to win after a campaign involving an indefinite strike, community solidarity and a leverage strategy.
‘It is always the tyrant that should be brought to trial’: repression and resistance in Hong Kong
Charlie Hore considers the onslaught of attacks on democracy in Hong Kong, and reflects on what the Kill the Bill movement can learn from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy resistance.
The Police Bill, lockdown and the right to protest
Barrister David Renton explores why the government is so determined to suppress protest, the Police Bill, and the impact of the Covid Regulations on protest rights.
What’s behind the riots in the North of Ireland?
The riots in the North of Ireland must be understood in the context of continued sectarian division and state repression.
#KillTheBill – where it came from, where it’s going
Th Police Bill is an assault on us all and an attack on us all must be met by resistance from us all. Unity and solidarity must be the clarion call of this movement.
Justice over profit – organising in the legal sector
The law is often seen as a privileged arena, but the industry has staggering wage inequality. Two founding members of Legal Sector Workers United explain their strategy.
Interview | Sanctions and ‘shock doctrine’ in Venezuela
In Venezuela, US sanctions are worsening a parlous economic situation and exacerbating a social crisis. What’s the way forward?
Govanhill: ghettoisation and exploitation in modern Glasgow
Slum housing, hyper-exploitation and racist demagoguery are alive and kicking in the Scotland of 2021 – along with the basis for internationalist solidarity and resistance.
A criminal record: 10 times Bristol police abused local people
Bristol’s police force – presented by the media as the victims of a ‘mob’ – are among the most violent, racist and abusive parts of Britain’s police state.
In defence of the mob
After protesters in Bristol dared to fight back police violence, respectable opinion is rushing to condemn ‘rioters’. But is it really true that riots ‘don’t achieve anything’?
Indefinite bus strike in Manchester against #FireAndRehire
Around 400 Unite members at a bus garage in north Manchester have been on indefinite strike since 28 February against fire and rehire. Ian Allinson explains what is going on and the strike’s wider significance.
We can’t rely on the police to protect women
In the aftermath of Sarah Everard’s murder, politicians immediately called for heavier policing. But more police will not end violence against women.
The Tories are robbing our pensions by stealth
The Tories have sneaked through an obscure change to the Retail Price Index (RPI) that means big reductions in many pensions and downward pressure on pay. Unite activist Ian Allinson explains.
Tactics of resistance: what’s the point of pickets?
In part two of a series looking at differing tactics for winning battles in the workplace, Derek Fraser looks at picketing, and how it can be used successfully in the current context.
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists revisited
Construction workers have been among the hardest-hit by Covid-19, with profit-hungry bosses keeping sites open throughout the pandemic.
Are the Tories really reversing NHS privatisation?
The Tories’ new proposed health reforms grab more power for ministers – but that doesn’t mean an end to health privatisation.
India: mass movement of farmers fights corporate power-grab
Two million farmers are camped outside New Delhi, facing down the far-right government’s bid to grab further land for big agribusiness.
Scotland, the left and independence
If the British state breaks up, will Scottish independence be a serious progressive change, or just a neoliberal reshuffle?
Hong Kong’s mass arrests are an assault on grassroots advocacy
In Hong Kong, a further crackdown targets labour organisers and migrant rights activists alongside the traditional pro-democracy camp.
Next steps in the fight for safe schools
The government’s retreat on school closures won’t last forever. Education workers need to go on the offensive.
‘As cold as charity’: repression and the ‘speculator state’
The government’s right-wing reform of public services continues apace – and NGOs and charities are being used as cover.
The Great British wildlife wipe-out
Wildlife habitat and green spaces are essential in allowing us to lead fulfilling lives, but both are under threat from constant profit-led development.
Big Pharma: saints or sinners?
Free-market ideologues claim that ‘Big Pharma’ has saved the day with its Covid vaccines. But pharma companies don’t drive innovation – they simply hoard its benefits.
Behind the spin: how effective are the vaccines?
Looking at the science behind the Covid vaccines provides real grounds for optimism – but we can’t pin all our hopes on a single silver bullet.
Why schools must prepare to run remotely until half term
The government’s mass testing plan will not make schools Covid-secure. Schools cannot fully reopen safely until case numbers have been brought down.
A psychologist’s view: Tory blame games hurt our mental health
The government’s blame games and their failed Covid strategy have helped to turn the pandemic into a full-blown mental health crisis.
Bolsonaro stumbles in Brazilian mid-term elections
A year of community organising against the pandemic propelled Brazilian socialist activists to several major breakthroughs in last month’s elections.