Britain
25 May 2021 · Britain, Obituaries · 1 comment
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“One of the indispensable ones ” Mick Gosling 26 September 1952 - 7 April 2021 The driving force of Mick Gosling’s life was the defence of working people’s rights and a commitment to sociali…
11 February 2021 · Britain
ACR is a thing! Revolutionary Marxist organising now
The process of constructing Anti-Capitalist Resistance has taken a significant step forward. Ian Parker was there. The two-day online event took place on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 January, b…
5 January 2021 · · Britain, Covid-19, Education, trade unions · 3 comments
Education workers teach Tories and Starmer the bleeding obvious
Last week the National Education Union (NEU) represented about 450 000 teaching assistants, learning mentors, premises staff, office workers and teachers in schools and colleges in England a…
19 December 2020 · · Britain, Ecosocialism · 1 comment
Air pollution – Britain’s invisible killer
In a land-mark ruling, the inner south London coroner Philip Barlow, has ruled that the death of nine year old Ella Kissi-Debrah from Lewisham from an asthma attack in February 2013 was part…
16 December 2020 · Britain, Education, Scotland, trade unions · 1 comment
Safety fears over Covid in schools
Safety fears over Covid in schools: Scottish teachers vote for industrial action as Labour London Councils call for early school closures Scottish teachers in three areas have voted overwhel…
13 December 2020 · · Britain, Women
Social Care: Zeros and Sums
We face a crisis in social care intensified by COVID-19, but, Ian Parker argues, protest movements and radical organisations are coming together to mobilise for change. The struggle for soci…
7 December 2020 · · Britain, EU, Labour Party · 2 comments
Labour must oppose any Brexit deal
Whilst after years of Brexit and the end-game of the end-game taking place we still don’t know if there will be a deal with the European Union (EU), writes Alan Thornett . What we do know if…
6 December 2020 · · Britain, Ecosocialism, Tories · 1 comment
Johnson’s 10-point eco-plan
Johnson’s much vaunted 10-point eco-plan is totally inadequate as a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis – or build-back greener as he likes to put it, writes Alan Thornett . His claim th…
5 November 2020 · · Britain, Labour Party, antisemitism
Solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn
The suspension of Jeremy Corbyn from the Labour Party comes as no surprise to those who have been watching developments over the past few years, writes Roger Benjamin . This was always the a…
30 October 2020 · · Britain, Labour Party · 6 comments
Starmer suspends Corbyn - some initial thoughts
One stand out reaction to the news is that we were all blindsided. We really did not expect the Spanish Inquisition, writes Dave Kellaway . The right, the mainstream media, the left media an…
21 October 2020 · · Britain, Education · 2 comments
Tory censorship of school curriculum
The Department for Education has issued ‘guidance’ for school heads and teachers on what can be taught in Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RHSE) classes (‘Schools in England told not…
17 October 2020 · · Britain
Part 2: Rethinking social care: how does this relate to the policies of the unions?
Part 1 outlined a new model of social care: a National Care, Support and Independent Living Service, locally co-produced. Part 2 looks at recent union visions for the future of social care. …
13 October 2020 · · Britain, Economics
The Current Economic Situation in Britain
The latest economic data for the UK clearly demonstrates the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy, writes Susan Pashkoff . Collapse in GDP growth in the UK was at 20.4% in the 2…
12 October 2020 · · Britain, Scotland, trade unions
Rail workers strike against Serco
The RMT railworkers and transport union declared its second 48 hour strike against the Serco Caledonian Sleeper rail company over safety conditions on the train service. The next strike star…
6 October 2020 · Britain, Scotland, Uncategorized, trade unions
Trade unionists rally for Richie Venton and extend action
Trade unionists across Britain and Ireland are rallying to support Richie Venton following his sacking at IKEA Glasgow. Mike Picken reports from Glasgow. A veteran trade union and socialist …
5 October 2020 · · Britain, Covid-19, Ecosocialism · 1 comment
Covid-19 resurgence – a glimpse of the apocalypse
Covid-19 is not just out of control, it is rampaging across the world. Sensational headlines are focusing on Trump; hardly surprising given his attitude to the virus, writes Alan Thornett . …
28 September 2020 · · Britain, Scotland, Tories
Tories enshrine impunity for British security forces in law
British security forces will gain explicit legal cover to commit crimes at home and abroad under new laws proposed by the UK’s right-wing Tory government with little – if any – resistance fr…
25 September 2020 · · Britain, Scotland, Uncategorized, students
Stop blaming students – meet public health and testing needs!
As at 24 September over 1,000 university students across Scotland were in self-isolation after hundreds tested positive for Covid in the days before. In response to this escalation, the Univ…
23 September 2020 · · Britain, Covid-19, Scotland, Tories · 1 comment
Left must oppose ‘live with virus’ doctrine
As this is written, the Tory UK government is putting in place in England further local lockdowns and restrictions on gatherings, calling for people to work from home again if possible, and …
23 September 2020 · Britain, Scotland, antiracism
Third Glasgow Asylum death puts pressure for public inquiry
On 21 September it was reported that all seven Glasgow MPs in the Westminster Parliament, members of the Scottish National Party (SNP), have written formally to Scotland’s senior legal offic…
22 September 2020 · · Britain, Labour Party · 2 comments
Starmer says if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em
In his first conference speech as Labour leader Keir Starmer mentioned “Britain” seven times, “family” nine times, “opportunity” eight and “country” twenty-six writes Andy Stowe . Some cynic…
21 September 2020 · Britain · 1 comment
SR welcomes Anti-Capitalist Resistance
The weekend school of Anti-Capitalist Resistance on the 12 & 13 September marked a positive step towards establishing ACR as a revolutionary Marxist organisation in England and Wales. Over 7…
17 September 2020 · Britain, EU
Oppose Johnson's little-Englander Brexit
The controversial UK Internal Market Bill passed it second reading with a majority of 77 in the Westminster Parliament on 14 September.[1]. There had been a chorus of disapproval in mainstre…
17 September 2020 · Britain, Scotland, trade unions
Step up fight for Richie Venton’s reinstatement
Trade union activists are stepping up the battle for reinstatement of leading worker representative Richie Venton from IKEA. Mike Picken reports from Glasgow. Richie is a well known longstan…
31 August 2020 · Britain, Racism, Uncategorized · 7 comments
United Against Tory Brexit
It doesn’t matter how socialists voted in the 2019 referendum, argues Phil Hearse. What matters now is unity against the nationalist-racist Brexit of the Tories. So as far as the Left is con…
19 August 2020 · · Britain, Uncategorized, antiracism · 1 comment
Left unites to defend migrants
The day started with news that a yet unidentified sixteen year old Sudanese boy drowned in the English Channel trying to make his way into England writes Andy Stowe . That evening over one h…
16 August 2020 · · Britain, Education · 2 comments
Of car crashes and performance!
