WeeklyWorker

Eddie Ford

Eddie Ford spent his formative years in deepest South Devon, a very sleepy part of the world. Despite that, or maybe because of it, from an extremely early age he felt the gravitational pull of revolutionary politics and communism. Initially studying Drama/Theatre, he ended up graduating in International Politics and Strategic Studies. Whilst at Aberystwyth the then Militant Tendency made the mistake of trying to recruit Eddie but fled in terror from his ‘ultra-leftism’ when he expressed scepticism at the idea that socialism could be ushered in by parliament passing an enabling bill nationalising the top 150 companies/banks - or that homosexuality was an unfortunate by-product of capitalist alienation and hence would wither away under socialism.

When living in London, Eddie briefly joined the ‘dynamic’ Revolutionary Communist Party (Furedite) in the mid-1980s but lacked both dress-sense and career-sense so flopped out. He became a supporter of the CPGB/PCC in 1991 just when the bourgeois media - and Socialist Worker - were triumphantly crowing about the ‘collapse of communism’, etc. He has life-long interests in science fiction, Darwinism/evolutionary theory, ecological/environmental questions and religion.

Latest articles by Eddie Ford

Staring into the abyss

Far from Jeremy Hunt’s budget being a ‘gamechanger’, it has backfired on the Tories, writes Eddie Ford. Indeed, with Braverman, Anderson and now Hester, the government has suffered one PR disaster after another

Courtship by mega-donors

Tories are still capitalism’s preferred party of government, but Labour’s commanding poll lead helps explain why so many of the filthy rich are shifting their loyalties, writes Eddie Ford

Threat to Sunak from right

If polls and by-elections are to be trusted, the Tories face a big challenge from the far right - and before that the possible loss of former vice-chair Lee Anderson, writes Eddie Ford

Sentiments have steadily shifted

There is a massive gulf over Gaza between the servile political class and the majority of the British population, writes Eddie Ford

Climate socialism and climate breakdown

Despite global warming, the slowing down of the Amoc system would paradoxically see Britain much colder and wetter. But any solution to the climate crisis, writes Eddie Ford, must lie outside of capitalism

A culture of apology

David Miller is worth more than the whole pack of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs put together. Apologising makes you complicit, but taking a stand brings vindication, writes Eddie Ford

Safe space for business

Team Starmer is being supported financially by very high-net-worth individuals and big companies. Have no doubts we are on course for the most rightwing Labour government ever, writes Eddie Ford

A comedy of errors

Vastly expensive, unsafe and inextricably linked to weapons of mass destruction - Eddie Ford rejects the madness of nuclear power

Police, soldiers and gangs

Once relatively stable, Ecuador has quickly become a failed state, highlighting the criminal failure of the insane ‘war on drugs’, writes Eddie Ford

Preparing for disillusionment

Losing ground badly in the polls, facing more by-election defeats, and with Reform UK breathing down his neck, it is not surprising that Rishi Sunak wants to go for a late election, writes Eddie Ford

Record-breaking in the wrong way

Storms, floods, drought and fire on an almost biblical scale presage social breakdown. It is socialism or barbarism, says Eddie Ford

Living on a knife edge

Attacked on all fronts over Rwanda, Rishi Sunak survived the vote this time. But, with the various factions pulling in opposite directions, he seems to be heading for a general election defeat, writes Eddie Ford

Blowtorching the planet

Despite carbon emissions hitting record highs, Cop28 has been yet another talking shop, writes Eddie Ford

Battle for Tory soul

There is more trouble for Sunak, writes Eddie Ford, with record net figures - much to the anger and consternation of the Tory right

Desperately seeking martyrdom

With the Tories facing an electoral drubbing and having no coherent strategy, Rishi Sunak is reduced to day-to-day politicking, writes Eddie Ford

Too little, too late

Capitalism is frying the planet. This year will almost certainly be the hottest on record and next year might possibly be even worse, writes Eddie Ford

Wider solution needed

The SWP is championing a single-state Palestine using mistaken comparisons with apartheid South Africa. When it comes to Israel-Palestine, there is no bourgeois democratic solution, writes Eddie Ford

Digging to resist

The Gaza metro of underground tunnels presents a formidable challenge for the Israeli killing machine. In this case, writes Eddie Ford, the weak might just overcome the strong

Deserting the ship

Birds of ill omen are flying for Rishi Sunak and the Tory government. After two big by-election wins, Sir Keir increasingly looks like a prime minister in waiting, writes Eddie Ford

What you need to know about Hamas

Eddie Ford looks at the history and politics of what is a deeply reactionary organisation and how we could win the battle of ideas

Staring at an electoral drubbing

Peddling conspiracy theories, bashing the EU, migrants and the undeserving poor - no wonder Nigel Farage loved it. But, writes Eddie Ford, this year’s Tory conference was dominated by one issue: HS2

Driving the green wedge

Rishi Sunak’s sudden U-turn is the result of desperation … and a leak, writes Eddie Ford. Meanwhile, yet another authoritative report shows that yet another climate record is in danger of being broken

Expect more hot air

Claims of defying the government’s latest anti-trade union laws and at the same time supporting its war aims in Ukraine are in flat contradiction, writes Eddie Ford

Dog days of summer

Yet more climate records fall, but the Tory government is criminally ‘maxing out’ fossil fuels and sabotaging the expansion of offshore wind capacity, writes Eddie Ford

Old enemies, new friends

Joe Biden’s ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ with Vietnam is about blocking the rise of China, writes Eddie Ford. It will mean more visits from the Pacific fleet, more trade and new weapons

From chef to payback

Eddie Ford gives his thoughts on the predictable death of Wagner’s public face and the likely culprit

Land, sea and air records

Yet more grim statistics show that the planet is getting hotter and hotter, writes Eddie Ford. Meanwhile the Tories are denouncing eco-zealots, campaigning against Ulez and granting yet more oil and gas concessions

Clean air as a right

Following the Uxbridge by-election, there has been a huge row over the extension of London’s Ulez scheme. Both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are standing up for the right to pollute. Eddie Ford stands up for the right to breathe clean, unpolluted air

A living nightmare

Frequent, intense and deadly wildfires are the inevitable result of record temperatures. But this is not simply down to us humans: the climate crisis is driven by capitalism, writes Eddie Ford

Point of no return

Temperature records fall one after the other. Things are on course to get worse, not better. Clearly stunts are not enough, we need to get serious about system change, writes Eddie Ford

Cost of Fortress Europe

Those who horrifically drowned off the Greek coast were fleeing intolerable conditions. Eddie Ford argues for free movement, citizenship rights and effective trade unions

Sir Humphreys vs Tory right

Some civil service mandarins have a different political agenda from their Tory ministers. Indeed, Eddie Ford suspects that the Labour shadow cabinet is far more to their liking

Lowering the stakes

Starmer’s promise to be ‘New Labour on steroids’ is not about being exciting, but boring. Eddie Ford offers some thoughts on mainstream politics

Smother, stifle and suppress

Saturday’s coronation was accompanied by a clampdown on anti-monarchy protestors. Eddie Ford wonders what the state would do if faced with a serious republican movement

Powers hidden in reserve

This Saturday, says Eddie Ford, should remind us that the role of the monarchy is not only about pomp, circumstance and providing popular entertainment

Servants as masters

Eddie Ford says Dominic Raab was forced to quit after a political struggle between ministry’s policy and minister’s policy

All power to the 3.5%?

The SWP cheers on those committed to minority, isolated actions such as blowing up pipelines, not those who stress programme, class politics and using elections to win majority support, writes Eddie Ford

Drugs war idiocy

Government policy and science part company yet again, writes Eddie Ford. Banning laughing gas for recreational purposes is, when it comes to health, sheer irrationality

50:50 for 1.5°C?

Global warming looks set to continue for thousands of years, writes Eddie Ford. Yet not only are we still being sold pseudo-solutions like electric cars and carbon capture, but the government is still committed to sustaining the fossil fuel industry

Justice of the victors

Talk of putting Vladimir Putin on trial in The Hague shows how the west is seeking the total defeat of Russia, writes Eddie Ford. But will president Xi come to the aid of his ‘dear friend’?

Let’s be beastly to foreigners

The Illegal Migration Bill is the opening shot of the Tory general election campaign, writes Eddie Ford

Bakhmut is hell on earth

Both sides seem determined to send ever greater numbers into the human meat-grinder. The battle owes more to symbolism than strategic calculation, writes Eddie Ford

Sturgeon’s final straw

Have we reached ‘peak SNP’? Is the dream of Scottish independence now fading? Eddie Ford reports on the leadership battle and continuing culture wars

Getting out the big stick

As part of their war against the ‘economically inactive’, the Tories want to scapegoat and harass, writes Eddie Ford

Picket lines and ballot box

Mass strikes, soaring food and energy prices, Tory sleaze scandals - all speak of the return of the ‘British disease’. Eddie Ford says that is why sections of the mainstream media could well back Sir Keir in 2024, and why we need our own political alternative

From Dixon to Carrick

Following the latest scandal involving the Met, Eddie Ford agrees with SWP’s call for the abolition of the police. But then what?

Hypocrisy, lies and disinformation

Exxon long knew about the catastrophic effects of global warming, writes Eddie Ford. But they denied it, because what comes first is making money

Strategy, turns and dangers

Run by a self-appointed elite, XR has ‘quit’ the tactic of disruption, much to the disapproval of the SWP. Eddie Ford comments

Turning in a blind panic

Beijing was forced to abandon its draconian zero-covid policy by mass protests, writes Eddie Ford. But now the pandemic is raging through the country due to an inadequate vaccination programme and an overwhelmed health service

Dying of the planet

The Montreal conference on biodiversity was always, predictably, heading towards failure, writes Eddie Ford. Because of the Capitalian, the sixth mass extinction of species is already upon us

Zero-Covid and its discontents

Beijing’s failure to roll out an effective vaccination programme has forced it to rely on lockdowns. However, there are leftwing Sinophiles who want to emulate the Xi regime, writes Eddie Ford

Planet left to fry

Eddie Ford is not surprised that Cop27 was a failure, all participants are committed to growth for the sake of growth

Bleak expectations

With Rishi Sunak probably having little chance of winning the next election and Keir Starmer waiting in the wings, we should expect Austerity 3.0, writes Eddie Ford

Highway to misery

The Tories are coming after us again with ‘Austerity 2.0’, writes Eddie Ford. But resistance is mounting in the form of increased strike action

Greenwashing the crisis

While the planet stands on the edge of runaway climate change, another totally inadequate Cop conference is about to begin. But, writes Eddie Ford, protest politics is also totally inadequate

Tories in a hole

Rishi Sunak may have been crowned by MPs, writes Eddie Ford. But he faces a near impossible task of uniting his chronically divided party, let alone solving the economic crisis

Dead woman walking

‘Trussonomics’ is well and truly over, writes Eddie Ford. Jeremy Hunt is now in charge and Tory MPs are furiously plotting to kill off Liz Truss, a prime minister in name only

Right sets left’s agenda

Victory for pale pink Lula would represent the defeat of Trump’s ally, Jair Bolsonaro, writes Eddie Ford - and therefore would be welcome news for Joe Biden

Cornered, bellicose and dangerous

The lady was for turning after all, writes Eddie Ford, and the Tories are now in a state of open civil war, facing a crushing electoral defeat. So will Liz Truss play the Ukraine war card?

Desperate throw of the dice

With the pound falling and yields on government gilts rising, markets are delivering their verdict on Kwasi Kwarteng’s ‘growth plan’, writes Eddie Ford

Much ado about nothing?

