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 […]
revolutionary reflections | ‘The movement as a whole’ – Waves and Crisis of The Social Movement
Colin Barker provides a framework for revolutionaries to think about their engagement in the politics of social movements.
“I Daniel Blake” – Dissecting the DWP
Adam DC reviews Ken Loach’s latest film. Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or award winning film “I Daniel Blake” exposes the reality of ‘Benefits Britain’. Written by his long time collaborator Paul Laverty, the film is a dignified and sharp polemic about the injustices that occur in our benefits system, and the solidarity and courage of the […]
Review: The Ministry of Nostalgia
Amy Gilligan reviews Owen Hatherley’s book The Ministry of Nostalgia: Consuming Austerity (Verso, 2015) The Ministry of Nostalgia is an exploration of the way a particular version of the past, particularly the austerity of the 1940s and 1950s, continues to be used under neoliberalism. This “austerity nostalgia” is typified in the ubiquitous “Keep Calm and […]
500 march in Wellington, Shropshire to defend the NHS
Pete Gillard reports 500 people braved torrential rain on Saturday to march through Wellington, Shropshire in defence of the NHS. Local health bosses have long wanted to close one of Shropshire’s two A&Es and an acute hospital in an area that covers over three times the size of Greater London. At a secret meeting a […]
Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach
Albert Deck seeks inspiration from the new documentary about socialist filmmaker Ken Loach. Sometimes I find that I like the idea of Loach’s films more than I do the experience of watching them. Ladybird Ladybird, and Family Life being examples of this raw film-watching experience. There are no easy answers, no redemption for the characters […]
Why socialists should support a British exit
Building on arguments made in previous articles, Neil Davidson lays out why he believes socialists should vote to leave the EU.
Join the French resistance! Resist the right and take on the Tories
Today thousands of people will be marching in London for Health, Homes, Jobs and Education in a demonstration called by the People’s Assembly Against Austerity. If you’re on the demo look out for the rs21 stall and pick up a copy of our leaflet, which can also be downloaded here. The Panama papers show us […]
French movement escalates to resist new labour law: report from Paris protests
Ian Crosson reports from last weekend’s protests in Paris Imagine thousands of people occupying Trafalgar Square, every night, for days on end, to discuss how to resist austerity and raising radical issues. Imagine this occupation spreads to every town and city in Britain in just a few days. Well , this is what has happened […]
Whose Europe? Theirs or Ours?
Socialists do not have the luxury of choosing the conditions in which we fight; however unfavourable the current balance of forces, our task it to argue for an exit from the un-reformable EU on left terms, write Jen Wilkinson and Paul O’Connell.
All in this together: IDS drops the Tories in the shit
The resignation of Iain Duncan Smith exposes the deep divisions within the Tories. Now, writes Duncan Thomas, we need to bring them down.
Government tries to overturn teachers’ 86% strike vote
Andrew Stone reports Nicky Morgan has followed through on her threat to mount a legal challenge against Tuesday’s planned strike by NUT 6th form members, on the nonsensical grounds that we can’t oppose funding cuts because they don’t affect our terms and conditions. We won’t know the result of the challenge until Monday afternoon – […]
“£1 extra an hour for all” – UNISON and UCU national FE Strike
Tomorrow (24 February), for the first time in over a decade, UNISON and UCU in Further Education will be striking together for more pay. Mark, an FE lecturer in London discusses why they are taking action. Why we are striking Lecturers, admin and support staff working in Further Education colleges in England are to take […]
Sexual and domestic violence after austerity: it’s bigger than Roosh V
Kat Burdon-Manley argues Roosh V the unsavoury face of a much bigger problem with structural and institutional racism and sexism Bang, Day Bang, 30 Bangs, Bang Poland, Bang Iceland, Bang Estonia, Bang Lithuania, Don’t Bang Denmark, and Bang Ukraine are just some of the titles of Roosh V’s books, and pretty much sum up his character […]
LBGT organisations close in the face of Tory cuts despite claims of support
Organisations supporting LBGT people are currently closing down at a rapid rate. Colin Wilson discusses why this is happening despite the British ruling class claiming to support LGBT people. The number of LGBT youth groups in the North West has halved since 2010, reports the Guardian recently in an article headlined “Services for LGBT young people […]
Why public transport is broken
As rail users are once again hit by fare increases, with one season ticket topping £10,000, Tom Haines-Doran discusses the damage that privatisation continues to do to public transport and the examples of resistance we can look to You might think public transport has largely escaped austerity, particularly if you live in London or have heard […]
Saving Lewisham’s Libraries
Libraries across the country continue to be under threat. A Lewisham Library Union Rep reports that staff and campaigners are coming together in South East London to defend this much needed service. Lewisham library workers and library campaigners are organising a lobby of Lewisham’s Mayor and Cabinet on Wednesday 9th December at 7pm Civic Suite, Catford, […]
Will the NHS survive another winter?