Car crashes usually are a matter of seconds in duration except when they involve politics, writes Jon Duveen . The School and College Examinations 2020 car crash has evolved over almost 5 mo…
14 August 2020 · · Britain, Economics · 3 comments
Only the labour movement can stop Johnson’s no-deal Brexit
Sorry folks, but we need to talk again about Brexit, writes Jamie Gough . To recap: last October Johnson signed a Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration with the EU. After the Tory v…
28 July 2020 · · Britain, Tories, Uncategorized · 3 comments
Obesity is a class issue
Using my eight-minute walk to the station to reflect on the Tories’ anti- obesity strategy I passed a chip shop, a branch of an omnipresent national sandwich chain offering all sorts of “ sw…
26 July 2020 · · Britain, Economics, Ecosocialism, Labour Party, Uncategorized · 1 comment
Relaunch Labour’s Green New Deal
According to the World Health Organisation, the Covid-19 pandemic is still accelerating globally; infections have doubled in the past six weeks, writes Alan Thornett . This is another sharp …
16 July 2020 · · Britain, Labour Party, trade unions · 2 comments
Tower Hamlets strike reveals Labour fault lines
Sometimes an individual rises to the top of a large organisation because they are the only person so equally disdained by all the personal cliques and ideological factions that they emerge a…
27 June 2020 · Britain, Scotland, antiracism · 1 comment
Glasgow killing raises major questions about treatment of asylum seekers
In a major event in Scotland, one person was killed by armed police in a Glasgow hotel used to accommodate asylum seekers, reports Mike Picken . The call ‘not to politicise’ the incident fro…
25 June 2020 · · Britain, NHS, students
Nursing Students in revolt over Tory Minister’s statement
Tens of thousands of newly graduated nursing students in England have expressed dismay over a statement by Helen Whately, the Tory minister for Care, writing in what is still the middle of a…
24 June 2020 · · Britain, Covid-19 · 2 comments
Walk at a steady pace towards machine guns urges Johnson as 65,000 die
Forget Churchill writes Andy Stowe . The wartime leader Boris Johnson most resembles is General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett, the blustering incompetent First World War commander in t…
12 June 2020 · · Britain, Covid-19 · 1 comment
Sympathy won’t win us better conditions
Anxiety and change: those are the two things that have defined care work in England in recent weeks, writes Alison Treacher . Where I work, we have been battling with staff shortages, opaque…
9 June 2020 · Britain, Covid-19, USA, Uncategorized · 1 comment
Global protests offer hope in time of fear
Why has the murder of George Floyd been the catalyst for an international radical wave of youth protests asks Andy Stowe ? Killings of black people by racist cops in the United States have b…
2 June 2020 · · Britain, Covid-19
Johnson shielded by Brexit populism
It almost defies belief that if an election were held next week the result would still be a Tory victory writes Andy Stowe . A YouGov poll conducted over the last weekend of May suggests Joh…
26 May 2020 · · Britain, Covid-19, Tories · 1 comment
The Johnson Cummings élite death cult
Lawyers sometimes refer to a client’s convoluted and implausible account of their actions as “the utter bollocks defence” writes Andy Stowe . Explaining a thirty-mile drive with your partner…
22 May 2020 · · Britain, Covid-19 · 4 comments
We are not all in the same boat
Dave Kellaway analyses the fall-out of the pandemic in Britain and discusses what action programme for the crisis. This was written before the Tories' had to drop forcing schools to open on …
19 May 2020 · · Britain, Education · 3 comments
Should parents and staff trust the Tories about return to school?
No one can doubt the Conservative Party’s commitment to children living in poverty and overcrowded homes with inadequate diets writes Andy Stowe . The Child Poverty Action Group says 4.1 mil…
12 May 2020 · · Britain, Labour Party · 1 comment
Don’t despair, organise!