Eddie Ford surveys leftwing coverage of the death, mass outpouring and funeral of Elizabeth Windsor, and finds some more lacking than others

Learn from Oliver Cromwell

With Charles III, no fundamental change to the monarchy will be delivered from above, writes Eddie Ford. The institution serves capitalism wonderfully as part of its system of checks and balances against democracy

Storm clouds gather

Liz Truss denounced ‘handouts’ and ‘redistribution’ on the campaign trail - now she has announced a £100 billion energy price cap. Eddie Ford gives his day-one assessment of Britain’s new prime minister

A hot autumn too

Things are clearly heading towards a monumental explosion of strikes and protests, writes Eddie Ford

Gunning for China

Eddie Ford wonders whether the much-heralded Kherson counter-offensive and massive deliveries of western armaments could be a potential game-changer

General strike call

Leadership favourite Liz Truss has promised to impose ‘minimum service levels’ on striking workers just 30 days after coming into office. In response, Mick Lynch says he will campaign for the TUC to call a general strike. Eddie Ford comments

Toryland now decides

Rank-and-file Conservatives are more likely to vote for Liz Truss than the so-called ‘socialist’, Rishi Sunak - or so we are told. Eddie Ford investigates

Expect an early general election

Smear campaigns, dirty dossiers, stitch-ups - yes, it is a Tory leadership contest. Eddie Ford also notes that Penny Mordaunt is way out in front when it comes to the bookies

Take it back from them

As everyone knows, Pride began as a radical protest march, but has long been taken over by big business. Eddie Ford warns against the logic of sectionalism

To play the king

Despite two by-election defeats and partygate, Eddie Ford does not write off Boris Johnson quite yet

Beyond the pale

Alex Davies of National Action has been jailed for eight and a half years. Such legislation can easily be directed against the left and the working class movement, Eddie Ford warns

Jubilee versus democracy

Much of the left fails to take the monarchy seriously. But Eddie Ford reminds the SWP of the shameful moment when it voted against republicanism in Respect so as not to alienate royalists

Jumping through the hoops

As RMT members vote overwhelmingly for industrial action, the Tories are threatening to enact yet more anti-trade union laws. Eddie Ford urges defiance

Making anti-Zionism a crime

Government attacks on the NUS for ‘anti-Semitism’ are part and parcel of a much wider political offensive, writes Eddie Ford

Little to get excited about

As predicted, the Tories suffered losses, writes Eddie Ford. But Sir Keir has made no obvious progress - and nor has what passes for the left

Trouble in paradise

Like other such territories, the British Virgin Islands is an outpost of corrupt City of London financial scams and operations, writes Eddie Ford

Booze, lies and votes

The Tories face a hammering on May 5, but, says Eddie Ford, you are very unlikely to find a principled leftwing candidate

Out of sight, out of mind?

Rwanda deal is a cynical election ploy, writes Eddie Ford

Process of poverty

Will there be a new Winter of Discontent in response to the cost of living crisis? Eddie Ford is hopeful, but it will only happen with organisation and challenging the grip of the trade union bureaucracy

Squeezing the poor

The chancellor’s spring statement means increasing numbers will have to choose between eating or heating, writes Eddie Ford

Putin to the rescue

Ukraine has saved Boris Johnson’s bacon and he knows it, writes Eddie Ford

An unsafe technology

Russian shelling near the Zaporizhzhia plant is a stark reminder of the inherently dangerous nature of nuclear power, warns Eddie Ford

Our sort of refugees?

The Ukraine crisis sharply highlights the communist demand for open borders, writes Eddie Ford

Complex and chaotic

It seems that freak weather events are becoming increasingly normal, writes Eddie Ford

Main enemy is at home

When it comes to Ukraine, writes Eddie Ford, what matters is not territorial integrity, but the danger of generalised war in Europe

Facts on the ground

Eddie Ford argues that supporting Ukrainian self-determination, without taking into account Nato expansionism and the rights of the Russian minority, effectively means backing US imperialist interests

Pink is the colour

Despite supposedly bringing “feminism and gender perspective to power”, Gabriel Boric does not impress Eddie Ford. What sort of “candidate of the streets” supports laws criminalising street barricades?

Operation Save Big Dog

Is Boris Johnson toast? Eddie Ford comments on the partygate scandals and what it means for Sir Keir’s prospects

Civilisation in jeopardy

Extreme weather is becoming typical weather, writes Eddie Ford, and the cause is undeniable: capitalism

Fun and punishment

Crazily, the government wants to intensify the cruel and unwinnable ‘war on drugs’. Eddie Ford, on the other hand, wants to call it off and legalise all drugs

Beware of Nazi obsession

We must oppose the fascist right, writes Eddie Ford. But we should also oppose state bans on organisations and ‘dangerous’ books

Thin end of the wedge

We should oppose both the banning of Hamas and its leftwing apologists, writes Eddie Ford

From hell to even worse

The so-called migrant crisis results from the imperialist system itself, argues Eddie Ford

Ten days of change

Following the Owen Paterson fiasco, Labour has leapt forward in the polls. Eddie Ford argues that this creates problems for the standard left narrative of a useless Keir Starmer

Government extortion racket

Boris Johnson’s screeching U-turn over Owen Paterson brilliantly highlighted the endemic corruption in the government party, writes Eddie Ford

Give a little and take a lot

Though there was nothing, not a thing, on the environment. Rishi Sunak’s ‘big state, high tax’ budget had a distinctly populist feel, writes Eddie Ford

A 2.7 degree wake-up call

The UK government’s response is woefully inadequate. So keep your expectations about Cop26 really low, advises a worried Eddie Ford

Common caste identity

Eddie Ford says that the killing of rightwing Tory MP David Amess reveals a lot about careerist politicians in general. And not only on the Labour right … there is the official and unofficial Labour ‘left’ too

Facing ecological meltdown

Eddie Ford is not surprised to learn that Britain is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries

Cold war hots up

As the US and Britain set about arming Australia with nuclear-powered subs and Indian troops dig in at high altitude, Chinese warplanes prod and probe Taiwan’s air defences. Eddie Ford warns that a shooting war is far from impossible

Combating the Capitalistocene

With global temperatures in danger of increasing to 1.5 ºC above pre-industrial levels by 2025, Eddie Ford fears that governments might actually do something - at our expense

Mirror images of terror

Al Qa’eda wanted to provoke, the US neocons wanted to be provoked. The result has been a whole series of failed states, writes Eddie Ford

Reruns and failures

Eddie Ford is unsurprised by America’s failure to get a smooth, South Africa-type transition of power

Code red for humanity

The IPCC report is out and what it says is grim, says Eddie Ford: major climate change is ‘inevitable’ and ‘irreversible’. Objective circumstances cry out for the left to agitate, educate and organise around a far-reaching minimum programme to prepare the working class to take power on a global scale

At the tipping point

Can the bourgeoisie be forced to adopt climate socialism? Highly unlikely, but we should not rule it out in principle. Eddie Ford highlights the necessity of a minimum programme

Generation Left terrifies right

Eddie Ford calls upon Marxists to take up the challenge to organise the socialist majority of young people

Pandemic to pingdemic

Boris Johnson’s ‘Freedom Day’ did not exactly go as planned. In fact it was a fiasco. Despite that, Eddie Ford warns of an early general election

Grim warning from Canada

Heat domes and devastating fires are ominous portents of runaway global warming. Eddie Ford warns that the future looks bleak - unless the working class organises to replace capitalist class rule at the global level

What Mao began

Now celebrating its centenary, the Communist Party of China presides over a strange hybrid social formation. Eddie Ford looks at its evolution

Blue and red walls crack

Should the left refuse to call for a Labour vote because of crap politics and crap candidates? Eddie Ford calls for strategic thinking, not knee-jerk reactions

From G7 to D11

Carbis Bay was more about creating a US-led anti-Chinese alliance than vaccinating the world or saving the planet, maintains Eddie Ford

Promises, losers and threats

The G7 summit is going to see a reassertion of American hegemony. But, asks Eddie Ford, will this really mean a return of the social democratic consensus?

The politics of denial

Class and the politics of narrow nationalism are now entwined, writes Eddie Ford. Instead of denying its own role in helping to bring about this sorry situation, the left needs to do some serious thinking

Nobody is safe till everybody is safe

As the horrific situation in India proves, writes Eddie Ford, the pandemic is far from over

Necessity of social control

We do not trust the government, writes Eddie Ford. But nor do we support unrestricted liberty

Three million and rising

With global deaths surpassing a significant landmark, Eddie Ford points the finger of blame for this horrendous example of social murder at government bungling and disorganisation

The opportunist prince

He was a typical European high aristocrat, but one who chose his side - and his bride - well, writes Eddie Ford

Royalty and the Reich

Eddie Ford reviews Channel 4's 'Queen Elizabeth and the spy in the palace', directed by Andy Webb

Blasphemy laws old and new

Freedom of speech includes the right to criticise, explain and even mock, insists Eddie Ford

Pax Americana Britannica

The defence review shows that ‘global’ Britain is totally subservient to the US, writes Eddie Ford

Living in fear

The murder of Sarah Everard has become a symbol for the violence, threats and everyday sexism suffered by women, writes Eddie Ford

Racism and The Firm

Arguably the royal family is facing the most serious crisis since the death of Diana Spencer, writes Eddie Ford

Expensive, dangerous, unnecessary

The solution to global warming does not rely on going over to nuclear power and a thousand Sizewell Cs - an accelerationist delusion, argues Eddie Ford

The Firm vs the Sussexes

Monarchy is part reality TV show, part constitutional check on democracy, writes Eddie Ford

Swords into ploughshares?

Nuclear power is no answer to global warming, argues Eddie Ford - it is incredibly expensive and inherently dangerous

Class, disease and fatality

Britain has one of the very best vaccination programmes, writes Eddie Ford, but also one of the very worst death rates

Rotting fish and carnage

For many the Brexit dream has already turned into a nightmare, writes Eddie Ford

Back to square one

The Covid catastrophe - fuelled by monumental incompetence - has forced the government to impose a new national lockdown. For the labour movement that is neither something to celebrate nor to vote for, writes Eddie Ford

Taste of things to come

While its moon ventures are clearly symbolic, writes Eddie Ford, China’s technological advances and the likely US response should not be underestimated

Dreams and cold realities

With time fast running out, will it be a deal or no deal? Eddie Ford says both sides are nervous

Star Wars posturing

Boris Johnson’s plan to squander billions on the armed forces in order to extend Britain’s ‘global influence’ is fully supported by Starmer’s Labour Party, notes Eddie Ford

An arm of the state

David Goodhart’s appointment to the EHRC reveals the truth about the quango and its wretched report into ‘Labour anti-Semitism’, says Eddie Ford

Stonewalling unionism hankers after direct rule

There needs to be a democratic and internationalist answer to the ever-growing demand for independence, says Eddie Ford

Putting Zionism in charge

Outsourcing of ‘anti-Semitism’ training and disciplinary procedures to the likes of the Jewish Labour Movement must be opposed, writes Eddie Ford

Smugglers and snakeheads

Advocating non-racist immigration controls not only means lining up with national chauvinism, argues Eddie Ford. It is also self-defeating

Gambling on chlorinated chicken

Boris Johnson seems to be playing a high-risk game of poker with the EU. Eddie Ford looks at the latest Brexit developments

Winning the battle

Celebrating the conviction of Golden Dawn leaders is all well and good, says Eddie Ford, but freedom of speech is the left’s biggest weapon

Ministry of Truth

Outlawing anti-capitalism in schools is the thin end of the wedge. Boris Johnson’s government is shifting ever further to the right, warns Eddie Ford

Testament to failure

With over a million deaths globally, writes Eddie Ford, criminal incompetence has inevitably led to a second spike

Accidents do happen

Eddie Ford suspects that Boris Johnson’s attempt to undermine the Brexit withdrawal agreement means he is gambling on a second-term Trump presidency

Socialism or extinction

Wildfires in Oregon and California point towards catastrophe in the near future, writes Eddie Ford

Return of the Denim Revolution

Have no illusions in the western-backed Belarus opposition, warns Eddie Ford

Poor, huddled and desperate

The Tory Party and sections of the press are whipping up a panic about ‘invading’ migrants, writes Eddie Ford

