Prisoners of Conscience

The experiences of Fenner Brockway and Eamonn de Valera in Lincoln Prison during World War One will be discussed at an event on freedom, justice and equality at Lincoln’s Bishop Grosseteste University in September....

What Next for Labour?

‘Labour – Preparing for Power’ is the title of Chartist’s annual open meeting and AGM to be held at the University of Westminster in London on Saturday, 8 July....

Labour Saves Itself, and Restores Hope

Labour’s unexpected ‘success’ in last week’s general election has been greeted with relief and joy across the left. But we need words of caution as well as cheers, says WILL BROWN, for there is still much to do to turn this opportunity into a real transformative victory. Given what seemed possible a few weeks ago,...

The Progressive Alliance and a War of Position

Is the Progressive Alliance an idea whose time has come? GERRY LAVERY thinks so after reading a new Compass pamphlet on the election initiative. The call for a Progressive Alliance starts from the idea that our electoral system gives the Conservatives a built-in advantage and enables them to govern nationally even though most people do...

Unlocking Gramsci for Challenging Times

In this introduction to a new pamphlet on Antonio Gramsci, BARRY WINTER argues that the Italian thinker’s political insights offer a way forward for the left, and can help it tackle the dominance of ideas and practices that divide and disempower us....

The Age-Old Roots of Labour’s Current Crisis

Labour is facing an existential crisis, and parallels with the 1980s are painfully obvious. But the roots of the current crisis go much deeper, writes MARTIN WRIGHT. The Labour Party is the child of hope and compromise. Its political DNA was made from two main elements more than a century ago. One was the counter-cultural,...

‘Common Sense’ and Benefit Sanctions

In an extensive discussion paper, Unite Community member GERRY LAVERY considers how Antonio Gramsci’s ideas could help challenge popular attitudes towards benefit claimants and the fight to end government sanctions. Here, he provides a brief introduction....

Barcelona May Days: 80 Years On

The street-fighting that took place in Barcelona in May 1937 remains one of the most controversial episodes of the Spanish Civil War. Hundreds died as the city was criss-crossed by a labyrinth of barricades....

Re-balancing Education: Dear Labour Councillor…

BEN SELLERS wrote an angry and articulate open letter to Durham County councillors on his blog last month, following their decision to suspend plans to cut the pay of local teaching assistants. As part of our series on education, we are re-publishing his letter below, prefaced with an explanatory note from ILP chair DAVID...