As tens of thousands return to the streets for the first national Palestine march of 2026, this movement refuses to be sidelined or silenced, says PETER LEARY
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Ricky Tomlinson: ‘In this country it’s still us and them’
On the 50th anniversary of the 1972 national builders strike, BETHANY RIELLY talks to the former construction worker turned award-winning actor about the lasting legacy of the historic walkout and the deepening divide between the ruling and working class
(L to R) Ricky Tomlinson at his home in Liverpool and with Dennis Warren on their way to the court of appeal in London on October 29 1974
[(Left) Neil Terry]
If the government really wanted to address public finances, improve living standards and begin economic recovery, it would increase its borrowing for investment, argues MICHAEL BURKE
MATT KERR takes a winter journey through poetry, labour and memory, from Glasgow to Newcastle, arguing that our radical past isn’t something to revere from a distance, but a tool still meant to be used
One of Canada’s most revered politicians is a native of Falkirk but is relatively unknown in his original homeland. KENNY MacASKILL tells his story
Labour prospects in May elections may be irrevocably damaged by Birmingham Council’s costly refusal to settle the year-long dispute, warns STEVE WRIGHT
HENRY FOWLER and ROB POOLE explain the significance of today’s Megapicket
FIFTY years ago, in the autumn of 1972, thousands of construction workers were returning to building sites for the first time in three months, with a spring in their step and more money in their pockets.
They had just achieved what many thought impossible; a national strike across a fragmented workforce, resulting in the biggest pay rise the industry had ever seen.
It was the first — and only — national builders’ strike in British history. At the height of the action, unions reported that 200,000 workers at 7,000 sites had downed tools. The offer marked a major victory, not only for the construction workers, but the trade union movement.
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