Arise, Lady Fox

The Revolutionary Communist Party has gone on an odd journey, writes Eddie Ford. After emerging from the SWP, it has travelled from the Red Front to the Brexit Party - and now the House of Lords

Lost Tribe of Judah

We have to learn to live with offensive ideas and statements, argues Eddie Ford - whether they originate from Wiley and the Black Hebrews, mainstream Zionism or Judeo-Christianity

On a wing and a prayer

Like you, Eddie Ford is sceptical about things ‘returning to normal’ by Christmas

Roll call of shame

Huge numbers have died unnecessarily, writes Eddie Ford, yet still we have the rightwing ideology of Covid denial

Not just one idiot historian

Slavery involved the loss of life on a staggering scale, and it was bound up with the capitalist mode of production, writes Eddie Ford

Recolouring the past

Jesus was not white, that is for sure. But then nor was he a Christian, says Eddie Ford. He was an apocalyptic revolutionary who hated the Roman empire and its collaborators

Now is the time

Abolition of the police and army is a basic democratic demand with a sudden relevance, writes Eddie Ford

Statue wars

Eddie Ford says it is healthy to question the iconography that is all around us

Johnson’s criminal incompetence

By global standards, writes Eddie Ford, the government’s handling of the pandemic has been appalling

Global unions needed

Workers in Sunderland should not be pitted against workers in Barcelona, writes Eddie Ford

Beijing’s poisoned chalice

Hong Kong’s prosperity has precious little to do with democracy, writes Eddie Ford

Fanning the flames

Donald Trump is using Covid-19 to ratchet up the new cold war against China, writes Eddie Ford

Protecting the bosses

‘Stay alert’ seems to mean ‘Go to work even if it is unsafe’, writes Eddie Ford

Logic behind the madness

Eddie Ford reports on the many failures of the UK and US governments

Demonisation of China

Attacks are driven not by pandemic concerns, writes Eddie Ford, but imperial pushback.

Sleepwalking into disaster

The government knew for years that a ‘terrifying’ pandemic was coming, says Eddie Ford, yet it did next to nothing to prepare

Testimony to failure

Covid-19 highlights criminal levels of state dysfunction and inequality, writes Eddie Ford

Never let a good crisis go to waste

Governments are using the pandemic as an opportunity to introduce authoritarian legislation, writes Eddie Ford

Self-organisation and solidarity

Mutual aid is a positive development, writes Eddie Ford - so is the involvement of the left.

Fourth emergency service

Eddie Ford says postal workers must not allow management to use the pandemic crisis as an excuse to launch further attacks on the union.

Bankruptcy of neoliberalism

With countries everywhere on a ‘war footing’, writes Eddie Ford, the pandemic shows the necessity of global social control.

Class and women’s liberation

Like anti-racism, International Women’s Day has been colonised by the bourgeoisie, writes Eddie Ford.

Biggest possible majority needed

Eddie Ford argues that strike action will pit postal workers not only against Royal Mail bosses, but against a union-smashing government too. Mass solidarity is vital if victory is to be won.

Crooked formulations

No human is illegal, says the Morning Star. But, notes Eddie Ford, the paper goes on to argue that not all humans should be legal.

Cruel and unusual punishment

Boris Johnson is continuing the anti-migrant ‘hostile environment’ policy of his predecessors, writes Eddie Ford.

Here we go again

Red lines, cliff edges, friction, no deal, hard Brexit … Eddie Ford gets a sense of déjà vu.

UK vs Team 27

Brexit might have happened, writes Eddie Ford, but it will be far from plain sailing when it comes to trade talks, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Up against the clock

By insisting that Britain is going to diverge from the EU, Sajid Javid is waving goodbye to the car industry, writes Eddie Ford.

Tarnishing the brand

While Labour leadership candidates pathetically line up to defend Harry and Meghan Windsor in the name of anti-racism and anti-sexism, Eddie Ford says it’s time to put republicanism back onto the agenda.

Premonition of the future

Australia’s fires are a perfect illustration of the environmental crisis facing the planet, writes Eddie Ford

Writing on the wall

With the Brexit Party collapsing about his ears, Nigel Farage is thinking about launching the Reform Party. Eddie Ford is amused.

Outcome uncertain

Looking at the latest polls, Eddie Ford concludes that it is not impossible for Labour to win the most seats.

Inconvenient truths

Rather than the Labour Party, it is Christianity which is ‘institutionally anti-Semitic’, writes Eddie Ford.

Former ministers show true colours

Blairites are really Tories in disguise. If we are going to transform the Labour Party we must get rid of the lot of them, writes Eddie Ford

Appeal to class loyalty

Boris Johnson has finally got his election to ‘get Brexit done’, writes Eddie Ford, but the final result is anyone’s guess.

The saga continues

With the Brexit bill ‘paused’ and the October 31 deadline ditched, writes Eddie Ford, Boris Johnson is going for a December election.

Zombie parliament staggers on

Will Boris Johnson win over the DUP and ERG? Eddie Ford looks at the latest Brexit developments.

Playing the blame game

Now that a Brexit deal is ‘essentially impossible’, writes Eddie Ford, we could be heading towards an ugly, populist general election.

Bid for Brexit glory

This really is crunch time for Boris Johnson - striking a deal with the DUP and submitting his ‘two borders’ plan to the EU. But, asks Eddie Ford, can he survive the storm?

Lexiteers and Brexiteers united

Demanding exactly what Boris Johnson wants, writes Eddie Ford, sections of the left are still calling for an immediate general election.

Desperate times, desperate measures

Ever since he got elected, Boris Johnson has been acting in a ‘revolutionary’ fashion and shows no sign of rowing back, writes Eddie Ford.

Heads I win, tails you lose

Stay focused, urges Eddie Ford. Prorogation was not a ‘coup’ and the central question still remains transforming the Labour Party - not a general election.

No playing by Queensberry Rules

The political establishment now faces a blunt choice of either crashing out of the EU or forming a national government, writes Eddie Ford.

The clock is the spur

Only a national government can stop Brexit, and that would mean splitting the Labour Party, reckons Eddie Ford.

Election has already begun

Boris Johnson’s spending spree and visits to the four corners of the UK are about seeing off Jeremy Corbyn, but, writes Eddie Fordthe parliamentary establishment might still make a decisive move.

Brexit do or die

Eddie Ford asks if Boris Johnson can deliver where Theresa May failed

The politics of offence

Eddie Ford thinks everybody should be open to political criticism - even those who are pregnant or receiving treatment for illness

Time to reorient

With talk of prorogation and an ‘alternative parliament’, writes Eddie Ford, a constitutional crisis is looming.

Aiding Corbyn’s opponents

Jon Lansman’s attack on Jewish Voice for Labour is no different from the attacks on white opponents of apartheid in South Africa, argues Tony Greenstein

Storms heading our way

In order to win the Tory leadership election Boris Johnson says that when it comes to Brexit it is ‘do or die’. According to existing parliamentary arithmetic, he will die. But that will hardly be the end of matters, says Eddie Ford

Blue-on-blue fight

Boris Johnson is cruising to victory - but then what? Eddie Ford looks at the various possibilities

Corbyn misses a trick

While Labour prioritises blocking a no-deal Brexit, writes Eddie Ford, it has failed to respond in a principled way to Tory confessions of drug use

Gospel of no deal

Forget the chatter about the Tory Party being ‘doomed’, writes Eddie Ford. We could, however, see a significant realignment of British politics

Their crisis, our opportunity

Boris Johnson promises to deliver Brexit, but to do that means calling a general election, writes Eddie Ford

After Theresa has gone

If Boris Johnson becomes Tory leader, a general election will soon follow. If he wins that election, Brexit and a joined-at-the-hip alliance with Donald Trump is on the cards. Eddie Ford reports on latest developments and future possibilities

Reinventing the monarchy

Danny Baker’s sacking over his royal baby tweet symbolises the official anti-racism of ruling class ideology, writes Eddie Ford

Coup attempt fizzles out

Eddie Ford reports on the failure of the opposition and its imperialist masters to split the armed forces

Politics of disenchantment

Voting for a comedian as president is an act of sheer desperation, writes Eddie Ford

Fill the jails?

Extinction Rebellion’s fighting spirit is admirable. But a viable strategy and programme is urgently needed, argues Eddie Ford

Trying to escape the maze

With the polls looking disastrous and Brexit an ongoing failure, the Tories are deep in crisis. But they are not about to split the army and launch a civil war, writes Eddie Ford

Reset to Year Zero

With the EU agreeing to a six month ‘flexible extension’ and talks with Labour getting nowhere, Theresa May is fast running out of options, writes Eddie Ford

Consensus unlikely to break out

Enraging the right, Theresa May has asked Jeremy Corbyn to help break the impasse. But is it a genuine offer or a trap, asks Eddie Ford

March for a national government

Eddie Ford warns those on the left backing the People’s Vote campaign - be careful what you wish for

Maggots, Marxists and Muslims

Like Anders Breivik, the Christchurch killer has a programmatic world view. Eddie Ford looks at the fascistic idealism of Brenton Tarrant

Hitting the reset button?

Now that Theresa May’s deal has been defeated for a second time and MPs have voted against ‘no deal’, Eddie Ford says almost anything can happen in the short term. But in the longer term the expectations of the Brexiteers will surely be betrayed

Step forward, Mr Johnson?

With splits in the ERG, writes Eddie Ford, does Theresa May now have a chance of scraping her deal through the Commons? It seems unlikely

Moving the cliff edge

Theresa May has kicked the can down the road yet again. Eddie Ford looks at the latest twists and turns

Banking on cliff edges is a dangerous strategy

With less than a week to go before the next Brexit vote, Theresa May has brought nothing meaningful back from Brussels. So what next? asks Eddie Ford

Right to the cliff edge

Theresa May tells MPs to ‘hold their nerve’, writes Eddie Ford, but the EU will not blink. So will she risk a no-deal?

Return of the unicorns

As time runs out, Theresa May is still trying to square the Brexit circle, writes Eddie Ford

Danger of foreign adventures increases

Donald Trump’s wall that will never be built and the government shutdown are really about the 2020 presidential elections, writes Eddie Ford

Our rights threatened too

Although Britain’s far-right yellow vests are an obnoxious assortment of racists, xenophobes and odd-balls, we must defend their right to protest, says Eddie Ford

Thinking the unthinkable

With time running out, Theresa May is surely approaching the end game, writes Eddie Ford

Slaughtering sheep and unicorns

Calls for a ‘people’s vote’ and a ‘coalition of reasonable minds’ are demands for a national government, writes Eddie Ford

He who pays the piper

Why are the billionaire Koch brothers funding Spiked, whose origins lie in the Revolutionary Communist Party? Eddie Ford looks at a strange journey from far left to alt-right

Islamophobia and free speech

The Muslim Council of Britain now wants its own version of the IHRA definition, which for Eddie Ford can only be bad for freedom of expression

Politics of the street

The Ukip leader’s embrace of Tommy Robinson shows how the ‘great Brexit betrayal’ could lead to the growth of a populist far-right movement in Britain, writes Eddie Ford

Disappearing the welfare state

Even that den of thieves, the United Nations, recognises the suffering imposed on the working class by the politics of austerity, writes Eddie Ford

Sent to the slaughter

Remembrance Day reminds us that under capitalism peace is just the continuation of war by other means, writes Eddie Ford

Going down the Brexit rabbit hole

As the deadline looms, Theresa May is still wrestling with the Gordian knot of the Irish border question, writes Eddie Ford

People’s Vote: Establishment fights back

Saturday's demonstration carried more than a whiff of a post-Brexit national government about it, writes Eddie Ford

Universal credit: designed to punish undeserving poor

Rollout of the new benefit is widely recognised as being in chaos, and the immediate answer lies in breaking with the politics of austerity, writes Eddie Ford

A form of warfare

Eddie Ford thinks we should take hacking threats seriously - especially from GCHQ

Spies who came in from the slush

Stories about Russian spies are being used to stoke up tensions and undermine Labour, writes Eddie Ford

New leader in waiting?

