Issue 1586 - 21 May 2026
More than street numbers
Far more were on the Palestine march than Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom. But, what with Reform UK, it would be a profound mistake to dismiss the far right as just a marginal force, argues Eddie Ford
Letters
Dismal results; Kitchen communism; Hard-right Greens?; Imperialist China?
Burnham rolls the dice
Can the ‘king of the north’ complete his royal progress towards Westminster? And, if he does, what then? Paul Demarty explains the limits of Manchesterism
Behind members’ backs
The first couple of official Your Party branches are being set up in the most hesitant, most fearful, most controlled way imaginable. Carla Roberts reports
A perfect spy
BBC bosses and the securocracy continue with their campaign to denigrate Michael Bettaney and therefore hide the murderous criminality of the British state in the Six Counties and the sheer incompetence of MI5. Jack Conrad puts the record straight
Further swing to right
Narendra Modi’s far-right BJP has made further gains at state elections and has almost totally marginalised the left. Given the country’s extremes of wealth and poverty this might seem paradoxical. Michael Roberts investigates the politics and economics of the world’s most populous country
Reshaping the balance
China is increasingly being treated as a near-peer economic rival. In light of the Trump-Xi summit, Yassamine Mather examines the nature of the country and its rivalry with the US
Sectarianism spawns liberalism
We do not advocate an ecumenical party, nor non-aggression pacts. On the contrary, political debates and political struggles are vital. As a sort of addendum, Mike Macnair replies to Red Ant Collective’s ‘anti-factionalism’
Diagnosis of systemic failure
There is a huge gap between the life expectancy of the rich and the poor. When it comes to healthy life expectancy, things are bad and getting worse. However it could be very different, says James Linney