Articles

John McNair’s Spanish Diary

With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, John McNair became the ILP’s representative in Barcelona, channelling money and medical supplies to support the republican cause and liaising with the ILP contingent which fought alongside the POUM militia. McNair’s graphic account of the war was reprinted in the ILP’s Socialist Leader in 1974 and later...

ILP Postcards

Postcards from the ILP’s ‘Coming of Age’ conference and celebration in Bradford on 11 April 1914, 11 years after the organisation was founded in the same city. The illustration declares socialism as ‘the hope of the world’ and is signed by Chairman J Keir Hardie and Secretary Francis Johnson. First issued 2015. Pack of...

The Corbyn Effect

Converting supporters and new members into active campaigners is the challenge for Labour today, but will Momentum help? asks MIKE DAVIS. Democratic socialism is back on the agenda. For the first time in 30 years members and supporters are talking about what socialism means in the 21st century. If the Corbyn leadership can be sustained...

Challenging the Welfare Myths

GERRY LAVERY of Unite Community Leeds reports from a conference in Birmingham set up ‘to challenge the myths around welfare and build a coalition to fight for our safety net’. The well-attended conference on Saturday 31 October was called by Unite Community (Unite the Union’s community wing) and the Public Services and Commercial Services Union...

Labour Together Looks to Unite the Party

The post-Corbyn re-organisation of internal Labour Party forces continued last week with the launch of Labour Together by prominent MPs and council leaders, including Jon Cruddas, Lisa Nandy, Steve Reed, Judith Blake and Nick Forbes. Coming just a fortnight after the formation of Momentum, Labour Together’s founders claim their aim is to “provide a space...