Far from being a loose cannon, Boris Johnson’s every move is well thought out, writes Eddie Ford

The politics of offence

Does it matter if Labour adopts all of the IHRA’s examples of ‘anti-Semitism’? Eddie Ford thinks so

Project Fear or Project Reality?

Everyone from the governor of the Bank of England to the National Farmers Union is getting worried about a no-deal Brexit, writes Eddie Ford

Scorching weather and climate

Things have been hot, but there is more to climate change than increased temperatures, argues Eddie Ford

Cliff edges and parachutes

The Brexit crisis is deepening and almost anything can happen, writes Eddie Ford

Revenge of the global hegemon

Donald Trump’s attacks on his Nato and European ‘foes’ give us a lesson in global realities, writes Eddie Ford

Brexit chaos

The cabinet’s ‘unanimously agreed’ acceptance of May’s ‘political coup’ did not last very long, writes Eddie Ford

Take it or leave it

Eddie Ford says Theresa May is manoeuvring to achieve a ‘third way’ Brexit. Chances are that we will see more dither

Stand up for legalisation

The Billy Caldwell case shows that the irrational drugs laws are all about policing people, not saving lives, argues Eddie Ford

A very British cover-up

Conspiracies do happen, as the Jeremy Thorpe scandal proves. And Eddie Ford reckons the establishment might also conspire against Jeremy Corbyn in the event of a Labour victory

Even better than expected

The left has been timorous when it comes to fighting for abortion rights. Now it should go onto the offensive and demand a secular constitution, along with the confiscation of church wealth, writes Eddie Ford

The Firm reinvents itself

The royal wedding was used to present the monarchy and the entire establishment as modern, progressive ... and anti-racist, writes Eddie Ford

The royal wedding and platonic republicanism

Eddie Ford thinks the left, and Jeremy Corbyn, should take the monarchy seriously

No big swings

The local election results should warn us that a Corbyn government is not a shoo-in, writes Eddie Ford

Trump, the peacemaker?

Eddie Ford is sceptical about the recent love-fest between the Korean leaders

May’s crocodile tears

The Windrush scandal has shone an unintended light on the position of present-day immigrants, writes Eddie Ford

No more ‘Enoch was right’

Attempts to ban BBC’s Rivers of blood programme were totally misplaced, writes Eddie Ford

Barking up the wrong tree

A new moral panic over violent crime in London has generated the usual batch of silly initiatives and pseudo-solutions, argues Eddie Ford

No more ‘broad, sunlit uplands’

Eddie Ford agrees with Jacob Rees-Mogg that the final Brexit deal will be a ‘national humiliation’ like Suez 1956

Unity with whom?

SWP’s Stand Up To Racism represents the politics of popular frontism, argues Eddie Ford

Trump’s reality show

North Korea’s nuclear strategy appears to have been vindicated, writes Eddie Ford

Softest form of hard Brexit

Theresa May’s ‘hard facts’ will only bring a temporary cessation of war between the rival Tory factions, writes Eddie Ford

Theresa May’s à la carte menu

Three-course dinner or a packet of crisps? Eddie Ford looks at the latest Brexit developments

Zombies and the new volatility

The ‘Goldilocks’ days of cheap money are coming to an end, Eddie Ford looks at the consequences

21st century global reality

Eddie Ford looks at the growing Tory infighting over Brexit

Are you listening, Theresa?

Eddie Ford looks at the latest blue-on-blue manoeuvrings and jockeying for power

Cruel and ignorant

Eddie Ford examines the despicable role of the media and political right in the Charlie Gard case

Check out, but never leave

The reality of Brexit is starting to become apparent, writes Eddie Ford. And the government is increasingly under pressure from big business

Brexit reality wall

Eddie Ford does not find it impossible to imagine a national government emerging from an EU-induced crisis

Hegemon opts out

We live in strange times. Eddie Ford looks at the G20 summit in Hamburg

Seize, occupy, requisition

Eddie Ford welcomes Jeremy Corbyn’s militant approach to the housing crisis

Bigotry parading with a halo

Tim Farron claims it is ‘impossible’ to be both a Christian and the leader of a modern political party. But, says Eddie Ford, he is a fake martyr

Blow to separatism

The Tory revival north of the border exposes the failure of left nationalism, writes Eddie Ford

Growth for the sake of growth

US withdrawal from the Paris agreement demonstrates a contempt for the future of the planet. However, Eddie Ford argues that only socialism, not capitalist techno fixes, can prevent ecological degradation

Politics of failure

The government’s response to the Manchester bombing is to promise further crackdowns on democratic rights, writes Eddie Ford

Standing idly by while Britain chokes

‘Killer air’ represents a public health emergency, writes Eddie Ford, yet the government wants to do as little about it as possible

Turning the other cheek

Demoralisation or fightback? That is the main question after June 8, writes Eddie Ford

Crush the saboteurs

Eddie Ford says that after June 8 Jeremy Corbyn must stay on to fight the right, not fall on his sword

Plans for blue murder

Eddie Ford is not remotely surprised that Theresa May has called a snap election

What happened to ‘America first’?

Establishment opinion has welcomed the new ‘sensible’ Donald Trump, who has acted ‘decisively’ on Syria. Eddie Ford reports

Price of divorce

Theresa May might have triggered article 50, writes Eddie Ford, but the future is uncertain for both Britain and Europe

Self-determination for sake of unity

The prospect of a second referendum on Scottish independence raises vital strategic questions, argues Eddie Ford

Tories winning Brexit battle

Stoke and Copeland shows the growing ascendency of the Tory Party, writes Eddie Ford

Looking for redemption

Will Tony Blair be mainly remembered for his claims about Iraq and WMD? Not if he can help it, writes Eddie Ford

Tails you lose, heads you lose

Whether over Brexit or Labour strategy, writes Eddie Ford, Corbyn is determined to appease the centre and the right

Epic confrontation brewing

Liberal opinion is in open revolt against the new president, writes Eddie Ford

Economic cold war looms

Theresa May wants to cuddle up to Trump, writes Eddie Ford, but EU leaders are horrified

Whole new ball game

The government insists that it will stick to its Brexit timetable come hell or high water, writes Eddie Ford

Deal or no deal?

Theresa May feels forced, despite herself, to go for a ‘clean’ Brexit, argues Eddie Ford

Labour’s migration wars

Jeremy Corbyn cannot ‘triangulate’ between soft Brexit and hard Brexit, writes Eddie Ford

Keep the guards on board

Support the rail unions and support genuine modernisation, argues Eddie Ford

Punished for Brexit muddle

In, out or what? Eddie Ford is still unsure about Jeremy Corbyn’s position on Europe

Protecting the guilty

As with Jimmy Savile, writes Eddie Ford, the sex abuse scandal reflects unequal power relations in society

Remainers begin to fight back

The intervention of John Major and Tony Blair shows that Brexit does not have to mean Brexit, writes Eddie Ford

Not a private matter

Instead of ducking the question, writes Eddie Ford, Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell should be fighting for republican democracy

Crisis of establishment

All you can say with certainty about the Donald Trump presidency, writes Eddie Ford, is ‘Expect the unexpected’

Court judgement works for May

The Brexit right gets ready for its march on the supreme court, while the Tories prepare for an early general election, writes Eddie Ford

Demands of capital will triumph

Eddie Ford says that, while Theresa May speaks about a hard Brexit for domestic advantage, what she will deliver will either be a soft Brexit or no Brexit at all

Who is the real Theresa May?

The prime minister will probably go for an early general election, writes Eddie Ford - Brexit troubles lie ahead

Hard Brexit or no Brexit?

Unless there is a traumatic economic crisis, argues Eddie Ford, Theresa May looks set for a landslide victory in an early general election

Labour’s perpetual war zone

Corbyn is right to keep the power to hire and fire, writes Eddie Ford

Russia is not about to invade

Eddie Ford does not want British armed forces ‘fit’ for fighting a world war - instead they should be replaced by a people’s militia

Time running out fast

Capitalism is a system unfit to cope with the ecological crisis, writes Eddie Ford

Festival of nationalism

This year’s Olympics are even more grotesque than normal, writes Eddie Ford

Return of the popular front

The desire for a ‘party of the 99%’ represents a form of political collapse, argues Eddie Ford

Three Brexiteers set up to fail

When it comes to the EU, Theresa May has shown herself capable of thinking ahead for more than a week, writes Eddie Ford

Fight fire with fire

The Labour left needs to go on the offensive against the right, argues Eddie Ford

General election now?

Whatever the SWP might think, argues Eddie Ford, the Tory Party is not about to split

Politics of derangement

Obviously the killing of Jo Cox was an act of political terrorism? Eddie Ford looks at the politics

Gulag conditions are the new norm

Jeremy Corbyn is spreading illusions about the ‘progressive’ nature of the EU bureaucracy, writes Eddie Ford

Theresa May delights drug dealers

The ban on legal highs results from a moral panic with potentially fatal consequences, warns Eddie Ford

Letting Blair off the hook

Eddie Ford is not holding out any hopes for the Chilcot report

Party of lost causes

Eddie Ford looks at the prospects for Ukip

Elephant in the room

While the Labour left is under attack, writes Eddie Ford, why is there no criticism of Zionism?

A missed opportunity

Eddie Ford laments the republican speech Jeremy Corbyn did not make

Much ado about nothing

History does repeat itself, says Eddie Ford. Just as with the 1975 referendum, once again we have a government trying to pull a fast one

Both sides are reactionary

Demands are growing for Jeremy Corbyn to swing the balance to save Dave Cameron’s bacon. Eddie Ford calls for an active boycott

Tactical flexibility, political principle

Bernie Sanders should stand as an independent socialist in the presidential election, argues Eddie Ford

Disaster waiting to happen

Eddie Ford finds the EU-Turkey deal on migrants both inhuman and unworkable

Right’s fear and loathing

Communists defend Corbyn from his impatient assassins, whilst retaining our criticisms, writes Eddie Ford

Turning of the tide

Bolivia’s ‘road to socialism’ turned out to be another dead end, writes Eddie Ford

Drugs are not the problem

Prohibiting legal highs marks an escalation in the crazy ‘war on drugs’, says Eddie Ford

Selling a pig in a poke

Communists cannot support either a ‘remain’ or a ‘leave’ vote, writes Eddie Ford

Devotion to dogma

Sadly, notes Eddie Ford, political madness is not confined to the Workers’ Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought

Drowning in oil

The capitalist world economy is fast slowing down. Investors and central bankers worry about a catastrophic crisis. Meanwhile, asks Eddie Ford, does Venezuela’s oil-reliant Bolivarian revolution face its nemesis.

