In this chapter from a new book on Keir Hardie, BARRY WINTER argues that the Labour Party founder’s political life and ethical socialism can still serve as a beacon for the left in today’s increasingly unstable world....
Call for Action to Stop the London Arms Fair
Campaign Against the Arms Trade are calling for activists to join them for a week of action against one of the world’s biggest arms fairs at London’s ExCeL centre next month....
Keir Hardie Centenary Celebrations
‘The Keir Hardie Factor’ at the Edinburgh Festival tomorrow (Thursday 27 August) is the first of a series of events being held across the country over the next month to mark the centenary of the Labour Party founder’s death on 26 September 1915....
On the Stump: Considering Corbyn’s Contenders
WILL BROWN reports on how two of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership rivals performed at recent public meetings in Sheffield. Much has been written about the Corbyn campaign and the obvious attractions of his candidacy. But for those who retain serious doubts about his ability to unite and lead the party, about his stances on foreign policy...
You Couldn’t Make It Up
You don’t have to look too far to see the absurdities in Labour’s leadership election, claims WILL BROWN. Here are some he has noticed....
The Revolt No-One Saw Coming
With support for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour leadership campaign apparently growing by the day, what should the left make of this revolt from the blue? DAVID CONNOLLY crosses his fingers and pins his colours to the Corbyn mast....
The Politics of Panic and Failure
Despite what Alan Johnson says, the rise of Corbynism is a symptom of New Labour’s failed legacy, claims ERNIE JACQUES....
Labour’s Leadership Election: A Problem Foretold
As Labour’s controversial voter registration process closes and ballot papers for the leadership elections go out, it’s time to indulge in a spot of ‘we told you so’, says WILL BROWN. Despite it being a giant stride in the right direction, major weaknesses have been exposed in Labour’s new electoral system, as reformed by former...
The Party, the Politics, the Movement
The relationship between the Co-operative Party and the wider co-op movement will at the centre of debate at this year’s Co-operative Party conference in London on Saturday 19 September....
Get Real: Corbyn and the Delusional Left
Unromantic as it may be, without a feasible alternative to capitalism it is capitalism we have to work with, says GARY KENT. At this time, a reformed and civilised capitalism is the best Labour can do, and it is what the public want....
Reading the Past
The pre-war ILP plays a leading role in two new books of contrasting types – one a novel set in north east England, the other a radical ramblers’ guide to the capital. MATTHEW BROWN follows the literary and geographical traces of our past....
Britain’s Post-Election Blues
DOREEN MASSEY and MICHAEL RUSTIN are the founders and guiding lights behind the Kilburn Manifesto, one of the most cogent analyses of neoliberalism and the state of the left. Here they provide a brief reflection on the general election and what it means for the future of social democracy. At the closing of the polls...