The easiest rig to stop is the first one
The protectors in Kirby Misperton know they are on the frontline. They are determined to stop the frackers, using direct action if necessary.
Anti-Trump protests “will enrage and frighten our thin-skinned new president”
Sarah Grey, a writer and activist based in Philadelphia, writes on Trump’s inauguration and the protests that have followed As Donald Trump prepared to take the oath of office, the crowd on Washington’s Mall was unusually thin. Protestors sat down at one entrance to the ticketed seating area, blocking Trump supporters’ path. As dignitaries and former […]
Stressed out: Twenty One Pilots and teenage lives today
Teenager Tazmin Aldis looks at the important issues behind Twenty One Pilots’ songs which have been watched a billion of times on Youtube. Twenty One Pilots are the latest young American male duo to burst onto the music scene. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are perhaps unlikely suspects on today’s music charts which are typically flooded with the […]
Apocalypse postponed: the oil price crash two years on
The world of hydrocarbons is still driven by the same speculative greed and climate crisis disregard as ever.
One year, one minute, four photographers
Protest photographs from 2016 actions by Steve Eason, Jim Aindow, John Geoffrey Walker and Sherrl Yanowitz
Support the Syrian people – not the USA or Russia
No imperialist power can improve the situation in Syria – only the Syrian revolution itself can secure lasting peace
Obituary: Alan Rae (1950-2016)
Neil Davidson remembers Alan Rae (5 July 1950-12 November 2016) in this obituary in the form of a memoir recalling Alan’s entire life – and not only his time as a political activist, for Alan had an extremely broad ‘hinterland’.
Interview: on the resistible rise of Norbert Hofer
Today (4 December), Austrians go to the polls again to elect their president. Earlier this year, the candidate of the far-right Freedom Party, Norbert Hofer, was narrowly defeated by the former Green candidate Alexander Van der Bellen. However, the Freedom Party successfully challenged the vote in the courts, and there is now a re-run. The […]
Richmond by-election: a “progressive” alliance isn’t an effective tactic against the populist right
The result of the Richmond by-election is being used to argue for collaboration between the Lib Dems and Labour. That analysis doesn’t add up.
“Ni Una Menos” – No Woman Left Behind
Suzie Wylie writing from Argentina discusses the Ni Una Menos movement On 8 October, 16-year-old Lucia Pérez was drugged, brutally raped, tortured and killed by 3 men in the Argentinian seaside city of Mar del Plata. Her heart stopped as a result of the pain she endured during the brutal attack. The men cleaned and dressed […]
Fidel Castro (1926-2016)
Following Fidel Castro’s death, Mike Gonzalez assesses his legacy He was, by any standards, a giant of a man. In his frail late years his presence still resonated across Latin America, even among the generations that did not experience the exhilarating shock of the Cuban revolution of 1959. But that event is the source of […]
US Election: Why Clinton lost and Trump won
Writing from the US, Bill Crane examines the reasons behind Trump’s victory in the US elections and what the future could hold. “Do not weep, do not laugh, do not condemn, but understand.” – Baruch Spinoza Shock. That’s the only word that came to my mind as I numbly watched the returns come in and […]
Uber tribunal: Building unions and collective action among casualised workers
Nilu discusses why the ruling that Uber drivers are ‘workers’, rather than being ‘self-employed’ is a cause for celebration for all workers, especially others in the gig economy. Workers and trade unionists in sectors renowned for low pay and insecurity have been celebrating a recent landmark court ruling that has effectively changed the status […]
Understanding the US elections – some things to read
After a period of time that seems as long as a geological eon, today is finally election day in the US. While we wait for the results to come in, Amy Gilligan and Bill Crane have collected together some articles from rs21 and comrades in the States that discuss some of the key debates that […]
Is a People’s Brexit possible?