War of manoeuvre

Jeremy Corbyn still presides over a ‘left-centre-right’ shadow cabinet, writes Eddie Ford

Using any stick, using any trick

Eddie Ford welcomes Jeremy Corbyn’s defence of the Stop the War Coalition

Heads right wins, tails Corbyn loses

Oldham West highlights the continuing divisions within the Labour Party, writes Eddie Ford

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

Eddie Ford looks at the absurd reaction to John McDonnell’s use of the Little red book

Imperialism digs a deep hole

The assassination of ‘Jihadi John’ was a substitute for serious warfare, argues Eddie Ford

Tories screw ‘hard-working families’

Eddie Ford celebrates the government’s defeat on tax credits, but not the victory of the House of Lords

Royal pomp and Hollandisation

President Xi’s visit highlights what seems to be a changing strategic orientation of British imperialism, says Eddie Ford

Deselect the Tory 21

The Common Good rebels seem to be advertising their services to the Tory Party, writes Eddie Ford

Managing a debt colony

Having ‘taken the power’, writes Eddie Ford, Syriza is now an agent of the institutions

Nuclear buttons and dark mutterings

Team Corbyn’s gradualist approach cannot work, warns Eddie Ford

Firing the first shots

Eddie Ford predicts a lengthy civil war between Jeremy Corbyn and the parliamentary party

Bedrock of the British state

Instead of Platonic republicanism, Jeremy Corbyn should prioritise the fight to abolish the monarchy, says Eddie Ford

Blairites will resort to sabotage

With the final membership surge we must begin to think about a Corbyn-led Labour Party and how to defeat the right wing, says Eddie Ford

Establishment hypocrisy and Miss Whiplash

Eddie Ford wants to do away with the second chamber altogether

Rightwing panic grows

Ordinary leftwing activists are using the weapons supplied by the right against the right, says Eddie Ford. Things will never be quite the same again

Labour right panic and call for ABC

Tony Blair’s warning goes to show that the Labour Party can be shifted to the left, writes Eddie Ford

Berlin turns Greece into debt colony

Syriza’s humiliating capitulation has lessons for us all, says Eddie Ford - principally the need for united organisation on a European scale

Austerity in a modified form

We need to distance ourselves from the Syriza/Anel coalition government, argues Eddie Ford - not heap praise on it

Euro leaders seek regime change

Syriza is now reaping the consequences of having taken office, writes Eddie Ford

Take it or leave it

Syriza’s options are rapidly running out, says Eddie Ford. Whether inside or outside the euro, austerity will not go away

Smacking of desperation

Will Athens submit to the ‘institutions’ or get booted out of the euro zone? Eddie Ford looks at the latest negotiations

Dishing out the Blairite gruel

At last a Labour leftwinger throws his hat in the ring. Eddie Ford comments on the Labour leadership contest

Banging the Blairite drum

Eddie Ford is less than thrilled by the leadership candidates on offer

No swing to the right

One word explains Labour’s defeat, writes Eddie Ford - Scotland

Avoiding bacon sandwiches

Don’t incur the wrath - or mockery - of the press, warns Eddie Ford

Crunch time approaches

Does Syriza have a plan B, wonders Eddie Ford, and is it viable?

Robbing Peter to pay Alexis

Athens is running out of money fast, writes Eddie Ford. But will Alexis Tsipras capitulate?

Parties, swings and roundabouts

With the polls too close to call, writes Eddie Ford, neither Labour nor Tory strategists can be happy

Nothing to lose, everything to lose

The April 2 leaders’ debate saw the ‘impressive’ Nicola Sturgeon praised by the Tories. Eddie Ford gives his assessment

Keeping Cameron out

Sections of the establishment are worried by the prospect of a Labour-SNP lash-up, writes Eddie Ford

Funny is not the opposite of serious

Terry Pratchett’s work and life was powered by a kindly moral anger, writes Eddie Ford

Nationalist shock waves

Poll predictions of a Labour wipeout show that the national question has not gone away, argues Eddie Ford

Jihadists and spooks

Revelations about ‘Jihadi John’ have led to calls for more curbs on democracy and free speech, writes Eddie Ford

Austerity in the colours of Syriza

Athens inevitably blinked first, writes Eddie Ford - and Greece will continue to suffer ever more poverty as a debt colony

Dodgy bankers, dodgy clients

Under both the Tories and New Labour, Britain became one vast tax haven - a playground for the super-rich. Eddie Ford looks at the HSBC scandal

Did free speech allow the Nazis to come to power?

Eddie Ford criticises the SWP for misunderstanding history and insisting upon the ‘principle’ of no-platforming

Expel the Blairite traitors

Eddie Ford says Milburn and Hutton are doing their best to discredit Ed Miliband’s NHS plans. They are acting as Tory agents

Victory tainted by right populists

Syriza’s problems are only just beginning, predicts Eddie Ford

Avoid the temptation of power

Eddie Ford looks at the situation in Greece in light of the classic Marxist position - it is often necessary to hold back the spontaneous movement

United front of the bourgeoisie

Government leaders who gathered in Paris to express ‘solidarity’ with Charlie Hebdo are no friends of free speech, says Eddie Ford

What if Syriza wins?

Is the left obliged to spread illusions in a Syriza government? No, quite the opposite, argues Eddie Ford

Troika demands more blood

Eddie Ford thinks it is irresponsible to spread illusions in a Syriza-led government

Chancellor’s book of doom

George Osborne’s autumn statement promises continued austerity and increased attacks on the working class, writes Eddie Ford. But what is the left’s alternative?

Anti-migrant snake oil

Cameron’s immigration speech was an attempt to out-Labour Labour, says Eddie Ford

Fragmentation shrinks the mainstream

Rochester shows that everything is up in the air. The outcome of the next general election is impossible to predict, writes Eddie Ford

Immigration controls kill

Eddie Ford calls for the abolition of all border controls, not just ‘racist’ ones

Coup that never was

The campaign against Ed Miliband is part of a long tradition, writes Eddie Ford

End the war on drugs

Yet another report showing the harm done by anti-drug laws, writes Eddie Ford - and therefore destined to be ignored

Child abuse: Adding insult to injury

Theresa May’s decision to make Lady Woolf the new head of the child abuse inquiry could turn out to be deeply embarrassing, writes Eddie Ford

Infighting in the Vatican

Deep divisions over divorce and homosexuality were revealed by the recent synod, reports Eddie Ford

Going nowhere fast

As Germany slides toward recession, writes Eddie Ford, indefinite stagnation seems to be on the cards for the euro zone - which is bad news for George Osborne

Fall and fall of Nick Griffin

It may be curtains for the BNP, writes Eddie Ford, but its demise has very little to do with the SWP or Unite Against Fascism

Farage parks his tanks

Ukip has every reason to feel chipper, says Eddie Ford. It has enjoyed high-profile Tory defections and is riding high in the polls

Cameron’s can of worms

Demands for English ‘home rule’ and continued agitation for Scottish independence point to a constitutional crisis, argues Eddie Ford

Catalonia: Backward project of nationalism

Secessionist movements throughout Europe are taking inspiration from the Scottish referendum, writes Eddie Ford

Ukraine: No siding with nationalists

Eddie Ford argues that working class political independence cannot be built by backing the pawns of imperialism

Dynamic towards full-scale confrontation

Kiev’s besieging of cities in eastern Ukraine has ominous parallels, says Eddie Ford

Imperialism: Judge it by results

Despite the cover provided by various social-imperialists, British and French intervention has produced hell on earth, argues Eddie Ford

BNP: From the sewer and back

Nick Griffin was more discredited by BBC ‘platforming’ than UAF no-platforming, argues Eddie Ford

West's propaganda war

The downing of flight MH17 is being cynically used as an opportunity to step up sanctions against Russia, says Eddie Ford

Balkanising the web

Government oppression and ‘right to be forgotten’ legislation threatens internet freedom, argues Eddie Ford

Protected by the establishment

Rolf Harris, Jimmy Savile and Andy Coulson all had friends in high places, writes Eddie Ford

Cameron: Boxed into a tight corner

David Cameron’s incompetent campaign against Jean-Claude Juncker has exposed his lack of bargaining power within Europe, says Eddie Ford

Free speech: The permitted shades of grey

Karl Marx stood for free speech, in the tradition of the first amendment to the US constitution, writes Eddie Ford

Both campaigns are US allies and friends

September 18 referendum has nothing to do with preserving working class unity, argues Eddie Ford

Our men in Kiev and Donetsk

The far right are enemies, not friends, says Eddie Ford

BNP: Death bed performance

Back in the real world, writes Eddie Ford, it was the BBC that ‘did’ Nick Griffin - not Unite Against Fascism or Hope Not Hate

We are the 0.00001%

Despite the sharp rise in income inequality, Osborne’s ‘plan A’ gamble might still pay off, writes Eddie Ford

SWP: Outriders for the establishment

Wagging your finger at people for voting for the ‘racist’ Ukip is the wrong approach, says Eddie Ford

Clarkson: Beyond the pale

Uproar over Jeremy Clarkson’s use of the ‘n-word’, writes Eddie Ford, demonstrates yet again how the bourgeoisie has appropriated anti-racism

UKIP: Part of mainstream chauvinist consensus

Getting jittery, the Tory machine and large sections of the media are attacking the ‘unBritish’ Ukip. Eddie Ford is not surprised

Cameron decides to do god

Regardless of whether Britain is a ‘Christian country’ or not, says Eddie Ford, communists fight for the separation of church and state

Ukraine: Peddling absurd fairy tales

Eddie Ford calls for a working class solution that cuts across the rival nationalisms at play in Ukraine

French election: First the 'red wave', then the blue

Hollande’s electoral humiliation at the hands of the right shows the necessity of independent working class politics, argues Eddie Ford

Osborne’s plans for election victory

This year’s budget was meant to make older voters feel good and keep the housing bubble inflated. Eddie Ford looks back to March 19

West's wounded imperial pride

Eddie Ford calls for opposition to the escalating campaign for sanctions against Russia and to ‘nonlethal’ military assistance to Ukraine

West and Putin up the ante

Mainstream hypocrisy takes some beating, writes Eddie Ford

Rotten apples, reviews and flowers

The entire police force is institutionally corrupt, says Eddie Ford

Crimea: Danger of wider conflict

Vladimir Putin is unlikely to back down over Crimea, writes Eddie Ford

Storms, floods and a deluge of crap

Natural flood management is part of the solution, not dredging. But if we seriously want to preserve and restore nature, argues Eddie Ford, then we need to challenge capitalism

Ukraine: Great power tug of war

The US and the EU are on one side, Russia is on the other; the human victims are the Ukrainian population, writes Eddie Ford

Dieudonné’s calculated anti-Semitism

Free speech is too valuable a weapon to be thrown away. Eddie Ford calls for unequivocal opposition to state bans on racists and fascists

Corrupt to the core

We should welcome the fact that state institutions, in particular the police, are being so thoroughly exposed, writes Eddie Ford

Pull the other one

Michael Gove wants us to believe that 1914 saw the beginning of a just war in defence of liberty. And he is not alone, writes Eddie Ford

North Korea: A very Kimist purge

The bureaucratic apparatus in North Korea is becoming increasingly dysfunctional, writes Eddie Ford

Science fiction: Aiming for the mixed economy

Even in science fiction the left’s horizons have shrunk, says Eddie Ford

Maoist 'slaves': Combating the fascist state in Brixton

Eddie Ford dissects the bourgeois media's hysteria over left wing 'cults'

Doctor Who: Degeneration of a time lord

Doctor Who has evolved from a threatening anti-establishment figure, laments Eddie Ford, to a patriotic defender of the status quo

China: Beijing’s new turn

As the third plenum shows, China is moving towards some form of state capitalism, writes Eddie Ford

Celebration of imperialist crimes

Eddie Ford wants us to defy the poppy police

Grangemouth: Gangster bosses and special measures

The Grangemouth capitulation shows the limits of trade unionism, writes Eddie Ford

Stirring stagnant Saudi waters

When is it OK to oppress women? When the oppressor is a key ally and trade partner, answers Eddie Ford

Daily Mail: Patriotism and the sins of the father

Communists hate the Daily Mail even more than Ed Miliband, writes Eddie Ford, but reject Leveson and any moves towards state regulation of the press

Drugs: Stench of hypocrisy

Prohibition is no answer, writes Eddie Ford

UKIP: Dangers of nationalism

Will Nigel Farage change the face of politics? Eddie Ford looks at the evidence

Lib Dems: Desperate to avoid wipe-out

Nick Clegg has resorted to claiming that coalition government is a virtue in itself, writes Eddie Ford

Lobbying laws: Crude attack on unions

Though in partial retreat, writes Eddie Ford, the government aims to use legislation to further stifle trade union activity and free speech in general

Syrian crisis: Miliband well placed to benefit

Eddie Ford examines the impact on British politics of the Syrian crisis

Ukip blocked by a cynical Cameron

Contrary to the expectations of many on the left, writes Eddie Ford, the winds of change in British politics are blowing to the right

Roar of the dead lion

Eddie Ford wants to be spared any more royal babies and gilded easels

Turing: Calculated pardon

The Alan Turing case exposes both the flexibility of the political establishment and its hypocrisy, argues Eddie Ford

Crocodile tears over salary recommendation

Eddie Ford thinks MPs should be accountable, recallable and live on a wage close to those they represent

Labour: Miliband’s media-pleasing funding proposals

Falkirk shows the pro-capitalist dynamics at work in the Labour Party, writes Eddie Ford. But should the unions be urged to disaffiliate?

