Why socialists should oppose the single market
There has been much talk of a post-Brexit “transition period” , that prioritises the UK staying in the single market. Seb Cooke puts the view that this could both strengthen capital and weaken the left. The argument surrounding the so-called Brexit “divorce bill” may seem fairly inconsequential, but it does tell us something about the […]
The contradictions of Corbynism
Support to mainstream parties of the left must be made tactically alongside work to organise a mass revolutionary party.
An error of proximity: Labour’s repositioning misstep
Jonas Liston explores the shift of Corbyn’s Labour away from social-democratic policies in the wake of Brexit, here reproduced with permission from his own site.
Houston – a very capitalist disaster
The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey isn’t a “natural disaster”. The misery of millions of people is down to capitalism in general and Trump in particular.
Remembering Lewisham
Forty years ago, British fascism suffered a historic defeat, as several hundred members of the fascist National Front (NF) were successfully beaten back by thousands of socialists and local residents, despite a huge deployment of police in defence of the NF. The confrontation became known as the Battle of Lewisham. As racism and support for […]
Charlottesville is a call to action against fascism
We republish a post from the American Socialist Worker on this weekend’s deadly confrontations between the far right and anti-racists in Charlottesville, Virginia . On the spot reports are provided by Katherine Nolde, Richard Capron and Scott McLemee The far-right demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12–probably the largest public gathering of the racist “alt-right” ever–was […]
Growing the grassroots in Unite
In April 2017, Ian Allinson stood in the Unite General Secretary election as a grassroots candidate. Recently, warnings have been raised about the long-term decline in trade union membership. At the same time, trade unions continue to show their worth. For instance, the cleaners and support workers at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) […]
Things to read before you comment on the Gender Recognition Act
Following the announcement of reforms to the 2004 Gender Recognition Act, rs21 recommends reading to help socialists understand the key issues. This week, the government has announced reforms to the 2004 Gender Recognition Act to make legal processes for registering a change of gender less distressing. This has sparked debates across the media, including […]
The challenges facing Corbyn
The possibility of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister raises many questions about the challenges he would face both within the Labour Party, from the state machine and elsewhere.
Intolerants not welcome – The Battle of Lewisham 1977
13 August 2017 will be the 40th Anniversary of the “Battle of Lewisham” when thousands of local people and other anti-racists refused to allow the fascist National Front to intimidate them with a provocative march through the community. Lewisham poet Mark ‘Mr T’ Thompson has written this poem in remembrance and celebration of the historic event. […]
What chance of justice from an online court?
The government is developing plans to move many court hearings online. Dave Renton argues that that the proposals mean privatisation, job losses and exclusion from justice. While it is easy to think of Theresa May’s government as weak and incapable of changing people’s lives for the worse, major projects of privatisation are continuing, often with […]
“Buried alive by the National Coal Board”: the fiftieth anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster Tribunal
At 9:15am on Friday 21 October 1966, a colliery spoil tip collapsed, and slid down the mountainside onto the mining village of Aberfan in South Wales.
The passing of George A. Romero: king of political horror
Nick B looks back at the profoundly political zombie cinema of George A. Romero
We’re all off to Glasgow in the Green: in defence of the Green Brigade
Jamie Lewis comments on the two-match ban imposed on Celtic supporters the Green Brigade. I don’t think I have seen anything like the Celtic fans in all the stadiums I have played. – Xavi Parkhead, Celtic FC’s home ground, has a well-earned colloquial moniker: Paradise. The best players in international football regularly speak in awe […]
No caricatures: the new far right party in Brazil
Miguel Borba de Sá looks at the prospects for far right politics in Brazil. Miguel is an International Relations lecturer and radical socialist militant from the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) based in Rio de Janeiro. He is a member of the Institute for Alternative Policies for the Southern Cone and the Jubilee South Americas network. […]
Video: Redskins – A flame that can’t be dimmed
This ten minute film pays tribute to the revolutionary rock and soul band Redskins.
Being honest about Venezuela
Mike Gonzalez writes on the crisis in Venezuela and the implosion of the Bolivarian project. This article was first published by Jacobin Magazine. Venezuela descends deeper into a political and economic crisis every day. The death toll rises relentlessly, and the vicious street battles show no signs of abating. On June 27, looters trashed the city of Maracay; […]
Solidarity with Chicago Dyke March: it’s not antisemitic to oppose Israel
In the last few weeks, controversy has erupted about events on the Chicago Dyke March, held on 24 June. Colin Wilson argues that we should stand in solidarity with the march’s organisers. The Dyke March has taken place annually for over twenty years as an alternative to a Pride Parade as its founders believed was […]
Politicising Populism
As the neoliberal model of capitalism has been attacked from left and right, the notion of Populism has become increasingly the currency of mainstream political commentary. In this piece Cam Scott looks at what is driving this process, and whether we can draw on the ideas of populism as developed by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal […]
“Riots are the language of the unheard”: reflections on the protests after the death of Edir Frederico Da Costa
Rosa Soros reflects on the protest after the death of Edir Frederico Da Costa. What a farce! There was a state-sanctioned murder of another young black man in police custody (and, inevitably, another cover-up), yet it is the protest against this killing that is accused of turning “violent”. The very moment Edir Frederico Da Costa […]
How we can finish off this rotten government
Thousands of people will join a major national demonstration tomorrow, Saturday 1 July, raising the slogans Not One Day More, #toriesout and No More Austerity. Here we publish the text of rs21’s leaflet for the demo – we’ll have a report from the march during the weekend. The general election has turned British politics on […]
The real cost of the Tory-DUP deal
Seb Cooke comments on the deal struck between the Tory party and the Democratic Unionists. The UK government’s attitude to Northern Ireland, which is revealing itself as the Tory-DUP deal takes shape, should concern us all. On Tuesday of this week, Secretary of State Damien Green was asked whether he thinks the DUP deal – […]
Grenfell and the instrumentalisation of suffering
The traumatised Grenfell community is being treated as a security problem
What do we need to do to defend the NHS?
Pete Gillard assesses the limitations of Labour’s manifesto promises on health and argues that enthusiasm for the NHS can be used to build unions among health workers.
The DUP – Last Refuge for Desperate Tories
Connor Kelly exposes the Ulster Democratic Unionist Party. The DUP are the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland. Led by the thoroughly corrupt and devious Arlene Foster, they are a deeply sectarian party who, when not stirring up hatred against Catholics and republicans, vilify gays, women, Muslims, and the poor. The party maintains links with the […]
#GE2017: “The future is back”
There are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic going into election day
#GE2017: Amber Rudd and the Magic Money Tree
Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s now-infamous retort to Jeremy Corbyn during last Thursday’s televised debate, that “there is no magic money tree” to solve the food bank crisis, suggests a well-developed sense of fiscal probity. Quite the opposite. Here, in an article first published in Leeds rs21’s Northern Star in October 2016, we look at the path […]
#GE2017: Immigration, Labour and the left
Any concession to restricting immigration necessarily involves the notion that immigrants are a problem, and contributes to hostility and racism against all immigrants.
#GE2017: More police and prison officers won’t make us safer
Socialism requires a belief that building a world without punishment and incarceration is possible.
#GE2017: How radical are Labour’s economic policies?
The limitations of the manifesto are those we would expect to find facing any reformist government operating in the capitalist system today.