How do we respond to the right wing chorus over Brexit and the threat of Farage to organise a 100,000 strong march? Should we line up with the pro-EU centre of British politics that would like to overturn the referendum result? Seb Cooke argues here that we can only undermine Theresa May’s ‘Brexit for the […]
Orgreave June 1984: police conspiracy and repression swept under the rug
After 32 years the miners at Orgreave are being denied an inquiry by Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Brian Parkin finds that his hatred of the Tories and their police and ‘justice’ system just improves with age. Home secretary Amber Rudd, following an initial consultation in September with members of the Orgreave Truth and Justice campaign, has decided that […]
Winston Churchill: the man, the myth, the murderer
Despite his reputation as “the man who beat Hitler”, Churchill’s own record was one of murderous racism and colonial violence
Ched Evans and rape
Hazel Croft responds to the disgraceful final verdict in the Ched Evans case, which cleared the footballer of all charges of rape I am still feeling angry and nauseated by the response to the Ched Evans verdict. There is the vile abuse on twitter and other social media, which I can’t bring myself to look […]
Letters from an anti-fascist fighter in Spain
Following the Battle of Cable Street, Scottish communist Jim ‘Jock’ McKissock travelled to Spain to fight against fascism 80 years ago. He wrote letters to his comrades in back in London. They were passed by one of those long-standing communists in the 1970s to Colin Revolting’s father and he found them among his father’s piles of […]
Cable Street and its aftermath
This week sees the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street in London. Gary McNally argues against a recent trend among historians to dismiss the antifascist demonstration as counterproductive.
Tory conference: donning a Trumpian mask
Seb Cooke assesses the changes and continuities in Tory policy following Theresa May’s first conference as leader, and what this means for the left.
A turning point in Polish politics: the #czarnyprotest and Monday’s women’s strike
Large protests have taken place in Poland against a proposed ban on abortion in all cases. On Monday (3 October) Polish women are taking part in a nationwide strike to defend their basic reproductive rights. Mark Bergfeld, who researches Polish immigrant workers as part of his PhD, spoke to Aleksandra Wolke who is a feminist […]
Critical Mess: Tories approve Hinkley Point C nuclear disaster
Brian Parkin unravels the web of stupidity, dogma, secrecy and privatisation failure that has resulted in Theresa May consenting to the Hinkley Point C nuclear station.
My life of freedom on a zero-hours contract – a reply to Deborah Orr
Guardian columnist Deborah Orr recently portrayed zero-hours contracts as giving a life of ‘freedom’ to ‘be your own boss’. Taking a welcome break from teaching her yoga classes and upholstering retro -hipster furniture, a zero-hour employee and member of Unite Hotel Workers Branch describes the reality of exploitation and insecurity. In response to a statement by Len […]
The rise of Red Pill philosophy and neo‑misogyny
Ciaran Colleran analyses the emergence of right wing ‘men’s rights’ groups ‘Men’s Right’s Activism’ and Red Pill Philosophy first revealed itself to the public in 2014 when Elliot Rodgers, who was associated with the movement, went on a murderous rampage, killing six people. In his online tirades against women he repeatedly referred to the jargon […]
The Labour Party experience – interviews with new Labour activists
Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has attracted new activists to party politics, as well as those who were members of other parties, further to the left of Labour.
Revolutionaries and the Labour Party: “fostering struggle from below is key”
Roddy Usher argues revolutionaries should concentrate on forging links between a new generation of Labour activists and real, concrete, struggles.
The Labour Party: changing faces, shifting bases
Jon Anderson charts the historic shifts in the demographics of the Labour party, from the PLP to its activist and electoral bases, and the changing relationships between them.
Olimpíadas pra Quem? – Olympics for whom?
Ignatius J. O’Reilly writes from Rio about how the Olympics were experienced by the people of Brasil and the protests that resulted There is an irony to the use of OlimpÃadas, the alternative term for the ‘Jogos OlÃmpicos’ (Olympic Games), as they are called in Português. With the simple omission of a pen stroke, one […]