By their friends shall you know them

Backed to the hilt by the west, tiny Qatar is a monarchical dictatorship. Yet, observes Eddie Ford, it is also an enthusiastic supporter of the ‘Syrian revolution’ so lauded by the SWP

Brazil: Half riot, half carnival

Pent-up anger has exploded. Millions have taken to the streets. Eddie Ford looks at the sorry results of the coalition politics pursued by a once much vaunted Workers Party

Labour Party: Safe pair of Eds

By promising to keep within Tory spending plans, writes Eddie Ford, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls are trying to show that Labour would be a ‘responsible party of government’

Turkey: Battle for secularism

Opposition to creeping Islamisation is not confined to the protestors in Taksim Square and elsewhere, argues Eddie Ford. The army is also deeply disgruntled with the AKP

Tories: Fraying at the edges

Desperate anti-Europe posturing shows that the Tories are being pulled sharply to the right by Ukip, writes Eddie Ford

Latin America rebels against war on drugs

Communists fight for the real ‘game-changer’, writes Eddie Ford - the legalisation of all drugs

Climate change: Entering the danger zone

Capitalism’s growth for growth’s sake is putting humanity at grave risk, argues Eddie Ford

Safe spaces: Fear and harassment as the norm

As Stuart Hall reminds us, writes Eddie Ford, bourgeois society and its institutions are far less safe for women and children than any far-left group

Winston Churchill: A reactionary bigot

Thatcher has been compared to Winston Churchill, and quite rightly - both were virulently anti-working class. Eddie Ford looks at Churchill’'s toxic legacy

Reinhart and Rogoff: Austerity myth debunked

The UK has been downgraded again and total national debt has risen. Even by George Osborne’s own criteria, writes Eddie Ford, Plan A has been an abject failure

Thatcher funeral: A woman who was hated

Thatcher’s elaborate funeral has been used by the rightwing establishment to elevate her into national sainthood. Meanwhile unofficial Britain welcomes her death, says Eddie Ford

BBC class survey: Old wine in new bottles

Eddie Ford is not impressed by the BBC’s ‘great British class survey’

North Korea stand-off: Obama raises the stakes

US provocation in the Korean peninsula has the potential to destabilise the entire region, argues Eddie Ford

EU bailout: After Cyprus, who next?

Of course, writes Eddie Ford, the troika bailout is ‘unique’ and ‘exceptional’ - just like all the others

Pope Francis: Silence equals complicity

Far from being a new broom or ‘reformer’, writes Eddie Ford, the new pope is a reactionary to his marrow

SWP factions: Two errors of the opposition

SWP lynchers were emboldened by a weak opposition, argues Eddie Ford

Eastleigh by-election: Snapshot of political failure

The fruitcakes and loons of UKIP came second, Eddie Ford reflects on the Eastleigh by-election

UK downgrade: No alternative to stagnation

Britain’s credit rating may have been downgraded, writes Eddie Ford, but in reality that was more a judgement on the state of the world economy

Vatican elections: Keeping up with modern world

Whoever gets the top job in the Vatican, Eddie Ford strongly suspects that he will not be in any way progressive

SWP and the internet: Let a thousand blogs bloom

Bureaucrats fear the ‘dark side of the internet’ in the same way they previously feared the printing press and the photocopier, writes Eddie Ford

Gay marriage: Cameron: from hero to renegade

For Eddie Ford, the gay marriage vote showed that the Tories are still the ‘nasty party’

Europe: Tory civil war deferred

Cameron may have thrown a slab of red meat to the Eurosceptic right, but his problems are only just beginning, argues Eddie Ford

UKIP: Cameron’s Pandora’s box

With Ukip riding high in the polls, writes Eddie Ford, the Tories are desperate to steal its votes

Ukip fostering row: Who’s fit to be a parent?

If members of ‘mainstream’ parties should not be barred from fostering, asks Eddie Ford, what about us ‘extremists’?

November 14 strikes: Europe unites to resist austerity

As the EU slips into recession, November 14 gave us a taste of what is possible, argues Eddie Ford

China: Apologia with racist characteristics

Once again, laments Eddie Ford, the Morning Star prostrates itself before the corrupt Chinese bureaucracy

EU budget: ‘Official communists’ welcome Miliband’s conversion to austerity

Europhobes of all political hues have tasted blood following the coalition government’s defeat over the EU budget, writes Eddie Ford

UK Economy: Bumping along the bottom

Whilst the UK economy is officially no longer in a recession, writes Eddie Ford, it remains in deep trouble

EU summit: Berlin demands yet more austerity

The October 18 EU summit was another exercise in procrastination, argues Eddie Ford, and Spain shows the worst is almost certainly not over

Economic crisis: Awarded for services rendered

The EU has been given the Nobel Prize, but quite clearly the whole project is in danger of falling apart, writes Eddie Ford

Economy: Troika demands yet more austerity

The euro crisis could trigger nationalist disintegration, warns Eddie Ford

No such thing as a free lunch

With Madrid refusing to take a bailout and Athens still facing the possibility of default, the euro crisis is far from over, writes Eddie Ford

Seeking a new redivision

Syria’s opposition is increasingly dominated by Islamists and is openly backed by imperialism, writes Eddie Ford

Rebelling against rural values in Warrington

Shafilea Ahmed’s ‘honour killing’, writes Eddie Ford, highlights the importance of rights and individual autonomy for young adults - especially women

Establishment’s contradictory coup

The Olympic opening ceremony represented another rearticulation of post-World War II British national identity, argues Eddie Ford

Faster, higher, stronger

The Olympic spectacle is a celebration of corporate power and money-worship, writes Eddie Ford

Bans could be a doubled-edged sword

Eddie Ford argues that the balance between left and right in the Labour Party is complex and symbolised by Ed Miliband courting both the traditional working class base and the overtly pro-capitalist right

Miliband clutches at banking straws

Labour’s plans for ‘root and branch’ reform of the banks will hardly touch the corruption that is endemic to the system, writes Eddie Ford

Berlin delivers reluctant ‘solidarity’

Angela Merkel’s last-minute climbdown comes with strings attached, writes Eddie Ford. After the EU summit, the crisis rumbles on

Haunted by danger of collapse

Another week, another summit. Yet, writes Eddie Ford, with five euro countries now members of the bailout club and Germany declining to foot the bill, there is a distinct danger that the euro will collapse

High noon for the euro

The G20 summit has seen desperate, last-minute moves to prevent debt catastrophe engulfing Spain and Italy, writes Eddie Ford. But is it just more rhetoric?

The EC-IMF-ECB cometh

Euphoria over the Spain bailout 'triumph' proved to be very short-lived, writes Eddie Ford

Last-chance saloon closing for business

Spain's 'total emergency' could bring down the entire euro zone, argues Eddie Ford

How not to fight Tory smears

The tax row between Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson reveals the limits of Labour's individual moralism, argues Eddie Ford

Someone to do business with

Eddie Ford dissects the moral hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie regarding Burma

Expecting the unexpected

The euro crisis never went away. But resistance to austerity is certain to intensify, says Eddie Ford

Pouring oil on stormy waters

The government's supposed 'Thatcher moment' has backfired spectacularly, writes Eddie Ford

Revenge of trickledown economics

George Osborne's budget shows that we are not 'all in it together', writes Eddie Ford

Rowan Williams quits before next great schism happens

Eddie Ford demands the immediate disestablishment of the Church of England

Eric Pickles puts in the knife

Communists reject a British identity based on the crown and the imperial past, writes Eddie Ford

Pre-revolutionary situation triggers talk of a coup

Whether or not Athens 'selectively' defaults this week, writes Eddie Ford, the working class is refusing to be ruled in the old way

Secularism is hostile to state religion, not religion

Separation of church and state is a basic democratic demand bitterly resisted by the British establishment, writes Eddie Ford

Danger of default catastrophe remains

Greece's economy has been driven into almost unprecedented depths by the relentless austerity measures, writes Eddie Ford

Greek razor edge

A default by Greece would unleash chaos way beyond the euro zone, writes Eddie Ford

Fool's paradise at Davos

Even though Greece continues to edge closer to default, writes Eddie Ford, there has been yet more inaction by global 'leaders'

Entering the danger zone again

All the signs are that the ongoing euro crisis is dragging the world economy into recession, writes Eddie Ford

Europe's mutual suicide pact

Austerity plans pursued by European governments are proving to be self-defeating, writes Eddie Ford

Of kings and Kims

Given the media's love of pomp and circumstance - and hereditary monarchy - there is no little hypocrisy in its mocking of North Korea, argues Eddie Ford

Playing the blame game

With hundreds of billions of debt due to be repaid in the first quarter of next year, writes Eddie Ford, the euro zone crisis has not gone away

Cameron's Euro veto con trick

Despite the deepening rift between the Tories and Liberal Democrats over Europe, writes Eddie Ford, both are committed to further attacks on the working class

Slaughter by austerity butchers

The "Merkozy" plan for greater "fiscal union" looks set to be another failure, writes Eddie Ford

Out to roll back the revolution

The military and the Muslim Brotherhood are only temporary allies, argues Eddie Ford

Fear and positioning

As the euro zone heads for possible disaster and 'economic Armageddon', writes Eddie Ford, both the US and UK governments have also admitted failure

EU leaders have no answers

As Greece and Italy edge closer to the brink, Eddie Ford looks at the latest developments

Referendum gamble plunges euro still deeper into crisis

European leaders are stumbling from one crisis to another, writes Eddie Ford

Euro: disaster beckons

Another summit, another failure. Despite repeated attempts to 'stop the rot' and save the euro there is still no sign of a 'comprehensive plan', writes Eddie Ford

Big bazooka or water pistol?

As the European leaders gather in Brussels on October 23, it could be last chance saloon for the euro zone, writes Eddie Ford

Death by a thousand cuts

With the clock ticking on the euro zone and the UK in danger of slipping in another recession, there is still no sign of 'bold vision' or a 'comprehensive strategy' from the ruling class, argues Eddie Ford

Euro storm clouds gather

World leaders are now frantically trying to cobble together a plan to prevent a catastrophic collapse of the euro zone, writes Eddie Ford. But it could be too little, too late

Facing the grim reaper

Everyone can see the danger of a crash, from the IMF to the Financial Times. But, asks Eddie Ford, where is the Marshall Plan or New Deal?

Tinkering at the edges

The Vickers report confirms that it is the system itself that is bankrupt, writes Eddie Ford

Capital's busted flush

The bourgeoisie has no answers to the continuing economic crisis, writes Eddie Ford

Aftermath of August

Eddie Ford looks at the response to the UK riots, both from the establishment and the left

Stock market panics and the danger of another recession

The loss of its triple A credit rating is symbolic of the decline of US hegemony and therefore of capitalism as a system, argues Eddie Ford

Sugar-coated Satan sandwich

Obama has signed up to a vicious cuts programme that takes the US to the brink of a double-dip recession. Eddie Ford examines the debt deal

Facing debtgeddon

Greece has defaulted in all but name and the US treasury is only days away from running out of funds. Eddie Ford looks at the ongoing crisis

Contagion spreads to the core

The escalating euro zone crisis and the possibility of the US defaulting on its deficit could trigger another global economic meltdown, writes Eddie Ford - and yet more attacks on the working class

Care provision should be free, not for profit

Care for older people should not be dependent upon a cruel postcode lottery or private provision. Eddie Ford looks at the Dilnot report into the current state of care for the elderly

Imperialism cuts its losses

The 'longest running war in US history' is nearing its end. Eddie Ford looks at the wreckage

Dignity in life and death

The desire to end your life as a fully sentient being is a perfectly honourable and legitimate one. Eddie Ford argues for the 'right to die'

Government demonises Muslims as extremists

'Extremist' is being redefined to mean any Muslim who opposes British foreign policy. Eddie Ford looks at the revamped 'Prevent' strategy and the left's knee-jerk response

End 'war on drugs' now

Far more harm and social destruction has been caused by the West's anti-drug laws than by the actual misuse of narcotics, says Eddie Ford

Victims are not to blame

We have been offered a glimpse of the chauvinist and sexist prejudices that are rife in society, argues Eddie Ford

Captain Clegg will not go down with his ship

After the May 5 elections and referendum Nick Clegg and co seem to face extinction as an independent political party, observes Eddie Ford

A day of absolute monarchy and criminalising republicanism

The establishment did not want anything to interfere with the royal wedding celebrations - including 'unruly' free speech and the democratic right to protest. Eddie Ford reports

Monarchist system must go

The working class movement must fight for republican democracy, argues Eddie Ford

Triumvirate commits to regime change

Imperialist 'mission lurch' sees first troops dispatched. Eddie Ford reports

Mubarak's detention is due to targeted mass pressure

Far from the revolutionary movement coming to a halt, argues Eddie Ford, new advances are being made

Taking on redder hues?

