In the midst of splits and political meltdown, a way forward for Labour
John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn
The resignation of eight Labour MPs and three Tories from their parties in order to form a reactionary “Independent” Group in the House of Commons is a clear indication that the present Parliamentary system is in the midst of a nervous breakdown. Holding the fractured system together looks like mission impossible. A strategy to renew and extend democracy is essential, especially for the Labour Party if it is to succeed in ousting the Tories and coming to power. Read more
School pupils strike back against climate chaos
Pupils from all over the country went on strike on February 15 calling 
for action over climate change. They were inspired by Greta Thunberg, the 15-year-old Swede who skipped school to protest about her government doing nothing to stop the eco-crisis. See the fantastic photos from the London demo by Peter Arkell
Poetry as witness and engine of change
I am large, I contain multitudes. Walt Whitman’s words in Song of Myself capture the generous and expansive spirit of one of America’s best-known poets. They also perfectly describe the outcome of months and years of labour by fellow poet and editor al-Sayegh who has just published two books by poets Stephen Watts and Jenny Lewis in Arabic & English. Read more
McCullin’s photographic voice for the people
Local Boys in Bradford 1972
The photographs are stunning, of war and poverty and suffering mainly, all in black and white and accompanied in each of the ten display rooms by a revealing quote from the photographer who took them – Don McCullin. McCullin who is 83 now but still working, grew up in a deprived part of north London and got his break with a picture of a gang, all mates of his, posing and looking cool inside an old house that had lost its frontage. Read more
Ruskin – a man of his time and of our time
Events around the country are celebrating the bi-centenary of John Ruskin’s birth on 8 February – #Ruskin200. Thinker, campaigner, artist, scientist, educator and social critic John Ruskin was one of the most contradictory of all the famous Victorians.
He was both a man of his time and a man looking to the future – even while distraught about the world around him. Read more
Fracking is cracking up
Fracking has been described as a ponzi scheme. And that’s pretty much what it is. In a recent report I published for Frackwatch that focused on the relationship with fracked gas and the plastics industry, I highlighted the incredible corruption within the shale gas industry that encapsulates the sheer insanity of neoliberalism on steroids. Read more
Mapping out the road from Wigan Pier
RDM supporters from around the UK came together in November at Wigan’s Sunshine House. Getting to grips with neoliberalism teach/learn-in discussed four presentations – on climate change, precarity, democracy and culture and identity. Read the report: Mapping out the road from Wigan Pier.
Why capitalism is crisis
Brexit crisis: beware threat of a national government
Brexit as seen by Banksy
A deepening, unpredictable political and constitutional crisis sparked by Brexit could have far-reaching consequences before the year is out. Some commentators have suggested that it is the biggest political challenge facing the ruling elites since the General Strike of 1926. Read more
First steps taken in scenario-planning to defend a Corbyn government
As the Tory government staggers from pillar to post, split many ways over Brexit, the prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn-led government becomes more real by the day. That’s why making preparations now for the attacks it would inevitably face is critical. Significant progress was made at our recent scenario-planning day where an open and participative discussion examined a variety of threats and possible solutions. It began
The National Health Service remains the greatest achievement in the ongoing struggle for social justice in Britain and the best way to mark its 70th birthday is to move forward into a new era of democratic control and accountability.
Read more…
Everything you wanted to know about neoliberalism but were afraid to ask
A profound crisis is threatening humanity. Democratic politics is being driven out by authoritarian populism in country after country. The planet’s fragile ecosystem is under unprecedented assault as a result of profit-seeking overproduction. International conflict looms more threateningly than at any time since the 1930s. Last, but not least, the global economic system has been undermined by financial speculation and slowing growth, says the introduction to Time’s Up for Neoliberalism. Read more
A one-state policy is route to peaceful solution for Palestinians and Israelis – RDM statement
The RDM and its supporters condemn the criminal actions of the Israeli government with regards to the violent, unprovoked response to peaceful Palestinian protesters taking part in the Great March of Return on the Gaza/Israel border.
A victim of the Israeli army’s brutal response to the Great March of Return
We also condemn the complicity of the UK government in failing to acknowledge the Israeli government’s persistent violations of international law and the export of arms to the Israeli armed forces.
We affirm our support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and ask RDM supporters to find ways to support it. The Palestinian people, who on May 15 mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba – when 700,000 had to flee or were expelled from their lands – cannot win their rights and a future on their own. They need global solidarity.
We also send our support to the six Israeli human rights organisations currently taking court action challenging the shoot-to-kill policy of the Israeli Defence Force. A small but growing number of Israeli teenagers are refusing to join the IDF for their national service and their stand gives hope for the future.
We salute the heroism of those Palestinians taking part in the Great March of Return. It is clear that a fresh approach is needed, for the two-state policy has collapsed. President Donald Trump has put the final nail in its coffin with his illegitimate recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
We support the courageous one-state campaigners inside Israel – and others who campaign for this policy – as the only route to a peaceful solution where Palestinian and Israeli people of all ethnic backgrounds and religious affiliations can live together.
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