Democracy & State
Overcoming the enemies within
17 May 2012
The left must unite in order to change the relationship of forces both within and outside the Labour Party, argues Mike Macnair
Centuries of Stalinism?
22 May 2025
What is the nature of the transition from capitalism to communism? In the first of a series, Mike Macnair begins with the ideas of the 1950s Fourth International and how ‘official communists’ see things today
Small island prospects
15 May 2025
As expected the ruling party has just been re-elected. However, what are the chances for the left and the working class within the confines of a tiny authoritarian city state with an AAA credit rating that serves as a financial hub and tax haven? Billy Clark gives his take on things
Breaking the mould?
08 May 2025
Last week saw major gains for Reform UK - but is Nigel Farage’s outfit about to replace the Tories? They have, after all, been in perpetual chaos for years. Paul Demarty is sceptical
Following the sign of the zigzag
01 May 2025
Peter Taaffe died on April 23 2025. While there can be no doubt about his dedication to what he understood by socialism, there was little or nothing consistent, when it came to his strategic ideas. In many ways, argues Jack Conrad, he embodied all that is wrong with today’s confessional sects
Case of judicial usurpation
24 Apr 2025
The Supreme Court decision on the legal definition of ‘woman’ poses more questions than it answers, but there can be no doubt that it marks a huge victory for the Tory Party and the rightwing media, says Mike Macnair
Socialism and star power
18 Apr 2025
Owen Jones gets it wrong: the bourgeois media’s idea of leadership offers the left no shortcut to power, argues Paul Demarty. We need a party that is democratic, principled and mass
Labourism without Labour
03 Apr 2025
Strikes and streets are not the be-all and end-all of class politics, agrees Jack Conrad. But, when it comes to ‘We Demand Change’ and standing in elections, the SWP has nothing that resembles a principled programme
No sign of spring
03 Apr 2025
Cuts, cuts and more cuts. Michael Roberts examines Labour’s continuation of the last government’s programme of austerity, with one notable exception - spending on war
The snowball effect
20 Mar 2025
Mike Macnair details the long and difficult road to the 1875 Gotha congress of the ‘Eisenacher’ SDAP and ‘Lassallean’ ADAV. With unity there was an organisational take-off and an ability to survive harsh state repression
Sturgeon no more
20 Mar 2025
Talented, personable, politically astute and, in the end, a complete failure. Scott Evans looks at the rise and fall of Scotland’s former first minister
Notes on America
20 Mar 2025
Donald Trump’s administration is contemplating a grand reordering of global finance and trade. Europe will suffer, but, argues Jack Conrad, China is the main target
Big trouble in Little England
13 Mar 2025
Though riding high in the polls, Reform UK has been plunged into recriminations. Paul Demarty assesses the party’s prospects after the Rupert Lowe affair
Abdullah Öcalan’s statement
06 Mar 2025
Ending armed resistance
06 Mar 2025
There is a new phase opening up along with new challenges. Esen Uslu explains the call for the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve itself in favour of ‘normal’ political activity
Searching for the master key
06 Mar 2025
Trump’s administration promises to release files on John F Kennedy, Jeffrey Epstein and others - but so far substance is lacking. Paul Demarty delves into the role of pseudo-disclosures in the American mind