Eddie Ford argues that Ed Miliband is shuffling to the left as the resistance to the Tory-Lib Dem cuts takes mass form

Imperialism out, down with the Gaddafi regime

Western intervention in Libya - and the rest of the Arab world - aims to subvert popular power and the Arab revolution, argues Eddie Ford

Kick Lord Hutton out of the Labour Party

Those who collaborate with the Con-Lib Dem coalition betray the working class and bring discredit to the Labour Party, writes Eddie Ford

The unfolding Arab revolution

In the Middle East and north Africa we are not witnessing a series of disconnected protests, movements and uprisings, maintains Eddie Ford

No imperialist interventions

Communists oppose western meddling in Libya, writes Eddie Ford. Rather it is the masses themselves who must overthrow the Gaddafi regime

Goodbye to Gaddafi

He may still be admired by sections of the left, writes Eddie Ford. But we would wholeheartedly welcome the fall of Gaddafi in what is the first armed uprising in the Arab revolution

Mubarak has gone but mass protests continue

Egyptian working class needs to arm itself with a programme of extreme democracy, writes Eddie Ford

Revolution in permanence

As vice-president Omar Suleiman threatens an army coup, the workers needs to push the democratic revolution further and further, deeper and deeper, writes Eddie Ford

Mubarak unleashes thugs

The masses need to arm themselves and win over soldiers to their side, writes Eddie Ford

Stirrings of an Arab revolution

Mass revolts and protests from Tunisia to Egypt once again raise the question of pan-Arab unity, writes Eddie Ford

Police agents exposed

Mark Kennedy was not the only spy to infiltrate the eco-protest movement. It is endemic, argues Eddie Ford

Don't give in to the slurs

Eddie Ford defends Clare Solomon against the rightwing press and its AWL outriders

Drop trumped-up charges

Imperialism's attempt to close down WikiLeaks has met with determined resistance, writes Eddie Ford

Hands off Assange

US imperialism's attempts to shut down Wikileaks must be defeated, argues Eddie Ford

Rattled by Wikileaks

The latest revelations expose imperialist plans against Iran and the whole rotten business of hidden diplomacy. Eddie Ford calls for freedom of information

Wedding of mass distraction

Everyone from Ed Miliband to Johnny Rotten is looking forward to a "bit of flag-waving". Eddie Ford calls for a militant republican response

Blaming unemployed for sin of unemployment

The coalition government's 'welfare reforms' are a direct attack both on the jobless and on the working class as a whole, writes Eddie Ford

End the war on drugs

Once again, science and capitalism's irrationality collide. Eddie Ford examines the latest study

Imperialist crimes exposed

Rather than democracy, the US/UK-led invasion and occupation of Iraq delivered a bloodbath. Eddie Ford looks at the Wikileaks revelations

Comradeship and populist demagogy

The media circus surrounding the rescued Chilean miners obscures the reality of naked capitalist exploitation, writes Eddie Ford

Tails and wagging dogs

The Birmingham conference reveals the tensions and divisions over the coalition government, writes Eddie Ford

Welcome to the old new enemy within

New Labour is officially dead and Labourite class collaborationism has a new name, argues Eddie Ford

Election lows and UN forces

The US-UK-led occupation of Afghanistan has never had anything to do with democracy, writes Eddie Ford

No to crude anti-Catholicism

Once on the outside, the Catholic church is now part of the British establishment. Eddie Ford looks at the relevance of the papal visit

Blair's liberalism and the toxic Gordon Brown

In the last analysis Tony Blair and Gordon Brown had different political projects, argues Eddie Ford

Programmatic dead end

The more things change, the more they remain the same. Eddie Ford looks at the latest draft of 'Britain's road to socialism'

Holy water consecrates Cameron's big society

The coalition government's programme of cuts has in effect been blessed by a whole range of Christian denominations and groups, reports Eddie Ford

Rehabilitation failure shows failure of whole prison system

Jon Venables has been sent back inside for two years. He was never given a serious chance of a normal life on the outside, reports Eddie Ford

Institutionalised child abuse

Kenneth 'Revolution' Clarke has justified the official document authorising the brutal 'control' methods meted out to young offenders, notes Eddie Ford

Moat's paranoia and the community of women

Communists fight to reassert the power of women, writes Eddie Ford

Responding to Ken Clarke's rehabilitation revolution

Reform should not come at the expense of inmates or prison workers, argues Eddie Ford

Endlessly plundering the Earth

Fighting for a sustainable planet requires fighting for anti-capitalist revolution, argues Eddie Ford

War on the working class

The 'nasty medicine' served up by George Osborne and the coalition government will provoke resistance and pull the Labour Party to the left, predicts Eddie Ford

Fighting for the planet

There are no technological solutions to environmental destruction under capitalism, argues Eddie Ford

Burning up planet Earth

BP's advanced technology exists purely to serve the destructive interests of capital, writes Eddie Ford

Victims of British justice

Eddie Ford thinks prisoners should be treated as human beings, and children as children

An enemy that should be treated seriously

Many comrades insist that the Con-Lib Dem government is a coalition of 'profound weakness and division' that will be easy to beat and thus almost automatically lead to advances by the left. Eddie Ford believes that this approach is complacent and profoundly mistaken

So much for 'social weight'

The far left vote has gone from the tiny to the statistically insignificant, writes Eddie Ford

They all scapegoat migrants

The reaction to Gordon Brown's attack on the 'bigoted' Gillian Duffy demonstrates the depth and breadth of the national chauvinist consensus, argues Eddie Ford

Griffin's eclectic manifesto

BNP policies owe as much to the mainstream as they do to its leaders' fascist past, writes Eddie Ford

Cleggmania and the return of the Lib-Lab pact?

Eddie Ford wonders if we are about to see the fulfilment of the Blair project

The obligation and means to resist tyranny

Eddie Ford disagrees with the preaching of pacifism and legalism dressed up in anti-fascist clothing

What the EDL is and how not to combat it

Is it wrong to describe membership of the English Defence League as lumpen? Are they BNP pawns or a fascist danger in their own right? Eddie Ford examines these and other questions

Not the dawn of non-nuclear peace

Eddie Ford warns that the US-Russia agreement on nuclear arms is also about targeting Iran

Weyman Bennett should be criticised, not charged

The sorry farce in Bolton once again demonstrates that the anti-fascist left is not only disorganised, but politically disorientated, writes Eddie Ford

No judge-made bans on BNP

Moves to restrict the right to politically organise could easily be used against the left, argues Eddie Ford

Joe Glenton and the popular militia demand

Individual defiance is laudable, but more is required, argues Eddie Ford

National government danger comes with hung parliament

A hung parliament could shift British politics to the right, warns Eddie Ford

Whatever happened to the leisure society?

According to a new report, society would benefit if the working week was reduced to 21 hours, writes Eddie Ford. Unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees

Right to a dignified life - right to a dignified death

The comfort and self-respect of the incurably ill and the dying must be ensured, writes Eddie Ford

Us and them Britain

Two recently published reports have served to expose the true nature of Britain today, writes Eddie Ford

Demonisation by deranged media pack

Eddie Ford argues against the demonisation of children

Johnson's bans are an attack on us all

Oppose the ban on Islam4UK, writes Eddie Ford

The underwear bomber and detonating Yemen

With Yemen the latest target, Eddie Ford looks at the bankruptcy of the 'war on terror'

There is no Planet B

Copenhagen saw the ongoing face-off between the US and China, writes Eddie Ford

Copenhagen sets disastrous CO2 targets

Truth is much more prosaic, writes Eddie Ford

To save the planet, fight for a red world

Capitalism is showing itself to be totally incapable of cutting back on carbon emissions, writes Eddie Ford

Rehabilitation, not punishment

Prison does not work, writes Eddie Ford

Get the troops out now

Eddie Ford examines why UK politics now questions troops being in Afghanistan

Fatuous, dangerous, utterly irresponsible

We call for the immediate legalisation of all drugs, writes Eddie Ford

Idols and demons

In the saga surrounding Madeleine McCann, the British media is trying to convince us that the nuclear family is the one remaining haven in a cold world and that the Portuguese police, not being British, must be somehow uniquely incompetent or corrupt. Eddie Ford comments

Wanted - working class morality

Eddie Ford comments on the murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones in Liverpool

End factory farming

Yet again, we are in the midst of a foot-and-mouth scare. Eddie Ford analyses the situation

Compensation, not insurance

Eddie Ford comments on the floods: Communists argue that in the event of a disaster or major accident any redress made should be based on a system of need, not individualised insurance schemes. And logically this requires that a universal compensation system be set up

Irrationality rules

The 'war on drugs' makes a comeback, says Eddie Ford

Majority rights and minority duties

It is irresponsible to threaten to walk out simply because one finds oneself in a minority, says Eddie Ford

Despair and the fantastic

The London bomb attacks signal the failure of the left, says Eddie Ford

Right to bear arms, not commit murder

The "right of the people to keep and bear arms" is an essentially progressive concept, as far as communists are concerned, says Eddie Ford

Hostage crisis and reactionary schemes

Without doubt, Iran's capture of the 15 UK sailors and marines - and then their eventual high-profile release - was a humiliation for British imperialism. And the subsequent row about whether some of the service members, especially Faye Turnway, should have sold their story to the mass media for large amounts of money has further soiled the entire incident for many in the UK establishment. Eddie Ford comments

SWP backs the mullahs - official

The Socialist Workers Party-backed Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (Casmii) effectively operates as an apologist for the regime sitting in Tehran, says Eddie Ford

Fight slavery in all its forms

Eddie Ford on the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in Britain - and the distorted pictures painted of William Wilberforce

Tory resurgence and the left

Eddie Ford on the re-branding of the 'nasty party'

Being called a 'black bastard' should not be normal

In a certain sense, the recent comments by the now disgraced Tory MP, Patrick Mercer, can be welcomed, says Eddie Ford

Freudian slips and punishing the poor

Unite employed and unemployed workers, says Eddie Ford

Not the happiest of days

Eddie Ford comments on Britain's 'youth crisis' and says: stop criminalising youth

Let them eat shit

What does the outbreak of avian flu in Suffolk teach us about capitalist factory farming? Eddie Ford outlines a communist alternative

Kosova needs genuine self-determination

Eddie Ford analyses the recent elections in Serbia and the plans for "limited independence" for Kosova

Crime and yet more punishment

Prison doesn't work, says Eddie Ford

Voting for Britain

Eddie Ford takes a closer look at the 'racism row' in the Celebrity big brother house

Hands off Lebanon, no war on Iran

Israel's assault is part of broader US war aims, says Eddie Ford

SWP apologetics for reactionary anti-imperialism

Eddie Ford comments on Socialist Worker's recent coverage of the unfolding situation in Somalia