Mark Boothroyd, co-ordinator of the Four-to-One campaign which is calling for the introduction of nurse-to-patient ratios in the NHS, discusses the crisis in the NHS and what might result without a campaign against cuts and demoralisation. This article was originally published on OpenDemocracy. Over fifteen thousands of doctors marched down Whitehall last weekend, in protest at the imposition […]
Rolling coverage from Manchester anti-austerity demo
At least 85,000 people took part in today’s anti-austerity protest at Tory Conference in Manchester, called by the People’s Assembly and the TUC.
Turnout drops in Greek elections as Syriza is returned to government
Colin Wilson takes a look at the results of Sunday’s general election in Greece Greece held a general election on Sunday called by prime minister Alexis Tsipras in the wake of his Syriza government’s capitulation to the European Union’s demands for austerity. Syriza was returned to power with a slightly reduced number of seats on […]
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 […]
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: 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 […]
Social Housing, Not Social Cleansing: Focus E15 Campaign’s Victories
The mothers of the Focus E15 campaign are beacons of resistance for all of us fighting austerity. Since being served eviction notices in August 2013, they have organised demonstrations, council sit-ins and a hugely successful occupation of the Carpenters Estate. Joy Macready visited the campaign’s weekly Saturday stall outside Wilkos on the Broadway in Stratford […]
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 […]
Women’s lives under austerity
Christine Bird, in an article originally published in the Leeds publication Northern Star, discusses the realities of many women of lives under capitalism and austerity, arguing that things weren’t always this way, and they won’t be like this forever. The Tory – LibDem coalition just gone was hardly at the forefront of the global struggle for […]
EU debate: “the EU is simply conforming to the neoliberal architecture of its DNA”
Brian Parkin continues the debate on the EU, arguing for a vote to leave the EU. This is an edited version of an article that appeared in the lasted issue of the Leeds publication Northern Star. For many socialists the issue of a forthcoming referendum on the EU poses some dilemmas. On the one hand […]
EU debate: “Leaving the EU won’t get rid of neoliberalism”
Bettina Trabant, originally from Germany, currently living in London, continues the discussion on which side to support in the vote on EU membership. We will be continuing this debate with another article from Brian Parkin tomorrow. Socialists have been debating the upcoming EU referendum ever since the general election in May and can be […]
Solidarity from Carlisle to Greece: eyewitness report
Stephen, Hazel and their two year-old daughter, left the UK back in April in order to travel to Greece on a three-month solidarity trip. Stephen resigned from his permanent job in order to travel to Greece; Hazel took an unpaid sabbatical from work. They doubled the length of their mortgage term so that they could […]
No to austerity in Greece – support the protests
Statement by rs21 on the situation in Greece. The Greek government has called a referendum next Sunday: the Greek people will be able to vote yes or no to the latest round of austerity proposed by Greece’s international creditors. Austerity has been a disaster for Greece. 1 in 4 people are unemployed. Half of people […]