It’s not been an easy time for anyone on the left in Britain, writes Veronica Fagan. The pandemic and the appalling way the #ToxicTories have responded to it are obviously dominating most of…
3 May 2020 · · Britain · 6 comments
The patriotic myth of VE Day
Spare a thought for all those British patriots who’d been prudent enough to buy their Victory in Europe (VE) day paraphernalia well ahead of time writes Andy Stowe . Their commemorative tabl…
24 April 2020 · · Britain, Migration, Racism
A Short History of Resistance to Immigration Detention and Deportations
In 2019, ‘enforced returns’ from the UK fell to 7,361, 22% lower than the previous year and the lowest number since records began in 2004, writes Bill MacKeith, Oxford Against Immigration De…
23 April 2020 · Britain, Covid-19 · 2 comments
Johnson ramps up the death toll – he should resign
In Britain the Covid-19 pandemic remains out of control, with hospital deaths topping 16,000 and with, scandalously, an unknown number of deaths in care homes and in the community that have …
18 April 2020 · Britain, Covid-19 · 3 comments
COVID- 19 and the undoing of Brexit
Did you know that the Brexit Department has closed asks Andy Stowe ? A visit to the British government’s website says starkly: “Department for Exiting the European Union has closed.” It refe…
28 March 2020 · Britain, Covid-19
The Pandemic Coronavirus COVID-19 and Disabled People
Addressing the three-fold issues facing disabled people of all ages In recent weeks Disabled people of all ages have voiced their anger and frustration at the apparent disregard of their nee…
17 March 2020 · Britain, Covid-19
Covid 19 – Johnson’s plan puts profits before people
As the Covid-19 virus spreads, the lack of urgency in dealing with the pandemic by Boris Johnson – and Donald Trump – screams out. Countries in Asia such as Taiwan and South Korea have gaine…
11 March 2020 · Britain, Culture · 1 comment
Culture Wars and Class Wars
Recent articles on left-wing websites have deprecated the notion of ‘culture wars’, saying that the Left should avoid them and concentrate instead on class war. The basic idea being put forw…
8 March 2020 · · Black struggles, Britain, Trade Unions, Women · 1 comment
Fifty years of feminist organising in Britain – challenges for the future
It’s just over 50 years ago since the first women’s liberation conference in Britain took place at Ruskin on 27 February 1970 so International Women’s Day 2020 seems an appropriate time to l…
3 March 2020 · · Britain, Labour Party · 5 comments
Starmy times ahead
It seems inevitable that Keir Starmer will be the next Labour leader and Angela Rayner will be his deputy writes Andy Stowe. At any other time, a Labour MP who’d been a successful lawyer who…
28 February 2020 · · Britain, Climate Change · 2 comments
‘The bell is tolling’ on Heathrow expansion
In the biggest victory ever won by environmental campaigners in Britain the court of appeal yesterday declared that the long disputed third runway at Heathrow is illegal, writes Alan Thornet…
12 February 2020 · Britain, Labour Party, Racism, Tories · 3 comments
Analysing a disastrous result
What happened? Like many others on the left, we got the election result seriously wrong. Most thought a hung Parliament or even a Labour minority government was a real possibility. It was no…
30 January 2020 · · Britain, antisemitism · 2 comments
Weaponisation of antisemitism continues
Anyone who naively believed that the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader would bring an end to the antisemitism witch-hunt will have received a sharp reminder of reality with recen…
10 January 2020 · · Britain, Labour Party · 2 comments
Must Labour move right to secure its working-class base?
Phil Hearse argues that the Blairite Right and Lexit Left are drawing all the wrong conclusions from the general election. In the wake of the Tory electoral victory, attempts to draw lessons…
10 January 2020 · · Britain, Scotland
The Lexit road to English patriotism
English patriotism is good, Scottish nationalism is a dead end - according to the Morning Star, writes Andy Stowe . From the Soviet “theory” of socialism in one country to Kim Il Sung’s fant…
31 December 2019 · Britain, Tories, Uncategorized
British Conservative Party tacks right
The election of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister and the bitter defeat of the hopes of the Labour left represent a deeper cultural and institutional shift in the politics of the British Conse…
22 December 2019 · Britain, Uncategorized · 3 comments
Britain: 2019 election analysis – A victory for the Far Right. A crisis for the Left
The British ruling class has much to celebrate. Their party – the party of the rich and the corporations – has won its biggest majority since 1987. Our party – the party of working people – …
9 December 2019 · · Britain
The choice: Labour hope or Tory Brexit racism
With just three days to go and the contest tightening, the election remains too close to call, writes Alan Davies . Everything remains to be played for. Whilst the polls are still predicting…
6 December 2019 · · Britain · 1 comment
Post- Truth election?
In a pub in Cumbria, a data engineer from Workington has just been crowned the World’s Biggest Liar , writes Roger Benjamin . But his tall tales are no match for some of those told in this p…
5 December 2019 · Britain, Scotland · 2 comments
General Election: Scotland at Crossroads
This General Election has been rightly described as the most significant in Scotland in decades and a range of complex and key issues are raised. Whether you are viewing it from inside or ou…
2 December 2019 · Britain, Reviews, Tories
Change the Record
Ian Parker read David Cameron’s smug self-serving shite in his For the Record memoirs so you don’t have to. Every month, David Cameron tells us at the beginning of his memoirs, he offloaded …
1 December 2019 · Britain, Climate Change, Labour Party
Labour’s Green New Deal
Labour’s manifesto represents the most radical environmental offer ever proposed by a major party challenging for government. It’s a remarkable response to the rapid advance of the ecologica…
27 November 2019 · Britain, trade unions · 1 comment
The significance of the current UCU Strikes
Lecturers in around half of Britain’s universities started eight days of strike action on Monday 24 November. UCU (University and Colleges Union) members are taking action in fifty-six insti…
21 November 2019 · · Britain, Labour Party · 2 comments
Labour’s election winning manifesto
Labour’s 2019 election manifesto could very well be the set of ideas that wins the election writes Andy Stowe . One of the things that tells you it’s very different from every manifesto of t…
20 November 2019 · Britain, Labour Party
Corbynism from Below
C orbynism from Below edited by Mark Perryman, Lawrence and Wishart (2019) reviewed by Dave Kellaway In France and Italy political leaders like Mélenchon or Bertinotti inevitably write tomes…
