The Housing Crisis Is Bad for Your Health
One quarter of all privately-rented homes in England fail to meet basic health standards. The problem can’t be solved by piecemeal reforms – only grassroots tenant organising can fight landlord neglect.
4342 Articles by:
Billy Anania
Billy Anania is an art critic, editor, and journalist in New York City.
Covid-19 Is Not the End of Neoliberalism
As the Covid-19 pandemic forced greater state intervention in the economy, many commentators proclaimed the end of neoliberalism – but governments around the world are acting to prop up the market.
How to Tackle the Corporate Tax Dodgers
Corporate tax avoidance is systemic in the modern economy, accounting for $600 billion a year, but a number of new plans aim to close the loopholes – and force the world’s wealthiest companies to pay their share.
50 Years of Britain’s Bad Drug Policy
On this day in 1971, Britain adopted the Misuse of Drugs Act. Half a century later, drug-related deaths are at a record high – it’s time to accept that the prohibitive approach is harmful and demand something different.
How the Thurrock Bin Strike Won
In the midst of a pandemic, Thurrock’s bin workers found themselves facing council cuts that would have left them £4,000 a year worse off – so they organised, went on strike and beat the bosses.
The Danish Dilemma
Denmark is one of the few European states to elect a social-democratic government in recent years – but its mix of progressive economics and anti-immigrant policies offers a stark warning about the years ahead.
When Localism Is Anti-Social
Recent campaigns against council housing and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in London are a reminder of the dangers of localist rhetoric – and how it can be weaponised against progressive policies.
38. Overheated: An Interview with Kate Aronoff
This week, Grace speaks to climate journalist and author Kate Aronoff about Joe Biden’s climate plan, the Green New Deal, and whether fossil fuel executives should be tried for crimes against humanity.
Lisbon Shows Why Only Radical Change Can Solve the Housing Crisis
In the Portuguese capital, a centre-left mayor was elected on a pledge to fight the city’s runaway housing crisis – but his efforts show that real change only comes from challenging the logic of the market.
The Short Pay Scandal in Our Hospitals
Outsourced cleaners and porters kept our hospitals safe during the pandemic, but now the private companies that employ them are ripping them off – with many reporting being systematically underpaid.
Israel’s Oppression of Palestinians Doesn’t End with Ceasefires
This week, Israel has begun rounding up a new generation of Palestinian activists who led recent mass protests – a clear message from the Israeli state that resistance to apartheid will not be tolerated.
UCL Must Cut the Rent
Sick of being exploited by profit-driven universities, student rent strikers are organising for change – at UCL their demands are a full refund of this year’s rent and a rent freeze for the next five years.
How Corporate Welfare Props up the Billionaire Class
The last year has seen the largest increase in billionaire wealth in recorded history, but it has little to do with innovation – states across the world are pursuing policies which guarantee that the rich get richer.
Behind Union Collusion
A cosy culture between union officials and industry bigwigs in the construction sector undermined workers for decades – creating conditions that allowed unions to collaborate in the blacklisting of their own members.
The Long Shadow of Section 28
The Thatcher government’s Section 28 made it illegal for public bodies to ‘promote homosexuality’ – a policy that continues to detrimentally impact the lives of LGBT+ people decades later.
It’s Time for Trade Unions to Back BDS
Recent weeks have seen historic demonstrations in support of Palestine, but protests alone won’t be enough to turn the tide – trade unions must be at the forefront of a new wave of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
The Fight for a New Colombia
The latest round of protests against Colombia’s right-wing government have seen a brutal crackdown, leading to at least 43 deaths – but the mass movement for social change is only growing stronger.
Palestinian Freedom Isn’t a Threat to Jews
For years, there has been a cynical campaign to cast the struggle against apartheid in Israel as a threat to Jews – but growing numbers of Jewish people refuse to accept that their safety relies on the oppression of others.
Reclaiming the 1960s
The counter-culture of the 1960s is sometimes dismissed as an individualist phenomenon – but it was in its essence a collective movement, and one the Left should try to learn from again.
Working Too Long Is Killing You
Long working hours led to 745,000 deaths worldwide in 2016. As we emerge from the pandemic, we urgently need to reclaim our free time – but the only way to do it is through worker organising.