Society & Culture
Günter Grass and the German neurosis
19 Apr 2012
Maciej Zurowski looks at a literary scandal and the bourgeoisie's attempt to cope with its past
Politics of apolitical culture
24 Sep 2026
Saying sorry over Gaza and pleasing no-one. Behind Ed Sheeran’s unconvincing apologies there lies a complex network of commercial interests, political pressures and institutional power, writes Carl Collins
Charles vs Charles
24 Sep 2026
Today’s royal family is a load-bearing institution of the capitalist state, its fate inseparable from the continuity of that state. It will not be brought down by this or that scandal, let alone an embittered former brother-in-law bent on revenge, says Paul Demarty
The few and the many
24 Sep 2026
Mega-donations are not the only way to gain access and influence - there is also the role played by the media, think-tanks, schools, universities and charities. We need to build our own class institutions along with the necessary finances, argues Eddie Ford
Not all about profit
17 Sep 2026
Football attracts millions of devoted followers. Yet, when it comes to the bottom line, many clubs show regular losses. Despite that, narrow-minded left commentators regularly complain that money and the pursuit of profit is ruining the beautiful game. It is more complex than that, writes Carl Collins
War is always hell
17 Sep 2026
Mike Belbin reviews Christopher Nolan (writer and director) The Odyssey 2026, general release
When cybercabs kill
17 Sep 2026
Pilot tests are already ongoing and commercially available, fully autonomous vehicles are expected on UK roads by the second half of 2027. But what happens when there is a crash, when someone dies? Legal rules will protect the capitalists, suggests Mike Macnair
Coping with the crisis
17 Sep 2026
Deadly heatwaves, devastating wildfires and terrible floods - and El Niño has not even reached its peak. Communists say we need extreme measures if we are to avoid climate catastrophe, writes Eddie Ford
Angel or McGuffin?
17 Sep 2026
Jacob Coxon’s very public resignation from Anthropic has once again raised the spectre of the AI apocalypse. But which AI apocalypse? Paul Demarty weighs up the risks to humanity
Money talks to money
10 Sep 2026
Despite the financial scandals, pushback from the liberal establishment and reduced polling numbers, in Birmingham Nigel Farage reached out to the capitalist class, writes Eddie Ford
Racing towards general intelligence
10 Sep 2026
We have already had the Hugging Face incident. Whether AI is used to expand human capabilities or to wipe us out will be decided by politics, ultimately by the politics of class against class, says Yassamine Mather
Abundance for all
03 Sep 2026
How can climate catastrophe be stopped? Capitalism, almost by definition, depends on endless accumulation and the production of more and more stuff. But, at CU 2026, Ted Reese argued that degrowth is not the answer
Slingshots and arrows
27 Aug 2026
Andy Hannah reviews Luke Kemp Goliath’s curse: the history and future of societal collapse Penguin Viking, 2025, pp579, £25
Fraudsters, great and small
27 Aug 2026
He was undoubtedly the tragic victim of an openly racist attack dog and a baying mainstream media. However, maintaining that Jason Arday was not guilty of plagiarism is worse than useless. We need the truth about him and, more importantly, the whole neoliberal university system, argues Paul Demarty
Heatwaves and excess deaths
27 Aug 2026
Our bodies themselves are sending a clear message: something must be done about global warming as a matter of urgency. Already, reports James Linney, many thousands - perhaps millions - are needlessly dying
New records for old
27 Aug 2026
Civilisation itself is in danger. Heatwave after heatwave gives a terrifying glimpse of what the future holds. And now, after the thunderstorms and floods, we face a sixth heatwave, writes Eddie Ford