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
Cruel and unusual treatment
08 Oct 2026
Her botched execution is a gruesome reminder of the utterly barbaric nature of the death penalty, says Eddie Ford. But what about dealing with counterrevolutionaries during a bitterly fought civil war?
Burnham on the front foot
08 Oct 2026
With talk of a National Care Service, public ownership and electoral reform, Andy Burnham made the most of his first conference speech as prime minister. But he is not master of his own fate, suggests Paul Demarty
Taking unity off the table
03 Sep 2026
Andy Burnham has made it abundantly clear, whatever the Irish people want there will be no border poll. For those, and not only in Sinn Féin, who have fostered illusions in the Good Friday Agreement, this is a strategic body blow. For communists it comes as no surprise, writes Carl Collins
Supporting Palestine is no crime
27 Aug 2026
Tony Greenstein was tried at Kingston Crown Court on charges of “inviting support for a proscribed terrorist organisation” - namely Hamas. He faced a possible 14-year sentence. Judge Sarah Plaschkes repeatedly warned him not to treat the proceedings as a “political forum”, threatened him with contempt and even dismissed these powerful closing remarks of his as the ramblings of an old man. The jury took just two hours and seven minutes to unanimously find him not guilty
Republics don’t grow on trees
06 Aug 2026
According to pollsters the king is more popular than ever. So much for the reassuring reformist dream that Charles would kill the monarchy all on his own, writes Paul Demarty
Guided by conscience, not judges
30 Jul 2026
Prompted by Rajiv Menon KC being prosecuted for contempt over his defiant Palestine Action defence speech, Mike Macnair shows that the struggle to defend and extend the jury system has a long and contested history
Cut from the same cloth
23 Jul 2026
Andy Burnham claims he will head a ‘cost of living’ government that will bring back hope and turn the page on 40 years of Thatcherism. But he will do nothing of the sort, reckons Eddie Ford
Nigel Farage and rule 5
16 Jul 2026
The mainstream media is bigging up a candidate dressed as a bin. But the only way to really see off the threat from Nigel Farage and the far right is by fighting for independent working class politics, argues Eddie Ford
Celebrating the defiled republic
09 Jul 2026
Two hundred and fifty years after the declaration of independence, America still awaits democracy. Only a third revolution can achieve that, argues Paul Demarty
Obscene wealth not main problem
02 Jul 2026
Instead of showing how ‘transparent’ the royal family is, writes Carla Roberts, the release of the tax returns of Charles III and William Mountbatten-Windsor shows how vulnerable this abhorrent institution really is
Ten years after
02 Jul 2026
Brexit went hand-in-hand with the promise of national freedom, economic dynamism, the shredding of bureaucratic regulations and a massive NHS spending boost. Few would argue nowadays that anything like that has been delivered, writes Paul Demarty
North of the border
25 Jun 2026
Labour trailed far behind in Scotland’s two by-elections. The trade union movement commits to bone-headed sectionalism. As for the left nationalists, they merely serve petty bourgeois nationalism. Tam Dean Burn comments
Makerfield was historic
25 Jun 2026
Andy Burnham gained a sweeping victory, but it would be foolish to project the results onto the national picture. People were not only voting against Reform, but to get rid of a widely despised prime minister, writes Eddie Ford
Two letters for Andy
25 Jun 2026
Can he halt long-term British decline with his Manchesterism magic? Within the confines of the present political system, can anyone? Paul Demarty examines the prospects for the ‘king of the north’
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
25 Jun 2026
Sir Keir was not a total failure. He did a ‘good job’ in thoroughly marginalising the Labour left. But will Andy Burnham be any different? Unlikely, given the objective conditions, says Carla Roberts