The Glottal Stop
In many parts of British society hearing a working-class accent is a shock – but in professional circles, it is often interpreted as a transgression that needs to be policed.
3625 Articles by:
Ellie Whittaker
Ellie Woolstencroft is an activist with Labour for a Green New Deal.
Blair’s Trade Union Reform at 20
Twenty years ago today Tony Blair introduced a reform which promised to lead to widespread union recognition. Two decades on, it’s clear that he led unions up the garden path.
Scottish Labour’s Groundhog Day
The only path to recovery for Scottish Labour lies in respecting the right of the people to decide their constitutional future – but the party is determined to make the next ten years look the same as the last.
Only Change Can Keep Sheffield Red
As an unpopular Labour establishment looks set to lose control of Sheffield City Council – the former ‘People’s Republic of South Yorkshire’ – it’s clear that real change is needed to reverse the party’s decline.
Why Labour Needs to Be Radical on Housing
Britain is in the midst of its worst housing crisis since the Second World War and, with the temporary ban on evictions almost over, Labour needs to be at the forefront of defending tenants, argues Momentum NCG candidate Laura McAlpine.
America’s Police Riot
The behaviour of police across the United States in the past week has made clear that they are not trying to restore order – instead, they are punishing protestors for questioning their authority.
Saint Monday
The balance between work and leisure time has been contested for centuries including, famously, in ‘Saint Monday’ – where workers declared their own day off when a one-day weekend was not enough.
Making up for Lost Time
A new report looks at recent campaigns where workers and their unions have won shorter working hours – and asks whether they can offer a progressive solution to impending economic crises.
The Limits of Tory Spending
The new Tory government is increasing public spending to shore up its cross-class coalition – how Labour responds to their bigger state will define the next few years.
Are Britain’s Unions Making a Comeback?
Recent membership figures contain some positive news for Britain’s trade unions, but they are a long way from reversing decades of decline – there remains a monumental fight ahead to save the movement.
Bertolt Brecht in Dark Times
A new set of translations of the socialist poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht reminds us that the greatest of writers often lived through the darkest of times.
Remembering Capitalism’s Crimes
A new book uncovers the reality of America’s victory in the Cold War – detailing how massacres of leftists in 22 countries helped to overcome resistance to capitalism across the world, writes Grace Blakeley.
American Unions Can Lead the Struggle for Racial Justice
America’s labour movement has a radical history of fighting racism – from segregation to the far-right. In 2020, it can play a crucial role again in the battle against police violence.
When Channel 4 Was Radical
In its first decade, Channel 4 took risks and developed programming that gave voice to the marginalised – from Black radicals to Irish republicans, and gay rights campaigners to striking miners.
Donald Trump’s War on ‘Antifa’
By raising the spectre of ‘antifa’ and outside agitators, the US President is trying to cast protestors against police violence as alien – and legitimise brutal crackdowns in the process.
Why Black People Are Bearing the Brunt of Covid-19
From working in the most dangerous jobs to racist immigration policies, structural inequalities have placed Black people at the frontline of Covid-19 – with deadly consequences.
Art and Emergency
A new study explores how artists and photographers in India responded to the country’s disasters of the last century – and asks what creative responses might be offered to emergencies closer to home.
9 Ways Coronavirus Could Transform Capitalism
The authors of a new book on financialisation explore some of the ways coronavirus is impacting the global capitalist system – and suggest ways it could change for better and for worse.
Marx at the Ecosexual Workshop
The newspaper columns of Paul B. Preciado combine queer history and a sober account of the last decade of left advance.
A Letter From Mexico City
Mexico last dealt with a pandemic in 2009, causing a terrible economic crisis, in the aftermath of an election stolen from the centre-left candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. How well prepared is it now that ‘AMLO’ is in power?