Back to the Club
This year’s 160th anniversary of the working men’s club movement went widely unnoticed – but at a time when community spaces are closing and the price of a pint is hurtling up, its history is one worth remembering.
3626 Articles by:
Raven Hart
Raven Hart is co-founder of the Bristol Cooperative Alliance, an organisation that aims to promote a decentralised economy that empowers local communities and facilitates democratic self-determination.
It’s Time to Bring Bulb into Public Ownership
Rather than spending billions bailing out collapsed energy company Bulb, the government should turn it into a proper public supplier – and use it to build an energy system that works for the people who need it.
Stand By Your Postie
Today, over 115,000 postal workers are out on strike against a real-terms pay cut. Why? It’s simple: workers will not accept their living standards corrode so CEOs can have it better than ever.
Impartiality for the Elite
Emily Maitlis’ comments about Tory Party influence at the BBC are obviously right. But they’re also only part of the picture – which is why those who have made them before have been dismissed as conspiracy theorists.
Universities Have Screwed Over Their Staff for Too Long
New research shows universities around the country have increased income and investments while staff are faced with cuts to pay and pensions and worsening conditions. It’s time for things to change.
The Stakes in Brazil’s Election Couldn’t Be Higher
Ahead of October’s election, with leftist Lula leading the polls, fears are rising of a Bolsonaro coup – meaning it’s the entirety of Brazil’s democracy at stake.
Behind the Childcare Crisis
Childcare is in crisis as parents grapple with unaffordable costs and underpaid and overworked nursery staff reach breaking point. It’s time for serious change – with childcare funded properly and treated as a public good.
Italy’s Far-Right Are on the Cusp of Power
After the collapse of Italy’s technocratic government, its next prime minister looks increasingly likely to be Fratelli d’Italia’s Giorgia Meloni – the head of a party with direct ties to the country’s fascist past.
91. Parliamentary Socialism w/ Andrew Murray
This week, Grace talks to Andrew Murray, former advisor to Jeremy Corbyn. They discuss his forthcoming book, Is Socialism Possible in Britain? Reflections on the Corbyn Years, which examines the Corbyn moment within the long history of the Labour Party.
The Maggie Complex
Liz Truss aspires to Thatcher’s legacy – but her approach so far has been less brutal ideological crusade and more a nasty game of right-wing lucky dip.
Water Privatisation Has Been an Irredeemable Failure
Beaches are filled with sewage and leaks waste billions of litres of water a day while water company executives take home six-figure bonuses. It’s time to look after our water properly – by taking profit out of the equation.
90. Left Bloc w/ James Schneider
This week, Grace is joined by James Schneider, former Head of Strategic Communications for Jeremy Corbyn, to talk about his book Our Bloc: How We Win. They discuss the challenges facing the Left in the UK and around the world—and how we can bring together the disparate parts of our movement responding to the cost of living and climate crises into a coherent bloc to build power.
It’s a Crisis for Workers and a Jackpot for Bosses
Wages are dropping at their fastest rate on record, but executive pay rose by nearly 40% last year. That it’s workers, not bosses, being told to practice pay restraint is a reminder that the whole system is rigged in favour of the rich.
How Sri Lanka’s Government Fell
After a wave of protest last month forced Sri Lanka’s president from office, Ceylon Teachers’ Union general secretary Joseph Stalin speaks about the labour movement’s role in the uprising – and about the struggles that still lie ahead.
Thatcher’s War on the Internet
Britain was a once a leader in the global race for fibre optic technology. Then the Thatcher government sold off the factories – and now we have slow speeds, high prices, and workers facing real-terms pay cuts.
The Heart of the Problem Is Private Ownership
There’s nothing neutral or natural about resource ownership being concentrated in the hands of an elite few – and the countless crises now hitting the public make it clear a democratic alternative is long overdue.
The P&O Scandal Shows Britain Is a Bosses’ Paradise
The fact P&O won’t face criminal proceedings over its mass sacking of 800 workers is a reminder of the impunity enjoyed by rogue bosses in the British economy – and of the urgent need to overhaul our labour laws.
Inside Amazon’s Wildcat Strikes
Amazon, one of the most profitable companies on Earth, can afford more than a pathetic 35p pay rise amid a cost of living catastrophe – and this month, its employees have been taking on the behemoth.
Why London Bus Drivers Have Joined the Strike Wave
London bus drivers were some of the worst hit by the pandemic, and as thanks, many are now being slapped with a real-terms pay cut – so alongside tube and train staff, 1,600 are striking this weekend to demand something better.
A Letter From Kharkiv
Ukraine’s second city, once capital of Soviet Ukraine and a centre of socialist experiment in the 1920s, has been shelled for months. How will it survive the scale of destruction?