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
Reclaiming England’s radical past: from Joseph Arch to AL Morton
Nick Matthews interviews JAMES CROSSLEY on the enduring legacy of Joseph Arch and the need for a progressive patriotism to counter far-right narratives, exploring how historical figures are rediscovered and redeployed
WORKING-CLASS HISTORY: A postcard photo from around 1905 of the original Wellesbourne Tree where Joseph Arch (left) first addressed a crowd of agricultural labourers in 1872
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
JOSEPH Arch Day again takes place in the Warwickshire villages of Wellesbourne and Barford on September 7. This year Professor James Crossley will give the guest lecture at the Joseph Arch Commemoration. I took the chance to ask him a few questions.
Nick Matthews: I loved your book, The Spectres of John Ball. Great read and tremendous scholarship. Restoring Ball as a central figure in English history. One of the things that comes out of that work is the way historical characters and events are commemorated by different generations with their meaning often changing.
When we restarted marking the life of Joseph Arch it was 150 years after the legendary meeting outside the Stag’s Head in Wellsbourne, Warwickshire, which led to the formation of the National Union of Agricultural Workers.
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