Denis Healey: the Labour chancellor who opened the door to neoliberalism
Both Labour and Tory leaders have praised Healey, who died yesterday. Brian Parkin remembers instead Healey’s role in the 1970s Labour government, which began with miners kicking out the Tories, but ended with the election of Thatcher. The February 1974 general election which made Healey Chancellor took place in what now seems like another […]
Video: Old jumpers – New politics?
What does Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party mean for the wider movement?
The De-commissioned Army
Carlisle rs21 put forward a revolutionary perspective on the Corbyn victory Jeremy Corbyn’s victory is a milestone in the fight for a better society. It was a day when people who had been silenced by austerity found their voice and bellowed. We witnessed the death and burial of the Blair project. We got the conclusion […]
3 ways to build the social movement in Britain after Corbyn’s victory
Jonny Jones discusses how Jeremy and his supporters, whether they are inside or outside the Labour Party, could help to build a social movement that can challenge the Tories and point towards serious social transformation. Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour leader has been met with astonishment and celebration from many, ridicule and fearmongering from others. While […]
Not doing a Jay-Z
Jonas Liston is delighted by Jeremy Corbyn’s victory. But he’s not going to join the Labour Party. Whilst on the one hand today, I became the dickhead working on a roof in this ghastly torrential rain, who every passer-by pities, on the other hand, I’m delighted by the space Corbyn’s leadership election victory has opened […]
Red Portcullis: Straight questions as Corbyn challenges Cameron at PMQs
Red Portcullis reports from inside Westminster on Corbyn’s first Prime Ministers Questions as Labour leader I just managed to get squeezed in by one of the door staff (it really does pay to be friendly to staff and share a pint with them) to what was probably one of the most eagerly awaited, though probably […]
And so the radical vagina was most patriarchal of them all
Annie Teriba has had enough of a style of identity-politicking that delivers nothing for most women, but beats the war drum against Jeremy Corbyn, This summer, the trajectory of the Jeremy Corbyn surge has been mirrored by the most fascinating but also irritating brand of identity-politicking. After frequent reminders of Yvette Cooper’s radical vagina, comment pieces about how […]
A quarter of a million voices for change
Jeremy Corbyn has been elected by a quarter of a million people – but the Labour right is already on the attack, writes Colin Wilson. How do we defend Corbyn and seize this opportunity for the left? An era has ended, and I can actually remember how it began, or at least the moment when I […]
Corbyn and class: opportunities for socialists in the anti-austerity movement
The success of Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign for the Labour leadership has thrown up a series of questions over what might happen if he wins. Jen Wilkinson argues that Corbyn will need support and pressure from an independent movement, based in workplaces and communities, that stretches beyond the ranks of the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign […]
Bringing down the government, one song at a time…
Colin Revolting reviews a rally and fundraiser for Jeremy Corbyn at Union Chapel, Islington. Featuring Thee Faction, Owen Jones, Robb Johnson and the Socialist Magician. Credit for all photographs to Theo Michael. Queues and crowds have followed only one of the candidates competing for Labour leader. And despite tickets costing £15 for this fundraiser, the […]
Corbyn: big opportunities for the left as anti-austerity hits the mainstream
The importance of Jeremy Corbyn’s success can’t be overestimated, writes Pat Stack. It means we can argue for socialist politics in a way that’s not been possible for decades. A few weeks ago the political landscape looked pretty bleak. The Tories had a little earlier defied the polls and won an overall majority, and began embarking on […]
Questions to think with
Annie Teriba asks 4 questions about Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign. This is an open invitation to help think through what it means. 1. How does the changing nature of struggles jar with the narrative coming from Labour elites? Local campaigns are doing work not just to fight austerity but also to rebuild community. Local battles and/or […]
Corbynmania comes to Cardiff
#Jezwecan – but only if we fight! Know-it-all lefty Seb Cooke checks out Corbynmania and looks to the battle ahead.
