Thatcher’s Island
Britain is going through both an identity crisis and a process of political disintegration – both of which can trace their roots to the great national project of recent decades: neoliberal reform.
3626 Articles by:
Billy Anania
Billy Anania is an art critic, editor, and journalist in New York City.
The NHS on Film
The launch of the National Health Service was accompanied by ‘Your Very Good Health’ – a witty, clever and progressive public information film that helped to win support for socialised medicine.
Artificial Intelligence: The Class Struggle’s Next Frontier
Artificial intelligence is being deployed at an increasingly rapid rate by corporate managers. Instead of vague conversations about its ethics, we need to be talking about how workers can use it too.
At-Home Abortions Are a Class Issue
Last year, the government made home-use abortion pills available to all. It’s now considering going back to clinic appointments – despite the time, money, and stress that at-home pills save.
The Anti-Colonial Revolution
Radical post-colonial leaders like Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere didn’t just want independence — they wanted to break the political and economic order that kept the Global South in subjugation.
The First Metropolis to Disappear
Patrick Keiller’s classic 1994 film ‘London’ combines a left-wing critique of the development of Britain’s capital with an ambitious aesthetic – but more than 25 years later, even its version of the city seems utopian.
Behind Durham’s Enduring Mining Tradition
The Durham Miners’ Gala is an institution of the British labour movement – but behind it, the Redhills building, Pitman’s Parliament and long-lasting Association provide a glimpse into the power of workers’ self-organisation.
Why We Need an NHS New Deal
Covid-19 has exposed the crisis in our NHS and the need for a radical overhaul. It’s time to restore a proper public health system that puts patients and workers before the interests of private profit.
How Big Tech Is Becoming the Government
A handful of Big Tech corporations now wield more power than most national governments. It’s time to subject them to democratic control – before their power erodes democracy.
What a ‘Just Transition’ Would Really Look Like
Any strategy for combatting climate change that doesn’t focus on delivering well-paid, unionised jobs is doomed to fail – we need a vision of a Green New Deal with workers at its heart.
The Marxist Rupert Murdoch
In the 1920s and ’30s, German publisher Willi Münzenberg built a network of magazines, newspapers and film studios that terrified big business interests. It became the largest left-wing media operation in history.
Marseille’s Left-Wing Government on the Rocks
Last June, France’s second city of Marseille voted for a left-wing government after two decades of conservative rule – but maintaining a broad coalition amid Covid-19 financial pressures is proving difficult to manage.
How the Bank of England Is Deepening Covid-19 Inequality
By pumping billions of pounds into quantitative easing programmes, the Bank of England is propping up the asset and stock prices of the rich – in the midst of an unemployment crisis that is hammering workers.
Modi’s War Against India’s Farmers
India’s farmer protests are mounting a major challenge to the Modi regime – and the violence deployed in response shows that the government senses the threat.
23. When Activism Is Called Terrorism: An Interview with Ben Smoke
This week, Grace speaks to Stansted 15 activist Ben Smoke about the hostile environment, the power of direct action, and the steady degradation of human rights in Britain.
Workers to BT: Get Serious in Negotiations or Face Industrial Action
In December, CWU members in BT Group overwhelmingly rejected the company’s plans for mass redundancies. Now they have a message: start real negotiations soon, or we ballot for industrial action.
Adios, Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos is stepping aside as Amazon’s CEO having made a fortune of almost $200 billion. It’s an attempt at reputation rehabilitation – but he can’t escape the legacy of exploitation he leaves behind.
Remembering E. P. Thompson
E. P. Thompson, author of ‘The Making of the English Working Class,’ was born on this day in 1924. His work reclaimed history for the masses – and displayed a resilient hope in their capacity to remake the world.
Bertrand Russell: The Philosopher-Englishman
Philosopher Bertrand Russell died on this day in 1970. In memory of his life, we republish Michael Foot’s tribute to “the incorrigible dissenter, the foremost sceptic and exponent of free thought throughout the last half-dozen decades.”
Ecuador’s Left Is Back – And On the Verge of Power
Four years after Rafael Correa’s successor Lenín Moreno abandoned the Citizen Revolution for neoliberalism, Ecuador’s Left is back. We speak to presidential frontrunner Andrés Arauz ahead of this weekend’s election.