15 November 2019 · · Britain, Green Party · 4 comments
Greens in a pickle
Even before Labour’s manifesto is published, Corbyn and the front bench are rolling out a raft of radical announcements – critically the Green New Deal and defence of our NHS, writes Veronic…
5 November 2019 · Britain, Labour Party, Scotland · 3 comments
Labour off to remarkable start
Labour has got off to a flying start since the general election was launched last week. Corbyn launched its campaign the very next day in Battersea Town Hall in front of a hugely enthusiasti…
25 October 2019 · · Britain, Tories
Have the election after a vote on Brexit
Boris Johnson has looked into a muddy ditch and decided that’s not where he wants to die writes Alan Thornett. Since the day he became Tory leader he has insisted that he would take Britain …
14 October 2019 · · Britain, EU, Labour Party · 2 comments
Hold the referendum before an election
In the parallel universe that exists between today’s fake Queens speech and the so-called ‘special session’ of Parliament on Saturday – that does not yet have anything to discuss – support f…
12 October 2019 · Britain, Climate Change
Extinction Rebellion seizes the moment
You’d probably have to go back to the Suffragettes to find a protest movement that is as creative, hard-hitting and effective as Extinction Rebellion (XR). It is hard to think of another rad…
4 October 2019 · · Britain, EU, Scotland · 1 comment
The contradictions underlying Brexit and Scottish independence
To date articles in Conter addressing Brexit have concentrated more on the neo-liberal opposition, and those on the Left perceived to be tail-ending this section of the British ruling class,…
2 October 2019 · · Britain, EU · 3 comments
British politics in utter turmoil
British politics is in utter turmoil as a general election looms. We face either a Labour government, possibly as the biggest party with the support of other left parties, most notably the S…
25 September 2019 · · Britain, Democracy · 1 comment
Parliamentary Sovereignty – Brexiteers don’t like it up ‘em
The Labour Party conference immediately understood the significance of the Supreme Court judgment against Boris Johnson writes Andy Stowe . It greeted the humiliation of the arch-Brexiteer w…
20 September 2019 · · Britain, Ecosocialism, USA
Green New Deals must push the boundaries
Green New Deals (GNDs), of various kinds, are increasingly a feature of the global climate and ecological struggle, writes Alan Thornett . They are not new but today they have greater signif…
13 September 2019 · Britain, Scotland
Scottish independence grows nearer
One of the first things Boris Johnson did on becoming Prime Minister was to give himself the title of ‘Minister for the Union’ and head to Scotland to try to shore up the collapsing Tory vot…
4 September 2019 · · Britain · 2 comments
This Is Always How Brexit Was Going to End
Brexit was always going to end in an attack on democracy. The two can't be separated, writes Michael Chessum. This is always how it was going to end. Brexit is useful to the establishment be…
31 August 2019 · · Britain, EU, Labour Party · 4 comments
Labour movement begins to face down the coup
Jeremy Corbyn encouraged people to take to the streets on Saturday 31 August to protest against Boris Johnson’s attempt to shut down Parliament writes Andy Stowe . A massive crowd filled Whi…
28 August 2019 · · Britain, Democracy, EU, Labour Party, Tories · 1 comment
Only Labour can stop Johnson’s coup
John McDonnell is absolutely right to say that Johnson’s suspension of Parliament is a “very British coup”, writes Andy Stowe . A government of hard right ideologues is shutting down the ver…
16 August 2019 · · Britain, EU, Labour Party, Tories
Confrontation looming on Brexit
With Parliament neutralised by the summer recess, battle lines are being drawn for the biggest constitutional crisis in modern times when it comes back next month, writes Alan Dav ies. With …
27 July 2019 · Britain, Tories
Johnson’s Tories = Brexit Party Mark II
This is what Brexit looks like. Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet, shaped by purges and resignations, looks more like the arrival of a new party, which effectively it is, than the same party with …
19 July 2019 · Britain, Labour Party
Shipwreck of the Third Way: Tony Blair, New Labour and Inequality
As a general election approaches, especially one which might lead to a Johnson or Johnson-Farage government, (and, less likely, a Corbyn government) the record of the last Labour government …
11 July 2019 · Britain, Tories · 2 comments
Boris Johnson and Billie Eilish
“Determination, extreme talent, a crazy drive, insane work ethic, and an amazingly positive attitude. I love working with you. You rock! You’re my role model!” “I love you for being yourself…
28 June 2019 · Britain, EU, Labour Party
Do Remainers want to abandon the working class?
Jon Cruddas' Guardian article has a simple message, widely backed by left-wing Brexiteers, that Labour will lose its traditional working class base if it backs a ‘Remain’ position on Brexit.…
21 June 2019 · · Britain, Labour Party, Tories
Johnson government is a threat to Labour
Nothing short of an alien invasion in the next couple of weeks is going to stop Boris Johnson becoming the next British prime minster writes Andy Stowe . His well-documented dishonesty , rac…
17 June 2019 · · Britain, Iran, USA
Attacks at sea – lessons from US history
Watching the news about the attacks on 2 oil tankers (the Kokuka Courageous and the Front Altair) in the Gulf of Oman (near the Straits of Hormuz) on June 13, I had this strange feeling of d…
12 June 2019 · · Britain, Labour Party · 2 comments
Diane Abbott, John McDonnell and Emily Thornberry are correct on Brexit
The Corbyn project is in crisis, writes Alan Davies . The EU elections results were a disaster for Labour, brought about by a major failure by the Corbyn leadership. It was an election that …
5 June 2019 · · Britain, USA · 2 comments
The Brexit Party – Trump's British wing
When you arrive at the Brexit Party’s homepage the first image that greets you is a young black woman in a still from their European election YouTube video writes Andy Stowe. It’s their way …
27 May 2019 · Britain, Labour Party, Uncategorized · 1 comment
Labour should be the anti-Brexit party
The message the EU election results send to the Labour party Leadership could hardly be more stark: get off the fence over Brexit or risk losing the next general election as well – particula…
24 May 2019 · Britain, Labour Party, Tories
May resigns and Brexit moves to the right
So May, with her cabinet falling to pieces around her and the 1922 Committee pulling the rug from underneath her, has at last accepted the inevitable and announced her resignation. She chose…
6 May 2019 · Britain, Labour Party, Tories, local government · 2 comments
What the local elections mean...
