The ILP have re-published EP Thompson’s celebrated 1960 pamphlet on Leeds ILPer, poet, propagandist and photographer Tom Maguire with a new introduction by Labour historian David Howell and an additional profile by former Labour MP, John Battle. Maguire was, according to Howell’s introduction, “the personification of the marginalised”, a radical organiser who played a vital...
Living for That Better Day
Keir Hardie dedicated himself to ‘constant agitation’ and left a singular political legacy in the form of the Labour Party. David Connolly reviews What Would Keir Hardie Say?, a book of essays published last September to coincide with the centenary of Hardie’s death. Keir Hardie is an iconic figure in the history of the Labour...
Trade Union Bill to Hit Hope not Hate Funds
Hope not Hate is calling on supporters to help offset some of the losses it expects to suffer as a result of the Tories’ Trade Union Bill....
Dark Times for the NHS
Although it was called off at the last minute, the junior doctors’ strike showed just how close to the edge Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has pushed the medical profession. Final-year medical student DAN SELLWOOD explains why his colleagues were prepared to put down their stethoscopes in favour of a one-day walkout. Doctors and the British...
Chartist Propose Model Motion Against Syria Strikes
Chartist editor Mike Davis has drafted a model motion for adoption by local Labour Parties and trade unions, opposing air strikes in Syria and supporting Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s call for a political settlement to the conflict....
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...
Make the Living Wage Compulsory
While recent rate increases are welcome, the Living Wage Foundation’s voluntary approach to employers is not working, says ERNIE JACQUES....
Osborne’s ‘Astonishing Attack’ on Working People
Chancellor George Osborne’s attempt to present himself as the champion of labour at the Conservative Party conference has come under attack from TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady after he reiterated his commitment to cutting tax credits for low-paid workers....
A Vote for Hope
With only a few days to go before the Labour’s leadership election result is announced, TERRY JACQUES shares his reasons for taking the ‘difficult decision’ to vote for Jeremy Corbyn....
Keir Hardie: Evangelist and Strategist
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....
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...