Stuart Hall on Gramsci – does it help us to understand the current period?
Mark Winter looks back at Stuart Hall’s article Gramsci and Us, first published in 1988, and finds a piece that we can usefully use to understand the current period First things first: Stuart Hall is a tremendous writer. Second: he wrote this prescient, intelligent and polished piece in 1988, but was not heard at the […]
Syria: #TheRevolutionContinues
On the fifth anniversary of the Syrian revolution, Mark Boothroyd discusses the how people have recently returned to the streets, once again voicing their commitment to overthrowing the regime Protest in Kafranbel, Idlib With the lull in the fighting brought on by the ceasefire, Syria’s popular revolution has returned to the streets. Demonstrators have […]
EU debate: 38 points on Brexit and the Left
Ian Allinson examines what points the radical left can agree on, and what points remain contentious, concluding that we should not lose sight of the fact that our united campaigning for migrant solidarity, for genuine democracy, against austerity, and against neoliberalism puts in opposition to the establishment in both referendum camps. Now the EU referendum campaign […]
EU debate: A socialist case for leaving the EU
Neil Davidson, in a piece originally published on Bella Caledonia, makes the case from a Scottish perspective about why socialists should support leaving the EU.
‘I was a shop steward and I had a duplicator’ – IS in the 1970s
As the battles of the 1970s intensified Norman McLean became an electrician working in factories and on building sites. Norman spoke to us about his experiences of being a revolutionary activist in an exciting period of working class history. Part 1 can be found here Part 2 Getting Organised What did it mean to be […]
‘Becoming a shop steward transformed my political life.’ – IS in the 1970s
May ’68 and the struggles of the late sixties radicalised tens of thousands of students, some became revolutionaries and joined revolutionary groups. Norman MacLean became a member of the International Socialists (IS) and started working in factories, organising and agitating with his fellow workers during the heightened period of class struggle known as the ‘upturn’. […]
Extract: Order reigns in Berlin
On the 97 anniversary of Rosa Luxemburg‘s murder, Jonas Liston introduces an extract from her final article “Order Reigns in Berlin“. In November 1918, a revolt of German sailors and soldiers sparked a mass workers’ revolution that would see the establishment of democratic workers’ councils, the end of World War One and the abdication […]
Autumn statement: Tories retreat under pressure, prepare new offensives – and show signs of weakness
The Tories have backed down over tax credits, junior doctors and workfare, writes Colin Wilson. Meanwhile they are on the attack over benefits, education and health – but they have real weaknesses that campaigns can target. The autumn statement showed us two things. First, the Tories retreated on several fronts where campaigning has put them under pressure. […]
HM2015: Where is Britain going?
Joe Sabatini summarises three sessions about Britain at Historical Materialism conference. He concludes that there are opportunities for revolutionaries in the rest of Britain to follow those in Scotland, and shape debates about how we fight for reforms. This article is a report based on three sessions at this year’s Historical Materialism conference that covered the […]
Arguments for revolution
Jack Farmer argues that we need revolutionary ideas more than ever now that Jeremy Corbyn is Labour leader The unthinkable has become real: a socialist is leader of the Labour Party. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Labour’s history is littered with right-wing leaders who have betrayed the hopes of those who voted for them. As I […]
Climate change: it’s going to take a revolution
Watch rs21’s video on why the obstacles to solving the problem of climate breakdown are intrinsic to our capitalist system.
Frantz Fanon: The Militant Philosopher of Third World Liberation
Leo Zeilig‘s biography of Frantz Fanon, The Militant Philosopher of Third World Liberation, is out on 5 November. Here are a few teasers from the book with introductions by the author. In 1953 Fanon moved to Algeria to work in the small town of Blida, about 50 miles from the capital Algiers. He applied for a […]
Labour and the left after #jezwecan: An interview with Ben Sellers
Ben Sellers is a member of Red Labour and was one of the organisers of the social media team that underpinned Jeremy Corbyn’s successful campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party. rs21: You’ve written a piece explaining the roots of Jeremy Corbyn’s social media campaign in Alex Craven’s Facebook page Red Labour, which you and […]
RISE: new socialist organisation builds on participation and activism of Scottish independence campaign
Up to seven hundred people attended the launch conference of RISE in Glasgow on Saturday 29 August. Supporters of International Socialism Scotland have been involved in the building for the launch of “Scotland’s Left Alliance”. IS Scotland comrades, including some who chaired conference sessions or spoke during the day, have compiled this report. The run […]
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 […]
IS in the 60s: two thousand workers with bricks: the Roberts-Arundel strike
Colin Barker recalls a key event for Manchester IS, an engineering strike six miles away in Stockport.
IS in the 60s: linking up with Manchester workers and fighting racism
Colin Barker recalls how IS grew in 1960s Manchester – making links with engineers and building workers, and campaigning against racist police violence.
IS in the 60s: Building a revolutionary group from the ground up
Colin Barker describes how IS grew from tiny beginnings at Oxford University, and what drew people to the group.
Alfred Rosmer: A lifelong revolutionary
In the first of a series exploring the lives of some of history’s understated revolutionaries, Ian Birchall introduces French syndicalist and communist Alfred Rosmer The name Alfred Rosmer is little known today. Yet his life story sums up both the greatness and the tragic failure of the years after the Russian Revolution of 1917. The […]
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 […]
Socialism from below
Dan Swain discusses the contested ambitions and leaderships within our movements. This article was originally published in the Summer 2015 issue of the rs21 magazine. Throughout the history of socialist movements and ideas, the fundamental divide is between Socialism-from-Above and Socialism-from-Below So argues Hal Draper’s 1966 pamphlet The Two Souls of Socialism. In it, he […]
The battle of Grosvenor Square
Continuing our series of refections from different types of activism over the years, Mitch Mitchell discusses the battle of Grosvenor Square in 1968, which took place during protests against the Vietnam war.
Ten Years on From Make Poverty History
Pete Cannell reflects on being involved in the large protests around the Make Poverty History campaign and the G8 Alternatives that took place in Scotland 10 years ago. This is part of a new series in which activists will consider different moments and forms of activity they’ve taken part in over the years. Just […]
The idea of revolution in the 21st century
Video of Neil Davidson and Colin Barker speaking on The Idea of Revolution in the 21st Century.
The State, Power and the Democratic Road to Socialism – The ideas of Nicos Poulantzas
Nicos Poulantzas is frequently cited as one of the strongest influences on the new Syriza government in Greece. Mark Winter offers an introduction to his ideas in an article originally published in the Summer 2015 issue of the rs21 magazine. Alexander Clapp describes how close the Nicos Poulantzas Institute is to Syriza’s headquarters in Athens: Down the street […]
Strategies for the radical left: realistic, but visionary
‘Strategies for the radical left today’ is an excerpt from a talk given by Estelle Cooch at They Don’t Represent Us on 16 May 2015.
Lessons from Europe – Marina Prentoulis, Shane Fitzgerald, Cat Boyd
Video from the ‘Lessons from Europe’ session at They Don’t Represent Us featuring activists from Greece, Scotland and Ireland.
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.