What is my verdict on the local elections that took place in Britain on May 2, asks Susan Moore ? A catastrophe for the Tories with the loss of 1,269 seats out of around 8,500 that were up f…
5 May 2019 · · Britain, EU, Labour Party · 1 comment
Every Labour vote counts in the European election
Labour voters should ignore the Morning Star’s call for a “ people’s boycott ” of the European elections writes Andy Stowe. The left campaign in favour of Brexit never really took off. Lexit…
24 April 2019 · Britain, EU, Labour Party, Uncategorized · 1 comment
Dangers for Labour in the EU elections
Unless there is a last-minute deal between Labour and May, which fortunately looks highly unlikely, we are facing EU elections on May 23 rd – something that will pose major problems for both…
30 March 2019 · · Britain, EU, Far right, Tories, Uncategorized · 1 comment
Second referendum moves closer
It was yet another momentous week in British politics, writes Alan Davies . As well as an ongoing constitutional crisis, it saw significant progress towards a second referendum and a fresh a…
29 March 2019 · · Britain, EU · 2 comments
The differences between cats and dogs
Cats and dogs are pretty similar to the inexpert eye writes Andy Stowe . Both have four legs, a tail, hairy bodies and can ruin the furniture. But every cat owner has had a jealous twinge wh…
24 March 2019 · · Britain, EU · 6 comments
A million on the streets of London
There’s no doubt that some of the most high-profile people involved in organising and speaking at the March 23rd People’s Vote demonstration comprise a real rogues’ gallery writes Andy Stowe…
17 March 2019 · · Britain
Stop Brexit and get rid of the Tories
The Tory Brexit is hanging onto life by a thread writes Andy Stowe. The March 23rd demonstration called by the People’s Vote campaign has the potential to land the killer punch on both Brexi…
16 March 2019 · · Britain, EU · 1 comment
Brexit on the ropes: Labour must back a second referendum
If you wondered what a profound constitutional crisis looks like, look no further that this week’s events in Parliament. The Tories are falling apart, the cabinet has imploded, the governmen…
7 March 2019 · · Britain, Ireland, Reviews
I, Dolours: a woman’s political biography
Barney Cassidy reviews I, Dolours , now available on Netflix. As a child growing up in a Belfast Republican family, Dolours Price was given a particular responsibility when she reached the a…
17 February 2019 · · Britain, Labour Party, Tories · 3 comments
Labour are also running down the clock
The Tories are in beyond a mess, writes Alan Davies. The fragile truce they put together last month when Parliament instructed Theresa May to reopen negotiations on the withdrawal agreement …
30 January 2019 · · Britain, EU, Labour Party, Tories
Labour must change course as crash out looms closer
The clear and highly dangerous outcome of the shenanigans in the House of Commons on Tuesday 28 January, is that as a result of May’s dramatic U-turn into the arms of the European Research G…
29 January 2019 · · Britain, Labour Party, Uncategorized · 2 comments
Labour's Immigration Bill fiasco
Diane Abbott, John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn are distinguished by political careers devoted to anti-racism and defending migrants’ rights writes Andy Stowe . So, it’s entirely legitimate t…
29 January 2019 · Britain, Kurdish struggle
How can we support the hunger strikers?
They are starving themselves so that the world takes notice and compels Turkey to end the isolation of Abdullah Ocalan. We can help spread their message, we can put pressure on our elected r…
23 January 2019 · · Britain, Education
Developing the National Education Service
One of the big ideas in the Labour Party’s manifesto for the General Election in 2017 was the creation of a National Education Service (NES), writes Jon Duveen . This idea was given more sub…
21 January 2019 · · Britain, EU, Ireland · 3 comments
Ireland’s British border
The opening shots of the Irish War of Independence were fired one hundred years ago this week on January 21 st 1919 writes Barney Cassidy . T he 3rd Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Volunteers…
17 January 2019 · Britain, EU, Labour Party, Tories · 3 comments
Put Labour at the head of the anti-Brexit movement
May has, unsurprisingly, survived the vote of no confidence moved by Labour with the solid support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the European Research Group after suffering the …
11 January 2019 · Britain, Labour Party · 3 comments
A general election will not resolve Brexit
The government is in a state of collapse. May has suffered two humiliating Parliamentary defeats in the last week and will suffer another one on Tuesday. Meanwhile Britain is in a free-fall …
9 January 2019 · Britain, Culture, Uncategorized · 6 comments
£350 million and Turkey
See if you can guess where this quote comes from asks Andy Stowe who reviews Brexit: The Uncivil War. “The whole country — the whole world — can see our rotten parties have failed us. The pa…
22 December 2018 · · Britain, EU · 6 comments
Labour must take the lead on Brexit
Since her transition from hard Brexit (no deal is better than a bad deal) to soft Brexit (any deal is better no deal), Theresa May has managed to satisfy no one, other than her own arch-loya…
16 December 2018 · Britain, EU, Labour Party, Tories
Theresa May, Theresa Might, Theresa Can’t … The Brexit Boogie
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loos…
5 December 2018 · · Britain, Far right · 1 comment
Labour must fight for a second referendum
Theresa May suffered three shattering blows yesterday as her bid to get her exit proposals accepted by Parliament got off to a disastrous start, writes Alan Davies . Her government was found…
4 December 2018 · Britain, Far right
The Brexit betrayal and us
The far right has grown in both numbers and political confidence since the Brexit referendum. Ukip, the party founded with the aim of making Brexit happen, is now in alliance with the new fa…
28 November 2018 · · Britain
Brexit will make working people poorer
Building a massive coalition in favour of Brexit was a triumph for the hard right Tories and Ukip writes Andy Stowe . A lot of working class people were persuaded to vote for something that …
25 November 2018 · Britain, EU · 3 comments
Two steps to stop Brexit
Statement from Socialist Resistance . We called for a vote to Remain in the referendum in 2016 as the Leave campaign was totally dominated by a nationalist and xenophobic reaction to globali…
8 November 2018 · · Britain
The First World War: truth and lies
2014 was barely a few weeks old before various right wing politicians and historians began making clear their views on how the First World War should be remembered. Michael Gove, Boris Johns…
1 November 2018 · Britain · 1 comment
Five months to stop Brexit nightmare
Michael Chessum of Another Europe Is Possible set out a strategy for stopping Brexit at the Europe for the many conference in London on October 26th. Here is what he said. "I’m going to make…
30 October 2018 · Britain, Far right
The far right in Britain today: mobilise to stop its rise
Dave Landau looks at the history of the far right in Britain and discusses what should we do today to resist its rise. Back in 2005 the left had a bit of a shock when the British National Pa…
24 October 2018 · · Britain, Education
Beware of Ofsted inspectors bearing gifts
Phil Hearse analyses the statement on the 11 October from Ofsted that it is going to overhaul the way it inspects schools in England, downgrading the influence of exam results. Is Ofsted rea…
21 October 2018 · · Britain · 5 comments
Massive demonstration against Tory Brexit
From Parliament Square to Trafalgar Square an estimated 700,000 people filled central London on Saturday October 20 th protesting against the Tory Brexit writes Andy Stowe . It was the large…
12 October 2018 · · Britain, Far right · 1 comment
Far Right – Threat or Phantom?