Rehabilitation, not irrationality

Blair's speech exposes the government's bankruptcy on crime, says Eddie Ford

Not fit for purpose

In the panic over sex crimes, communists emphasise the need for treatment, not revenge. Eddie Ford comments

Reactionary hysteria

The furore over "1,000 foreign criminals" raises some basic questions about rehabilitation, border controls and chauvinist discrimination, writes Eddie Ford

Revolution at the roof of the world

Communists and democrats throughout the world have been inspired by the determined struggles of the masses in Nepal, writes Eddie Ford

Ticked off and many headed

Eddie Ford reviews The insurgency, BBC2 April 2 Sunday 9-10pm

New Labour sleaze merchants

Capitalism inevitably means corruption, says Eddie Ford

New Labour sleaze merchants

Capitalism inevitably means corruption, says Eddie Ford

Money launderers, political corruption, minor celebrities and our antidotes

Eddie Ford comments on the furore around Tessa Jowell and George Galloway's reinvention as a radio host

Hidden controversy

Dave Landau, a representative of the Jewish Socialist Group, attended the Unite Against Fascism conference on February 18

Banning bad ideas

David Irving's conviction for holocaust denial and three-year sentence in an Austrian prison is not good news for communists and democrats, say Tina Becker and Eddie Ford. It is in our own self-interest to oppose anti-free speech laws and proscriptions, as sooner or later they will be used against us

Oppose all blasphemy laws

Communists fight for the complete separation of church and state, says Eddie Ford

Democracy in the dock

Fight the BNP but defend freedom of speech too - Eddie Ford comments

Victims and victimisers

Eddie Ford takes a look at the latest round of hysteria over 'nonces' and 'perverts' in the educational system

Bolivia shifts left

Which effect will Evo Morales' victory have on the working class and the political landscape in South America? Eddie Ford takes a closer look

Booze and moral panics

How should communists view the new '24-hour-drinking'-legislation? Eddie Ford says that alcohol and drugs are class questions

Up to the top of the hill

The Socialist Worker Party generals have failed the anti-war movement, says Eddie Ford, who looks forward to the December 10 Peace Conference in London

A full life for the elderly

Eddie Ford looks at the long awaited Pensions Commission report and puts forward the communist programme: for retirement at 60, for the tripling of pensions

Don't dare read this!

Even possession of this article could see you prosecuted, warns Eddie Ford

Working class unity - not multiculturalism

The rioting that broke out in the Lozells area of Birmingham over the weekend of October 22-23 offers a disturbing insight into the fragmented nature of many working class communities in this country - and the pathetically inadequate response of the left. Eddie Ford reports

Creation of Armageddon

It has been 60 years since anti-communism devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Eddie Ford remembers

Why did they do it?

Eddie Ford examines the motivation of the London bombers - who were neither simply 'mad' or 'evil', nor can the war on Iraq explain their actions

Fight for a red planet

Eddie Ford takes issue with deep ecology, biocentrism, Giain consciousness and eco-theology

Fighting for assimilation

Are anti-racists automatically also multiculturalists? Eddie Ford thinks not

Send the right message - legalise all drugs!

Eddie Ford on the downgrading of cannabis to a 'Class C' drug, and the attitude of communists

Rewinning our day

It is time we reclaim May Day from the Stalinists, says Eddie Ford

Establishment steals Nazi holocaust

Class struggle and the holocaust

In the light of the official marking of National Holocaust Day on January 27, Eddie Ford continues his discussion of Norman Finkelstein's The holocaust industry

Drugs and the SWP

The comrades display a one-dimensional vision of socialism, says Eddie Ford

Marx and free speech

For our ideas to blossom, we have to argue against censorship, says Eddie Ford

Shadowing Blair

SWP and bourgeois anti-racism

Guns, bombs and workers’ control

Abolish age of consent

Abolish the second chamber

Hands off Kosova and Serbia

Independence for Kosova - imperialism out of the Balkans

Free Kurdistan!

Independence for Kosova

For the KLA - against the Serbian army

New strategy for Ireland

The IRA refusal to hand over arms does not mean the failure of the peace process

Church standards and gay rights

Jail Pinochet

Straw agonises - workers must act

Abolish the House of Lords

The rebellion in the House of Lords against a government amendment to equalise the age of consent for gays and heterosexuals demonstrates why the working class must become the champion of democracy

Profiting from crime

Let them eat tacks

State attacks right to think

There is a hidden agenda of censorship behind the chorus of outrage over the Mary Bell biography

Hague rallies to Blair peace

For a united Ireland

Blair’s proposed new settlement in Ireland is part of a wider plan of constitutional reform

Mainstream right gets bloody nose

French elections

Roisin McAliskey - Straw concedes

The road to oblivion

CPB in crisis

War threat remains

Iraq retreats, but imperialist build-up continues

Itching for war

As the UN secretary general flies to Baghdad, imperialism is tooling up for war

Hitting the big time

Still iconoclastic - the ‘Marxism’ has disappeared from its contents as well as its cover

Fighting the drugs war

Business as usual

Transformation of Labour

When the fat lady sings

English National Opera

Friend of October

On the 80th anniversary of the Russian Revolution Eddie Ford reviews the work of a commentator who became a partisan. ('Morgan Philips Price Dispatches from the revolution: Russia 1916-18', Pluto Press 1997, pp181)

End of anti-IRA propaganda war

Eddie Ford reviews 'The Provos' (Peter Taylor documentary on BBC1)

Blair’s crusade against democracy

Everybody loves him - the media barons, the union bureaucrats, the establishment. Who will wipe the grin off Blair’s face?

‘Socialism’ in China: Mammon’s new apostles

Beijing was host last week to the 15th congress of the Chinese Communist Party - and all the talk was of “downsizing” and “merging”, not revolution and socialism. Eddie Ford examines the true nature of Chinese communism

Staring into the abyss

Most of the left campaigned with Blair for a ‘yes’ vote in Scotland and Wales - and he is very grateful

TUC on its knees

State and revolutionaries

Security blanket

Aiming to silence protest

Constitutional crisis looms: Life, love, sex and royalty

Make the establishment’s difficulty our opportunity

Going out with a bang

Imperialist hypocrisy

Antithesis of communism

Pol Pot and the ‘killing fields’ of Kampuchea are meant to be a lesson in the evils of communism - or so we are told. Eddie Ford points to the true nature of the Khmer Rouge and what it really represented

Road to nowhere

Much of the left is now talking about a ‘crisis of expectations’ amongst the working class. But is there any truth to it? Last weekend the CPGB organised a round-table discussion on this, under the heading, ‘Where now for the left?’ Eddie Ford reports

Fight for a workers’ Europe

As militant workers and trade unionists converge on Amsterdam this Saturday, the bosses’ plans for monetary union are coming unstuck. But if we let them, they will resolve their problems at our expense

Europe for the workers

Philistine censorship

State asserts its writ over women

Broadcasting the socialist message

New scramble

Imperialism’s new objectives

Socialist challenge to capitalist manifestos

Vote for a working class alternative

Wishing rebellion red

Censorship’s slippery slope

Albania fragments

Reactionaries attack science

Turning its back on revolution

Eddie Ford examines the implications of Deng Xiaoping’s death and the history of the Communist Party of China

Labour drops feminist gloss

Labour prepares for government

Trades unions under siege

Fear and loathing in the SLP

The question of Europe, and the Socialist Labour Party’s general stance on internationalism, is the linchpin to all the party’s policy documents. Will the SLP flow with history or against it? Eddie Ford investigates

Arms training for whose army?

Portillo claims guns are safe in his hands

Government in retreat

Taking on the state

For a federal republic

The size of the vote against the monarchy after last week’s television debate shows the potential for a mass republican movement

Temperature rises in Belgrade

No turning back

Curtains for democracy

No to bosses’ choice ... A workers’ Europe

Referendum offers no solution

Open struggle for the future

Last weekend a special meeting organised by the Communist Party discussed the lessons of Bolshevik organisation for communists today

David who?

Eddie Ford reviews Seventeen years of obscurity: memoirs from the back benches by David Watkins (The Book Guild Ltd 1996, pp235)

Arm the class, disarm the state

Workers need to be armed to destroy the violence wreaked by capitalism

Afghan skeletons

Afghanistan throws into sharp relief the failure of revolutionaries in Britain to resist the tidal wave of anti-communism unleashed by the Red Army’s intervention. Eddie Ford takes a critical look at the left’s record

Labour razzmatazz shatters illusions

Tony Blair has every reason to be pleased with himself. The Labour Party conference went like clockwork

Murderous occupation

State’s public order

Into Africa - tooth and claw

Folk enters Britpop

Eddie Ford reviews Norma Waterson by Norma Waterson (Hannibal/Ryhodisc, 1996)

Prepare to do battle with Blair

Blair plans to curb strikes and step up anti-union legislation - to carry on where the Tories left off

Raising our sights

Minimum wage: the fight for what we need

Counterrevolution in the revolution

The Spanish revolution and subsequent civil war, which erupted for real 60 years ago in July 1936, is the source of endless controversy. The defeat of the revolution generates an equal amount of anger and sadness. Everyone supported the Spanish revolution and hated Franco. Eddie Ford examines what went wrong

Clinton gets mean

Turning back the clock

Wildfire prejudice

Pointing the way

Fanatical determinism

Eddie Ford debates the revolutionary struggle in the Six Counties in reply to Dave Douglass and Roy Bull

Whatever happened to the upturn?

Members of the Socialist Workers Party gather in London to debate and question

Patriotic outrage

Another ‘peace’ bomb

The Manchester bomb, far from finally burying the ‘peace process’, is aimed at carrying it forward

Defend Cuba!

New words, same old ideas

Hardly anyone could have failed to notice that the ‘stakeholding economy’ has become one of the buzz words of the 1990s - and even of the next millennium. Where has it come from and why does new Labour like it so much? Eddie Ford offers some explanations

Labour declares war on youth

At last new Labour is not imitating the Tories...

Labour-Tory jingos wage beef war

In their desperation to cling to office, the Tories are shamelessly using the ‘beef war’ to whip up nationalism and play the anti-Europe card

Race scientists re-enter mainstream

Eddie Ford reviews The Race Gallery: the return of racial science by Marek Kohn (Jonathan Cape London 1995, pp322)

Campaigning for action

In brief

The Party question: Fighting for human freedom

Single issue campaigns, especially those based around environmental questions, have dominated the political agenda. Eddie Ford argues that communists need to reassess their attitudes to these movements

Who’s next for the chop?

Proud to be racist

NHS in terminal condition

Students’ union capitulates

Lessons of Iran

Bureaucratic anti-racism

State madness controls guns

New attacks

Safety campaign

Justice for David Ewin

In brief

Wasted labour

Eddie Ford reviews 'The Communist Party of Great Britain: a historical analysis to 1941' by Andrew Murray (Communist Liaison, 1995, pp106)

Scorched earth policy

Social security cuts

The great ticket robbery

In brief

Gruesome stuff

Eddie Ford reviews 'Seven', directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker (1995, US, general release)

Campaign against immigration checks and asylum bill

In brief

Oppressed fight back

Rioting in Brixton

Bosnian carve up

Lethal ignorance

The ‘E’ market

Bosnian Serbs flee multi-ethnic cleansing

Left rejoices at Nato led Serb retreat

Bosnia: bombing for peace

Nato tells the Serbs: ‘Gotcha!’

Howard crack-down

Bosnian-Croat joint offensive

Left support for nationalist slaughter

Myths shattered

Who are the good guys in Bosnia?

War in the Balkans

Sordid witch hunt

Shephard offers exploitation training

Imperialist squeeze

Snoopers' charter

False phrophets for Bosnia

The UN is a reactionary force - along with all the warring parties

Fawning Star

Students say no to loans

State tools

Gay police pose for the press

Labour woos the bosses

Waving the imperialist flag

Not all roses for Blair

Yet another straw to clutch

New realist disease hits NUS

Managing poverty

Lost Barings

Tale of two factions

Labour waves the union jack

Rewriting the history books

America on trial

For a workers’ republic