WW archive > Issue 1574 - 26 February 2026
Not just a feudal relic
It is not enough to exploit occasional royal scandals, let alone adopt monarchical socialism, argues Paul Demarty. The left needs to consistently advocate a democratic republic as a matter of basic programmatic principle
Letters
Muslim voices; Lavalette’s muddle; Arm, arm, arm UK!; Welcome; Political science; Republican ticks
Those who do the counting
Shedloads of members’ money was spent on a red-baiting election campaign. Grassroots Left remains committed to fight for the kind of socialist, democratic and anti-Zionist party that is urgently needed. Carla Roberts reports
Sticking plaster budgets
We want a democracy for the people that works through the people. Tam Dean Burn reports on the ‘people’s budget’ initiative proposed by Your Party councillors in Glasgow
Beware of Sparts bearing gifts
We have a common view that open polemics, as sharp as may be necessary, are essential to any lasting, any worthwhile unity. However, there are those who object. Mike Macnair replies to Vincent David of the Spartacist League
Escape from paradise
Under a catastrophic US oil blockade, the country is suffering blackouts, shortages of basics and a draining exodus of young people. Yet there are still those on the left who imagine that small and medium-sized countries can be really independent and even build their very own socialist society, writes Eddie Ford
A strange endgame
Did Chávez and Maduro preside over a brave ‘socialist’ experiment? No, argues Michael Roberts - it was the absence of socialist policies, not least to end the sabotage of the economy, that brought the country to its knees
Eagle vs dragon
Artificial intelligence has moved beyond fancy software and millions of chips. Today it is about geostrategic competition between the US and China. Yassamine Mather investigates how these two countries have adopted two different approaches
Strike against death machine
There has not being anything like the February 6 coordination in terms of scale so far. Toby Abse welcomes the overtly political strike action taken by dockers against Israel’s continued assault on the Palestinians