Phil Hearse analyses the far-right in Britain today with its anti-establishment and nationalist narratives. It faces serious obstacles with the workers movement and Corbyn’s Labour Party. Bu…
11 October 2018 · · Britain · 1 comment
The Brexit crunch
Since the EU elites rejected May’s Chequers proposals on the basis that they breach the fundamental principles of the EU; i.e. the internal market and free movement, the likelihood of a diso…
25 September 2018 · · Britain, Tories
Tory split or general election?
You’ll have noticed that some of the supermarkets have already started displaying Christmas merchandise writes Andy Stowe . You might even have begun mentally drafting your letter to Santa s…
22 September 2018 · Britain, EU, Far right, Labour Party, Racism · 1 comment
Resisting the right
As the Labour Party conference starts, Socialist Resistance looks at the challenges for the left in the coming months. Resisting the right has been a theme over recent months on three interr…
18 September 2018 · Britain, Ireland, Reviews · 1 comment
A hidden history of British military repression against civilians
The Ballymurphy massacre has the simplest of all dramatic structures. It is a narrative built around a chronology - a three-day assault by the British Army on a Belfast housing estate follow…
9 August 2018 · Britain, Far right · 1 comment
An Injury to One is an Injury to All
Fascist attacks on bookshops are not new. A personal reminiscence from Roland Rance . In the early 1980s, I worked at Fourth Idea Bookshop in Bradford. This was a radical bookshop, tucked aw…
7 August 2018 · · Britain, Labour Party
Momentum, antisemitism and the coup
Just when you think that the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn can't get any more ludicrous writes Andy Stowe , a journalist working for Rupert Murdoch remembers something he read in The Sun a year a…
28 July 2018 · · Britain, EU · 1 comment
May survives – at least until the autumn
You couldn’t make it up. May has survived until the autumn (probably) after an utterly remarkable week of chicanery and confusion in British politics. Alan Davies argues that we now face an …
27 July 2018 · Britain
Universal Credit - stop it and scrap it!
Whistleblowers have said Universal Credit is broken while even the National Audit Office has savaged the new welfare system. Susan Pashkoff , Women's Officer for Wanstead and Leyton CLP, upd…
21 July 2018 · Britain, EU, Labour Party · 2 comments
Oppose Tory Brexit and win a radical Labour government
Another Europe Is Possible (AEIP) has produced two model resolutions which makes the left case in Labour for opposing Brexit. Socialist Resistance is encouraging readers of this site who are…
17 July 2018 · · Britain
A good weekend for the left
While it's probably wrong to categorise Trump as a neo-fascist, he is the rallying symbol for the new nationalist hard right globally writes Andy Stowe . His visit to England and Scotland on…
12 July 2018 · · Britain, USA
All out against the hard right: No to Trump, No to the FLA, DFLA, and EDL …
If you need reasons to join the various anti-Trump actions in Britain, including on Friday 13 th July , you don’t have to look hard to find them, writes Sarah Peterson . In Donald Trump we h…
12 July 2018 · · Britain, Climate Change, USA
March against Trump – and for the Planet
There are many reasons for supporting the anti-Trump protests this week, writes Alan Thornett . It has become increasingly clear that Trump can do immeasurable damage not only to politics ac…
11 July 2018 · Britain, Labour Party
Barnet left activist targeted
Veronica Fagan from Socialist Resistance talked to Fred Leplat about his political history and his recent exclusion from the Labour Party VF: Tell us something about your history of politica…
10 July 2018 · · Britain, Ecosocialism
The fight against Heathrow is far from over
On Monday June 25, Westminster took two decisions which were a major breach in Britain’s commitment to combatting climate change – as well as being disastrous for other reasons, writes Terry…
9 July 2018 · · Britain
Pile on the pressure for a general election
In retrospect, writes Andy Stowe, the high point of Theresa May's career as prime minister could turn out to have been her October 3rd 2017 speech . She ground to a halt due to a coughing fi…
6 July 2018 · · Britain, USA
March against Trump - march against attacks on migrants
Many people were rightly shocked and appalled when they heard about Trump’s decision to separate the children of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants from their parents, writes Sarah Peters…
26 June 2018 · Britain, USA
All out to ‘greet’ Trump on July 13 and 14
Donald Trump is visiting Britain very soon. The US president is the epitome of reaction at so many levels. The labour movement and the left in Britain needs to strain every muscle it can to …
25 June 2018 · · Britain, EU, Labour Party · 2 comments
People's vote march shows potential for left anti-Brexit voice
When tens of thousands of people take to the streets you know you are dealing with a spontaneous movement writes Andy Stowe . This of course means that they might turn up with all manner of …
10 June 2018 · · Britain, transport
Renationalise the railways
Britain’s East Coast rail service, which runs from London to Aberdeen, is being taken into temporary state control on June 24 , after it became clear that the companies that held the franchi…
6 May 2018 · · Britain, Labour Party, Tories, local government
Council election results reveal polarised situation
The council election result in Kensington and Chelsea is a good indicator of how polarised the political situation is in Britain writes Andy Stowe . The Conservative controlled council there…
3 May 2018 · · Britain, France, Our History, students
1968 seen from Britain
None of the key events of 1968 happened in Britain, but they impacted dramatically on the configuration of the Left, writes Phil Hearse . One socialist journal said it was “the year the ice …
26 April 2018 · · Britain, Labour Party, antisemitism, local government
How Labour could win in Barnet
As the Tories fall apart in Barnet, will Labour win the elections??? Frank Morris reports on the campaign and what’s at stake in what was once the Tories flagship for privatisation. Tory Bar…
22 April 2018 · Britain, Labour Party, antisemitism · 2 comments
Jewish Voice for Labour in Manchester
An important meeting for Labour Party members about antisemitism was held in central Manchester in April. Ian Parker was there. We know very well that Jeremy Corbyn has been under attack fro…
13 April 2018 · · Britain, Labour Party, Syria · 4 comments
Don’t bomb Syria - No support for Assad