2 takes on #JezWeCan
We asked James Elliott and Adam Ramsay for their responses to the surging support for Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign to lead the Labour Party. James Elliott is a Labour Party member. He is deputy editor of Left Futures and member of NUS NEC. Thousands of young people have signed up to Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign because […]
The limits and opportunities of the Corbyn campaign
Corbyn deserves our support, but we must recognise the Labour Party for what it is and build an autonomous social movement. This means supporting him as the Left and from the Left and accepting that social struggle is the basis of political change.
EU debate: In, out, or shake it all about?
Adam DC puts forward a radical abstentionist point of view in the debate about what position socialists should take about the upcoming referendum on Britain’s membership to the EU The starting point for any discussion regarding the UK’s European Union (EU) referendum must be that the issue is one between different factions of capital and […]
Understanding the Corbyn campaign: an interview with Max Shanly
Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign for Labour leader is in full swing. Max Shanly is a member of Young Labour’s National Committee. We interviewed him about his hopes and expectations for the campaign. Max spoke to us in a personal capacity and is not an official representative of the campaign. Can you start off by explaining what role […]
The Labour right: smearing Corbyn, not fighting racism
The Labour right is trying to smear Jeremy Corbyn as an associate of anti-Semites – when they should be looking at their own lousy record on racism and war.
Cartoon: Not waving but drowning
by Caliban’s Revenge, originally featured in the Summer 2015 issue of the rs21 magazine
Back Corbyn (but rely on ourselves, not Labour)
Ian Allinson comments on the news that socialist Jeremy Corbyn has secured enough nominations to enter the Labour leadership contest. The news that socialist Jeremy Corbyn has secured enough nominations from MPs to be a candidate in the Labour leadership has unleashed a surge of activists signing up to join the Labour Party or register […]
Labour leadership: continuing Blair’s poisonous legacy
The leadership election seems certain to take Labour even further to the right. Mitch Mitchell doesn’t try to hide his contempt for the whole process.
Green Party: the place to start rebuilding the left?
The Green Party vote last month was four times higher than 2010. How should the left relate to the Greens? Ollie V from Sheffield argues that building the Greens is the best way of cracking the neo-liberal consensus. The Green surge took off as it became clear that Labour wouldn’t present a thematic alternative to austerity and racism, and at […]
GE2015: Analyse this – Barnaby Raine and Owen Jones
Barnaby Raine and Owen Jones speak at the opening session of They Don’t Represent Us, 16th May 2015, on the implications of the 2015 election.
Notes from the new world of Scottish politics
Neil Davidson analyses the historic election results in Scotland. If the SNP is to face an opposition from the left, rather the racist right, then unity of both purpose and organisation will be required.
The big lie: Some thoughts on ideology and the Tory victory
Joe Sabatini on ideology, fetishism, and 5 more years of Cameron. On Thursday 7 May, The English Tory Party won a shock victory that was utterly unpredicted and yet so predictable. Everything about the result feels like a consolidation of a power grab that took place in 2010, making 2015 the sequel. With the corpse […]
Labour begins its post-election “fight for Britain” – by defending austerity in Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets council demonstrates that an alternative to austerity is possible. It’s a path that could rebuild Labour’s fortunes, but as the party lurches back to the right and suspends a leading left-winger, it’s one they refuse to take, argues Adam Ward. Labour have just lost an election to the Conservative Party. In their heartlands they were trailed closely […]
#GE2015: Was Labour too left-wing?
Barnaby Raine takes on the battle for interpretation over Labour’s failure. David Cameron possesses a deeply irritating ability to win. He performs as an archetype of his class; arrogantly he assumes victory, then the country expresses its tentative disgust with him and then he ‘rolls up his sleeves’, acts the worker bee for 30 seconds, […]
Despair in England – hope in Scotland
rs21 first reaction to the UK General Election results. This is just the beginning of ongoing analysis. We hope readers will send in comment and pieces in the coming days. Against all predictions, the Tories have won a majority, and David Cameron will be Prime Minister again. This will feel like a punch in the stomach […]
Election results: rolling coverage
Welcome to our election night coverage, which we’re planning to continue till 7am. rs21 stands in the tradition of socialism from below. In our view protests, strikes and demonstrations – and ultimately, revolutions – are what really bring change in society. Sometimes, elections can play a part in that process, mobilising people and giving them […]