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.
The Trumpian afterlife
The incoming Biden administration may repeal a few of Trump’s ugliest policies, but the revitalised far right is not going away.
Unemployment and class power: the example of Portugal
Worker organising in Britain will have to change to take account of rising mass unemployment. We can learn from how workers in Southern Europe faced the wave of austerity after the last economic crisis.
The antisemitism of Sir Keir Starmer
The Labour leadership treats British Jews as pawns in its factional war against the left. Meanwhile, its so-called ‘Zero Tolerance’ approach contributes nothing to any serious attempt to tackle antisemitism.
The exception as the rule: Toronto’s social reproduction organising
In Toronto, community organisers are battling Covid in the shadow of colonial racial capitalism.
Tactics of resistance: occupations and sit-ins
In part one of a series looking at differing tactics for winning battles in the workplace, Bob Carter explains workplace occupations and how to make them successful.
Assessing the 2020 US elections
Aaron Amaral and Phil Gasper offer analysis and perspectives coming out of the 2020 U.S. elections. This piece was originally published by Tempest Magazine.
‘When you have a hammer’: state repression and the pandemic
Facing a fraying of its ideological hegemony, the government increasingly relies on state repression. But this intensified violence could yet backfire.
The power of tenants’ organising
There is a renewed surge of tenants’ organising, but opinions are split on the best way to build power. What kind of organisation can hit back against landlords?
Why is the Chinese state repressing the Uyghurs in Xinjiang?
The repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang by the Chinese state brings together a long history of national oppression, and a new ambition of capitalist expansion.