A decade ago, a time when Boris Johnson was able to present documentaries on the BBC about the glories of Roman imperialism, visitors to the main market in Damascus could still see the bulle…
29 March 2018 · · Britain, Kurdish struggle, Syria, Turkey
Solidarity with Afrin
Socialist Resistance is proud to stand in solidarity with the Kurdish people in their struggle for self determination and against the repressive behaviour of all the reactionary regimes in t…
23 March 2018 · Britain, Labour Party, Reviews
Corbyn's path to power - a review
Alex Nunns', The Candidate; Jeremy Corbyn's improbable path to powe r, second edition is reviewed here by Margot Lindsay. Introduction In discussing the path to power, Nunns explains that th…
21 March 2018 · · Britain, Labour Party, Russia, Tories · 1 comment
No rush to judgement
Whoever was responsible for the use of chemical weapons against a Russian ex-spy in Salisbury, the main political beneficiary so far appears to be Teresa May, whose bellicose response has le…
19 March 2018 · · Britain, Labour Party
Corbyn supporters on a roll
It has been a good few weeks for Corbyn supporters in the Labour Party writes Andy Stowe . Steven Saxby, described by the Evening Standard as an "arch-Corbynite" has been selected as the par…
13 March 2018 · · Britain, Labour Party, Uncategorized · 1 comment
Austerity, Brexit and the Corbyn challenge
After the harshest winter for more than a decade, Britain finds itself still gripped by the icy fingers of neoliberal austerity, writes Phil Hearse . Both the health service (NHS) and local …
9 March 2018 · Britain, EU, Labour Party, Tories · 2 comments
Labour should grasp the Brexit nettle
Just when you think the crisis of the Tory party has reached rock bottom it gets worse, argues Alan Davies. Claims of ‘unity’ by Theresa May after her ‘keynote’ Mansion House Brexit speech o…
8 March 2018 · Britain, Labour Party, Women, trade unions
A red thread of militancy for March 8
Sylvia Pankhurst and the East End branch of the Women's Social and Political Union were kicked out of that organisation for supporting political causes other than women's suffrage and becaus…
8 March 2018 · · Britain, Education, Trade Unions, USA, Women
Education strikes are women's strikes
"The struggle for gender justice has always been and remains today crucial for the struggle for labour and social justice in general" - Sara Farris Two of the most significant labour dispute…
4 March 2018 · Britain, Labour Party · 6 comments
Labour General Secretary – the agony of choice
Jon Lansman should let Jennie Formby have a clear run at a crucial Labour Party job, argues Andy Stowe. Corbyn supporting members were pleased when Iain McNicol announced in late February th…
2 March 2018 · Britain, Housing
After the Grenfell Tower Fire
The fire last June at Grenfell Tower killed 71, but justice for the survivors has yet to come. Sheila Cohen reports on the campaign for justice and the political implications of the tragedy.…
20 February 2018 · · Britain, Climate Change, Ecosocialism
Planning for a future which doesn't cost the earth
The Campaign against Climate Change Trade Union Group is organising an important conference on climate change and the trade unions on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at Hamilton House London WC1H 9…
19 February 2018 · Britain, Israel · 2 comments
Who's next?
The attack on supporters of Palestinian rights and opponents of Israel’s war crimes has been so relentless that the targets can be forgiven a feeling of glee when the attackers themselves fa…
23 January 2018 · · Britain
Make Carillion a watershed
Just when the May government thought the horrors of Grenfell Tower might be fading in the public’s mind, and they had convinced themselves (however implausibly) that they could see a speck o…
15 January 2018 · · Britain, Ecosocialism, Tories · 1 comment
Plastic waste and political hypocrisy
Ten years after plastic pollution has reached a global crisis point—brilliantly highlighted recently by David Attenborough’s stunning Blue Planet II series—Theresa May has decided that it is…
9 January 2018 · Britain, trade unions · 1 comment
RMT strikes for jobs and a safe railway
Frank Morris writes about the current strikes on the rail and the consequences of 25 years of privatised railways. The disastrous consequences of the railway privatisation 25 years ago are t…
13 December 2017 · · Britain, EU, Labour Party, Tories
May and EU staring down barrel of a Corbyn government
To say that last week was a remarkable week in politics does not do it justice, writes Alan Thornett. Theresa May travelled to Brussels at the start of the week to try to persuade Michel Bar…
27 November 2017 · Britain, Economics
The Great ‘Productivity’ Puzzle – or the Real Reasons for Britain’s Slump Economics
Would you believe it, asks Phil Hearse ? Just when Theresa May was about to deliver on her October 2016 promise of a more equal society in the sunny uplands of Brexit Britain, along comes th…
16 November 2017 · Britain, Israel, Palestine
A century after the Balfour Declaration
On November 15, London Socialist Resistance held a meeting commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. The speakers were Bernard Regan and Roland Rance both of whom have …
21 October 2017 · · Britain, Ireland, Labour Party, Tories · 4 comments
Labour for Irish Unity
At a packed fringe meeting at the recent Labour Party Conference a new campaigning organisation, ‘Labour for Irish Unity’ was launched. The headline speaker was Ken Loach whose prize-winning…
24 September 2017 · Britain, Labour Party, Tories, trade unions
Manchester – protest at the Tory conference
When the Tories gather for their conference in Manchester on Sunday 1 October, they will be greeted in the city by a demonstration marching behind the banner of “No More Austerity - Scrap Th…
17 September 2017 · Britain, EU
Brexit crisis for the Tories
The Tory party is in crisis over what sort of Brexit to pursue. It is torn between the needs of big business, the xenophobia of its members, and the Hard Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and Ja…
26 July 2017 · Britain, trade unions · 1 comment
Manchester housing workers strike to defend conditions
Around 170 Unite housing maintenance workers at Mears, and joint venture company Manchester Working Limited (operated by Mears), are currently on strike in Manchester reports Ali Treacher . …
10 July 2017 · Britain, Tories
Trouble in Toryland
Politics in Britain has become very interesting, observes Sara Peterson . Having lived through Blair, Brown, the Con-Dems, Cameron’s Tory Government, there are some seismic shifts in elector…
6 July 2017 · Britain, Housing, Labour Party, trade unions · 1 comment
Step up the noise!
