The fundamentals of democracy
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the prorogation of Parliament was unlawful. The rs21 Steering Group argue that we need a General Election, but we also need a far more radical democratisation of our society.
Double or nothing
Boris Johnson’s manoeuvre to shut down parliament is a step towards establishing a right-wing populist hegemony in Britain
Fight the anti-democratic Tories and their bosses’ Brexit
In the closing weeks before the latest Brexit deadline, Boris Johnson and his Tory Party have suspended parliament in an attempt to enable them to force through a rotten Tory Brexit for which they have no mandate. The rs21 Steering Group argue to build the movement to bring down the government.
The Importance of Colin Barker
Mike Haynes offers a tribute to revolutionary socialist thinker and organiser Colin Barker
200 years after Peterloo, do we face a new wave of repression?
As we approach the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo massacre, Ian Allinson argues that the right are pressing Boris Johnson to introduce a new wave of repression.
revolutionary reflections | Theatre of the Oppressed as a political method
Sophie Coudray introduces the work of the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal and the potential of its method for revolutionary praxis.
Review: Fully Automated Luxury Communism
Colin Wilson reviews Aaron Bastani’s much-anticipated account of the potential for a future society of equality and abundance.
revolutionary reflections | Value, force, many states and other problems: part 3
In the third and final part of his essay on violence and capitalist social relations, Colin Barker insists that capitalist states cannot be theorised without recognising their multiplicity.
Review: Capitalism and Theory
A collection of the writings of Mike Kidron casts light on the heterodox Marxist economist and the revolutionary socialist organisation he once belonged to, writes Brian Parkin.
Between Sartre and Cliff: Ian Birchall, a heterodox Marxist’s trajectory
Selim Nadi conducts a wide-ranging interview with long-standing revolutionary socialist Ian Birchall.
revolutionary reflections | Value, force, many states and other problems: part 2
In the second part of his essay on how violence and coercion are written into the core of capitalist social relations, Colin Barker explores how states modify the law of value.
revolutionary reflections | Value, force, many states and other problems: part 1
The first part of Colin Barker’s essay looking at how violence and coercion are written into the core of capitalist social relations
On the dissolution of the ISO
The US-based International Socialist Organization (ISO) has recently voted to dissolve itself. The rs21 Steering Group has collectively compiled the following piece in response.
Hope and tragedy in April 1919
The Limerick Soviet (13 – 27 April 1919) was one manifestation of a wave of revolutionary crises that confronted British imperialism in the aftermath of WWI.
revolutionary reflections | Invisible threads: on value and valorization
Charlie Jarsve goes back to the theory of value and exploitation in Marx’s Capital to explore how exploitation relates to different forms of oppression.
The Communist Women’s Movement
As we mark International Women’s Day (8 March), Estelle Cooch talks Darya Dyakonova and Mike Taber about the history of the Communist Women’s Movement (1920-22).
revolutionary reflections | Notes on Capital and the State: part 3
In the concluding part of our serialisation of his 1978 essay on the state in capitalist society, Colin Barker considers the theory of the Permanent Arms Economy.
revolutionary reflections | Notes on Capital and the State: part 2
In the second of a three part series Colin Barker continues his investigation into the relationship between capital and the state.
Colin Barker (1939-2019)
We are extremely sad to announce the death of our comrade and friend, Colin Barker. Today we republish the first section of an interview with Colin, where he reflected on his experiences in the International Socialists (IS) in the 1960s.
revolutionary reflections | Notes on Capital and the State: part 1
The relationship between the state and capital is a major problem in Marxist theory. In the first of a three part series Colin Barker investigates how Marxists have addressed this question.
Fighting for socialism today
Author and socialist, David McNally, reflects on the tasks of socialist organising in dangerous times.
Revolutionary organising in non-revolutionary periods #HM2018
Two sessions at Historical Materialism conference 2018 addressed questions of strategy for the left, each taking very different approaches.
Social reproduction, the Global Women’s Strike and the future of revolutionary theory
The final plenary at the Revenge of Everyday Life conference saw Tithi Bhattacharya and Siggie Vertommen lead a discussion on social reproduction, the Global Women’s Strike and the future of revolutionary theory.
The Social Reproduction of Neoliberalism
Listen to Neil Davidson and Mona Dohle discuss the social reproduction of neoliberalism, climate change, and the lingering effects of the Great Recession.
Notes From Below: Workers’ Inquiries #HM2018
Ian Allinson reports from Historical Materialism conference on the Notes From Below project
What strategy for labour in the US? #HM2018
Ian Allinson reports from a debate at the Historical Materialism Conference about strategy for the US labour movement, with useful lessons for the UK.
Bolsonaro elected president of Brazil: how did we get to this point?
Following the recent election of Jair Bolsonaro as president of Brazil, Marcelo Badaró Mattos asks how we got here.
Weathering the storm
Reflections on the election of the far-right Jair Bolsonaro as president of Brazil by Lisa Leak, who spent Election Day with anti-fascists and feminists outside the Brazilian Embassy.
The Left and a People’s Vote
While the march was mainly organised and led by the neoliberal ‘centre’, there were also socialists on the march. Unite activist Ian Allinson discusses how the left should respond.