After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
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The cost-of-living crisis is compelling the strike waves
A grim economic backdrop is likely to mean further widespread industrial unrest for months or even years to come, warns DIANE ABBOTT MP
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
Alba party leader KENNY MacASKILL makes some suggestions on how to save our pubs and reduce irresponsible drinking
The catastrophe unfolding in Gaza – where Palestinians are freezing to death in tents – is not a natural disaster but a calculated outcome of Israel’s ongoing blockade, aid restrictions and continued violence, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
Opinion polls point to electoral collapse, parliamentary rebellion and a looming leadership challenge as Starmer’s Labour haemorrhages working-class support and the far right exploits the vacuum left by a hollowed-out party, says NICK WRIGHT
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
THE forecasts unveiled by the Bank of England when they raised interest rates last Thursday were a stark reminder of why there is currently a strike wave taking place in this country. The forecasts themselves were truly chilling.
The Bank’s forecasters reckon that inflation is far from the peak and could run over 13 per cent. That is now close to becoming the consensus after one of the leading think tanks had previously forecast price rises peaking at 15 per cent. The Bank also believes inflation will be above the current level of 9 per cent this time next year.
At the same time, it now predicts a prolonged recession. On this analysis the slump is set to last more than three years and unemployment will rise to well over 6 per cent before the end of 2025.
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The 2025 Budget shores up the PM’s political position with headline-grabbing welfare U-turns, but with no improvements on offer to declining public services or living standards, writes MICHAEL BURKE
In his first of a new monthly economics column MICHAEL BURKE argues that public-sector investment is more effective, more productive than private-sector investment
You only have to look at the dire polling of Labour’s sister parties in Europe to see that aping the hard right on migration leads to spectacularly bad results, argues DIANE ABBOTT MP