My ears are ringing says Terry Conway In four days I was on two protests when noise has been a central element of the action. Defend the Ritzy workers I spent time last Friday evening as par…
4 July 2017 · Britain, NHS
No birthday present to the NHS from Tories
John Lister, Editor, Health Campaigns Together, explains that Tory plans give NHS workers and users no cause for cheer at the service's Big Birthday Bash on July 5. Theresa May’s weakened bu…
3 July 2017 · · Britain · 5 comments
Another world in sight?
One sign of a good demonstration is the numbers, writes Veronica Fagan . Over 100,000 was what was fed back from the stage of the #Kick out the Tories #Not one Day more march. It certainly w…
27 June 2017 · Britain
Kick the Tories out – Organise for a Labour government
An extraordinary election campaign saw the biggest swing to Labour since 1945. The result was a triumph, demonstrating a seismic shift in British politics. Now an illegitimate Tory governmen…
27 June 2017 · · Britain, Labour Party · 6 comments
Stop messing about - The Marxist left and Labour
The Socialist, paper of the Socialist Party (SP), estimates that Labour may now have more than 700 000 members writes Andy Stowe . There’s no doubt that the party’s membership has increased …
18 June 2017 · · Britain, Housing, Tories · 5 comments
Grenfell Tower tragedy shows this Tory government is illegitimate
Elizabeth Windsor, the English queen, isn’t supposed to make political statements, but on June 16 th she announced to the world that she thinks Tory Prime Minister Theresa May is a morally g…
23 May 2017 · Britain
A murderous attack on women and girls in Manchester
Don't need permission Made my decision to test my limits 'Cause it's my business, God as my witness Start what I finished Don't need no hold up Taking control of this kind of moment I'm lock…
18 May 2017 · Britain, Labour Party · 2 comments
For a Labour victory on June 8
Labour’s election manifesto launch has boosted Corbyn’s campaign, which has been drawing thousands to rallies across the country. Debate has shifted to a new level, replacing endless ridicul…
14 April 2017 · · Britain, Climate Change, USA
Protesting Trumps threat to the planet
Alan Thornett looks at the destruction Trump is wreaking and the resistance that is growing: There are many reactionary aspects to the Trump administration: racism, misogyny, homophobia, isl…
6 April 2017 · Britain, Labour Party
A letter to Jeremy about Ken
On Wednesday, Ken Livingstone was suspended from membership for a further year for bringing the party into disrepute for comments he made in the defence of MP Naz Shah on a radio programme. …
25 March 2017 · Britain, EU
Thousands march against racist Brexit
Try and picture what a march of Brexit supporters would look like in central London, asks Andy Stowe. You immediately get images of portly men dressed in John Bull outfits, Farage gurning in…
12 March 2017 · · Britain, Labour Party · 1 comment
Momentum conferences are like buses
Andy Stowe reports from the first of this month’s Momentum conferences. Momentum describes itself as having “evolved out of Jeremy Corbyn’s 2015 Labour leadership bid to build on the energy …
27 February 2017 · · Britain, Labour Party · 8 comments
Corbynism after Copeland
by Alan Thornett It is to Jeremy Corbyn’s great credit that he has faced down, once again, the usual chorus of demands for him to resign—following Labour’s defeat in the Copeland by-election…
9 February 2017 · Britain, USA
Protesting Trump
Protests against Donald Trump have been mushrooming since his inauguration on January 20 – particularly in the USA itself but also internationally. The reaction here in Britain has been part…
11 January 2017 · Britain
Migrants not to blame. Support Free Movement
It’s not immigrants that failed to build the houses our economy needs and they don’t cause a race to the bottom on wages or conditions. Statement published in the Guardian letters page, 10.0…
6 January 2017 · Britain · 1 comment
The sigh of the oppressed creature?
David Landau analyses the rise in racism and xenophobia, and proposes ideas for resistance. Dave is an anti-racist and anti-fascist campaigner and member of No One is Illegal. There is a spe…
15 December 2016 · · Britain
Resist the attack on free speech on Israel
Roland Rance looks at what the government's new definition of antisemitism means: The Tory government’s announcement that it accepts the recommendation of the Home Affairs Select Committee a…
30 November 2016 · Britain, Housing
Axe the whole housing Act
Glynn Robbins reports on the partial victory just won by the movement to defend public housing: The partial U-turn on ‘Pay to Stay’ is very welcome, but it’s not enough. The Housing and Plan…
23 November 2016 · · Britain, Labour Party
A tale of two parties?
Veronica Fagan reports: Being in Liverpool during Labour Party conference was an extraordinary experience which I will struggle to adequately convey. In terms of what happened on conference …
8 November 2016 · · Britain, Tories
Tory Party undergoes major UKIPisation
Alan Thornett looks at what's going on: Theresa May’s government, established in a few frenzied weeks of infighting after the referendum in June, is the most right-wing administration of mod…
1 November 2016 · · Britain
What does democracy look like?
Veronica Fagan looks at some of the issues Over the last few days there has been a lot of brouhaha about what’s happening with Momentum. Unpicking what is behind the controversies is complex…
23 October 2016 · Britain · 1 comment
Anti-Zionism is not a crime
While most attention has been, quite rightly, focused on opposing the smears and witch-hunts against Jackie Walker and other targets for supposed antisemitism, Israel’s supporters and apolog…
24 June 2016 · Britain, EU · 7 comments
Brexit vote is a disaster, but the struggle goes on
Socialist Resistance statement on the result of the EU referendum The Brexit vote to leave the EU is a victory for the right-wing xenophobes and a disaster for the struggle against austerity…