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
Latest editorial
Meet the Conservatives’ laughable Social Mobility Commission
What was once a relatively bona fide group looking at child poverty has long been hijacked by the Tories to victim-blame the poor and disadvantaged — but Liz Truss’s latest appointees are comically biased, reports SOLOMON HUGHES
Commissioner and former Tory MP Rob Wilson (left) and Katherine Birbalsingh who was made chair of the commission
in 2021 (right)
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
THREE of the seven newly appointed members of the government’s Social Mobility Commission are Tory Party activists — with most of the rest being right-wing ideologues.
There are two messages behind these numbers. First, the government is willing to use any government institution to cement political power for its party, no matter how absurd.
Secondly, it’s a direct message that the best way to actually get “social mobility” is by joining that party — if you want to get ahead, be an active Tory and you’ll get a chance for a lucrative and prestigious job.
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As the government moves to rein in academy freedoms, former darling of conservative education reform Katharine Birbalsingh cries ‘Marxism.’ Education columnist ROBERT POOLE examines how academisation has failed our children while enriching executives and empowering ideologues at the expense of democratic accountability
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