Remembering Australia’s Green Bans
In the 1960s and ’70s, Australian construction workers organised with local communities to prevent the destruction of green spaces in urban areas – the movement they created pioneered a green class politics.
4360 Articles by:
Jenna Norman
Jenna Norman is a London-based writer and campaigner.
Head and Hand
Alfred Sohn-Rethel’s ‘Intellectual and Manual Labour’, recently republished, is an influential account of the way in which human beings built a society where one class plans, and another toils.
Why Labour Should Support a 15% Pay Rise for NHS Workers
Labour is basing its local election campaign on the party’s support for NHS workers, so now is the time to prove it – a new grassroots campaign is calling on Keir Starmer to ‘step up’ and back a 15% pay rise.
The Writers’ Action Group Is a Model for Today’s Fight for the Arts
In the 1970s, the Writers’ Action Group campaigned for writers to receive royalties from library loans. Their campaign resulted in Public Lending Right – and is a model to follow in the fight for arts funding.
Come to Milton Keynes
The sugary pop of 1985’s ‘Our Favourite Shop’ by Paul Weller’s The Style Council carried a brutal critique of the fantasies and realities of Thatcherism in the South of England during the tumultuous 1980s.
London’s Red Bus to Smolensk
At the height of the post-Stalin ‘thaw,’ a self-organised group of young British travellers took a bus all the way to the Soviet Union – one of many innovative attempts to dissolve the boundaries of the Cold War.
How the Shrewsbury 24 Were Vindicated
In the 1970s, 24 construction workers were convicted for their role in a successful strike – the story behind their vindication this week reveals the degree to which the state wages war against the working class.
Alex Salmond Is a Bit Part in Scotland’s Independence Drama
Today’s announcement by Alex Salmond has exposed further cracks in the SNP ahead of the Scottish parliamentary elections – but the real drama of the battle over independence is yet to come.
The War in Yemen Is a Very British Scandal
Today marks the sixth anniversary of the war in Yemen, the world’s greatest humanitarian disaster which has left 250,000 dead and millions facing starvation – all of it made possible by British government support.
Finland’s Free School Meals Success Story
In Finland, high-quality free school meals are provided to all children between six and sixteen as a public service – instead of handing over cash to rip-off profiteers, Britain should follow its lead.
Defund the Queen
The Royals’ finances, like their powers, are opaque, vague, and poorly understood, but they still receive immense state subsidies – it’s time to properly nationalise their lands.
Greater Manchester Shows That Public Buses Are the Future
Today, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham announced that the region’s buses will be brought back into public control – it’s a victory for campaigners and a model the whole country should follow.
How Labour Is Failing Liverpool
Allegations of corruption in the Caller Report are grim, but Labour’s failure to oppose the takeover of Liverpool by an equally corrupt Tory government threatens to plunge a left-wing heartland into years of right-wing policies.
How Cuts and Covid Have Bankrupted Our Councils
Years of central government cutbacks combined with the fallout from Covid have left councils across the country in crisis – with 25 on the brink of bankruptcy and many more unable to provide basic services.
The Eviction Crisis Is Already Here
While bailiff evictions remain formally paused, eviction hearings are going ahead – and with rising numbers of people unemployed, claiming Universal Credit, and slipping into arrears, thousands face losing their homes.
Learning the Lessons from Covid Mutual Aid
In the early weeks of lockdown, mutual aid groups sprang up to support those in need during the pandemic – but many fizzled out, and those that remain will only survive if committed to transformative politics.
It’s Time For a People’s Covid Inquiry
After a year of corruption, delay, and denial, the government can’t be trusted to hold itself accountable for Britain’s extraordinary Covid death toll – so campaigners, workers and bereaved families are doing it instead.
William Morris: ‘I Do Not Want Art for a Few’
On William Morris’ birthday, we republish his lecture on the decorative arts – in which he laid out his vision of art created by and for the people, and the post-capitalist world that would make it possible.
The Press as Organiser
Berlin mural ‘The Press as Organiser,’ hidden for 30 years, is about to be unveiled to the public after restoration – and its message about the role of the media for radical politics has lost none of its resonance.
29. The Return of the Nasty Party: An Interview with Shami Chakrabarti
This week, Grace talks to Shami Chakrabarti – barrister, human rights campaigner, and former Shadow Attorney General under Jeremy Corbyn – about the Police Crackdown Bill and the wider Tory assault on civil liberties.