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 window into the life of Hans Hess
PAUL MACGEE highlights a new series of books that brings together a treasure trove of writings by a Jewish Marxist art historian who offers readers a refreshingly grounded theory of art
DISTINGUISHED: Portrait of Hans Hess c1962 (photographer unknown)
[Anita Halpin] 
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
WHAT started as a modest compilation of known writings on art and Marxism by the art historian Hans Hess is turning into a four-volume collection of his work, including a series of illustrated lectures and recently uncovered unpublished writings along with material written for the amusement of children.
Hans Hess was born into a well-off family of cultured, enlightened and progressive-minded German Jews. His father Alfred, a staunch social democrat and admirer of the Soviet Union, owned Hess Schuh and by fortunate circumstance won the contract to provide boots for the Red Army in the mid-20s.
With good advice from curators and art dealers, Alfred was able to accumulate a representative collection of the art of the Weimar avant garde, most especially of Expressionist and Modernist inspiration.
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