Robinson successfully defended his school from closure, fought for the unification of the teaching unions, mentored future trade union leaders and transformed teaching at the Marx Memorial Library, writes JOHN FOSTER
A new campaign to save Labour Party democracy
The recent blocking of Mish Rahman yet again showed contempt for Labour Party democracy — we need permanent campaigning for the right of members to decide, writes MATT WILLGRESS
Under Keir Starmer's leadership, Labour members have often been denied the option of selecting from a full range of candidates — meaning that many candidates like Mish Rahman, with significant support from trade unions and left-wing members have not reached the shortlist for dubious reasons.
A judge in a German court ruled that the ban activity imposed on renowned Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah was unlawful, reports LEON WYSTRYCHOWSKI
At the very moment Britain faces poverty, housing and climate crises requiring radical solutions, the liberal press promotes ideologically narrow books while marginalising authors who offer the most accurate understanding of change, writes IAN SINCLAIR
From Gaza protest bans to proscribing Palestine Action, political elites are showing a crisis of confidence as they abandon Roy Jenkins’s apologetic approach for Suella Braverman’s aggressive ‘hate march’ rhetoric, writes PAUL DONOVAN
ANSELM ELDERGILL examines the legal case behind this weekend’s Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival and the lessons for today
Ben Chacko talks to RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY about how the key to fixing broken Britain lies in collective sectoral bargaining, restoring unions’ ability to take solidarity strike action and bringing about the much-vaunted ‘wave of insourcing’
The summer of 1950 saw Labour abandon further nationalisation while escalating Korean War spending from £2.3m to £4.7m, as the government meekly accepted capitalism’s licence and became Washington’s yes-man, writes JOHN ELLISON
LOCAL Labour Party members in Wolverhampton West recently wrote an “obituary” marking the death of party democracy in their constituency.
It followed the recent exclusion of Labour NEC member Mish Rahman from the longlist in their parliamentary selection, and Michael Crick reporting that the “local Labour executive [is] in revolt over NEC bigwigs taking control of selection.”
Rahman’s blocking is yet another example of members and affiliates blatantly being denied the democratic right to choose candidates. And anyone who still doubts that trade unions’ views are not being taken seriously when it comes to candidates’ selection under the current regime should note that Rahman had the backing of seven trade unions and affiliates.
More from this author
Trump’s return when we already see a world at war, breathtaking inequality and climate catastrophe confirms Engles’ famous dichotomy, writes MATT WILLGRESS
As Donald Trump returns, it’s also worth returning to Lenin’s analysis of imperialism, writes MATT WILLGRESS
With Trump coming back to power, interventions aimed at regime change and a far-right resurgence in the region are heavily on the agenda, writes MATT WILLGRESS, calling on the international left to prepare to act in solidarity
MATT WILLGRESS explains why only public ownership of water and energy supplies can stop the corporate rip-off and help tackle the many crises England faces
