ANDREW MURRAY wonders what the great communist foe of Oswald Mosley would make of today’s far-right surge, warning that while the triumph of Farage and ‘Robinson’ is far from inevitable, placing any faith in Starmer in an anti-fascist front is a fool’s errand
The GMB report on institutional sexism — why we must change
If lessons are to be learned and effective action taken to address the serious issues of bullying, sexual harassment and cronyism highlighted in the recently published GMB report it must be recognised these problems exist not just in one union but across the entire labour and trade union movement, writes HELEN O'CONNOR
LOTTE COLLETT welcomes the arrival of a new party for the left, a vehicle for councils to finally fight for progressive policies on housing, green spaces and public facilities, rather than administering cuts and misery from central government
KEVAN NELSON reports back from a delegation to the epic celebrations for the anniversary of Vietnam’s 1945 revolution, where British communists found a thriving, prosperous socialist country, brimming with ambition and well-earned national pride
Our economic system is broken – and unless we break with the government’s obsession with short-termist private profit, things are destined to get worse, warns Mercedes Villalba
Following the resignation of Nepali Prime Minister KP Oli amid mass youth-driven protests, different narratives have circulated which simplify and misrepresent the complexities and reality on the ground in Nepal at the roots of this crisis, argue VIJAY PRASHAD and ATUL CHANDRA
The US is desperate to stop Honduras’s process of social and democratic change, writes TIM YOUNG
MANY keyboard commentators will have itchy fingers poised to express outrage but a key point should not be missed – no matter how uncomfortable and even traumatic this is, GMB is actually taking steps to deal with the problem.
There are specific historic foundations underpinning the macho culture of trade unions particularly in unions that formerly represented almost exclusively male industrial workers.
But a number of unions, traditionally male preserves, increasingly represent women workers. GMB’s membership is now over 50 per cent women. It is high time for fundamental change in our culture and practices that genuinely enable the very best and most talented women to rise up the ranks of the trade union movement.
More from this author
As more people on the left are now questioning the sex industry, HELEN O’CONNOR reports from a timely fringe at TUC Congress where women on the front line gave their perspective on why prostitution should never be considered ‘work’
With fascists and their supporters cynically and falsely posing as ‘defenders of women,’ the left must take violence against women seriously and gain a better understanding of women’s oppression, warns HELEN O’CONNOR
As some celebrate a pay rise, outsourced, privatised workers face continued exploitation — ending this injustice by bringing them in-house must become a top priority for the labour movement, writes HELEN O’CONNOR
HELEN O’CONNOR sees a worrying trend of women exiting the labour movement in their thousands, and warns that if this tide is not stemmed with proper and effective action, it will only be to the benefit of the capitalist class
