Politics in the age of austerity: from above or below?
Neil Davidson discusses the disintegration of social democracy and the impasse of the revolutionary left, and asks what attitude revolutionaries should take towards social democratic parties.
#BBCdebate: win for the Nationalists and Greens, demolition for Miliband
Jonas Liston shares his thoughts coming out of tonight’s leader’s debate 1) Farage was isolated and snowed under by the dominance of the left in the debate. However, even though his central, racist focus on migration as the cause of every social problem (housing, NHS, etc.) got outdone in the debate, that and his sheer […]
Five reasons why Hillary Clinton won’t be good for women
With the launch of Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid last Sunday, Estelle Cooch argues that Hillary’s “feminist family values” will not lead to a breakthrough for the vast majority of women. Standing on a pavement in a generic looking suburb of America, Hillary Clinton launched her candidacy for the 2016 US presidency. “Americans have fought their way […]
Stealing the election
Dan Swain argues we can’t let the Tories steal another 5 years Who’s going to win the General Election? The simple answer is nobody. Under the first past the post system, to really ‘win’ a party has to secure 326 seats in Parliament, which makes it impossible for them to be outvoted even if all the […]
Labour – what are they good for?
Amy Gilligan asks what it means for people to support Labour today and what is happening to this support? This article was originally published in the Spring 2015 issue of the rs21 magazine One of my earliest experiences of political activity was going canvassing for the Labour Party. I was, I should probably say, about […]
Troubles mount for beleaguered Tories
Anindya Bhattacharyya looks at the weaknesses on the right of British parliamentary politics. This article first appeared in Issue 3 of rs21 magazine. The big picture here is of a slow burning crisis in the British ruling class, which impacts on both the state as the instrument of its rule and the Conservative party as […]
Israel after the Knesset elections: What hasn’t changed
In a result to the 2015 Israeli Knesset elections that has surprised very few, Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently announced there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, will remain Prime Minister of Israel.
Thanet demonstration against UKIP
Colin Revolting reports on a demonstration in Thanet rejecting UKIP in its supposed heartland. A grassroots campaign against UKIP is being built across Thanet in Kent and today saw a buoyant march of between 750 and 1000 people flowing along the Margate seafront from the train station to the Winter Gardens. The Thanet Stand Up […]
Letter from Samos: part 2
Part 2 of Chris Jones and Sofiane Ait Chalalet‘s open letter to Dimitri Sevastakis, the newly elected Syriza MP for Samos. Part 1 can be read here. The first part is available here. There is much which unites people on Samos not least the love of its beauty and nature. We live in what could be a […]
Letter from Samos: part 1
Chris Jones and Sofiane Ait Chalalet live on the Greek island of Samos. This is the first part of their open letter to Dimitri Sevastakis, the newly elected Syriza MP for Samos, in which they talk eloquently about their hopes for what might be achieved under the new government. Part 2 is here. Dear Dimitri, Congratulations on […]
The Magpie: Can we get a political voice?
In a new column, The Magpie discusses working class political representation The feeling that working class people in Britain have no effective political voice was everywhere even before Syriza won. It is shared by followers of Russell Brand; by those who back Labour out of fear of the Tories; and those who back smaller parties such […]
On the deal between Syriza and ANEL
Greece has a new Government. After the euphoria of Syriza’s stunning victory yesterday, came the disappointing realisation that they had to form a coalition to govern, and that that coalition would be with the right-wing Independent Greeks (ANEL). Kevin Ovenden, who has covered the election in depth, offers some immediate thoughts. 1) Do not cry, […]
Greek elections: web round up
The Greek election this weekend could mark a seismic moment in European politics. Dan Swain rounds up commentary from across the web to help you keep informed while eagerly awaiting the results.
Greek elections: the strategic challenges for the left
The Greek elections are days away, and could see a victory for the radical left Syriza. As part of our discussion of the Greek elections, Panagiotis Sotiris, a supporter of the Greek anti-capitalist coalition Antarsya, considers the opportunities and challenges for the left. Greece is on the brink of a very important political change. It is […]
Why Labour should be worried about Clacton
Anindya Bhattacharyya analyses UKIP’s success in Thursday’s two by-elections. One of the peculiarities of mainstream political chatter is its tendency to seize on the unexpected and discount long-term predictable trends. The response to Thursday’s by-elections is a case in point: UKIP’s Douglas Carswell was expected to win in Clacton, so no surprises there, but the Heywood […]
NUT election: Why we should vote for the radical left
With one week left in the National Union of Teachers General Secretary election, NUT activist Rob Owen, asks how those on the radical left ought to vote The NUT has been one of the few unions to hold the line in the pensions dispute. Almost alone we have continued to strike and organised impressive demonstrations and public […]
What can the British left learn from Podemos?
Adria Porta Caballe asks how a change in language and approach took the fledgling Spanish party Podemos to be a surprise of the European elections In the Spanish left we had been saying for a long time that Podemos was going to be the surprise of the European elections. And, finally, on Sunday 25 May it became […]
Manchester antifascists celebrate BNP defeat
Around 60 demonstrators from Unite Against Fascism gathered outside the Euro election count at Manchester Town Hall
rs21 guide to the European elections: predictions and recommended votes
Anindya Bhattacharyya crunches the figures and predicts polarisation, with a right wing consolidation around UKIP and a left wing tussle between Labour and the Greens I’m going to stick my neck out and give my predictions and recommendations for the European elections in Britain on Thursday. First the headline news: Yes, UKIP is riding high, […]
Always a slip between cup and lip: a commentary on the Indian elections
The Great Quinquennial Cacophonic Political Symphony: some thoughts on the Indian elections letter from Chennai by PM Raman, economic historian India, the world’s largest democracy, holds parliamentary or general elections every five years. But this time round it has attracted considerable global media attention: there is a lot at stake for transnational capital as well […]
Debate: What should socialists say about the EU?
As UKIP’s popularity continues to rise, we asked Nick Evans and Hanif to discuss what arguments socialists should be making in the run up to the European elections this month. Continue the discussion in the comments section. If you’d like to write a longer piece on the debate, please email us at rs21.submissions@gmail.com Nick: NO […]
Indian elections: fears for the future
Voting continues in the Indian general elections, with Modi likely to come out on top. Patrick Ward, a writer for Project-India.com reports from India on the largest elections that the world has ever seen. Everyone has an opinion on the general elections currently underway in India. From the wealthy inhabitants of the luxurious, gleaming […]