With the death of Pope Francis, the world loses not only a church leader but also a moral compass
Latest editorial
Wilko: we once came close to preventing these crises
The 12,500 jobs lost at Wilko echo the industrial vandalism of Tories in the 1980s. New Labour had plans to put in place a safety net — but will Keir Starmer resurrect these, asks KEITH FLETT
General view inside Wilko in Brownhills near Walsall, one of the first Wilko stores to close down
LYNNE WALSH previews the Bristol Radical History Conference this weekend
Keir Starmer’s £120 million to Sudan cannot cover the government’s complicity in the RSF genocide or atone for the long shadow of British colonialism and imperialism, writes CLAUDIA WEBBE
Join the traditional march from Clerkenwell Green, which will bring together countless international workers’ organisations in a statement against the far right
Ecuador’s election wasn’t free — and its people will pay the price under President Noboa
Mountains of research show that hardcore material harms children, yet there are still no simple measures in place
We face austerity, privatisation, and toxic influence. But we are growing, and cannot be beaten
DESPITE the best efforts of the GMB union it seems like all Wilko stores will close in the next few weeks with the loss of 12,500 jobs.
The impact will be significant. People will lose jobs in a cost-of-living crisis and communities will lose another well-used high street shop. A powerful speech by a Wilko union rep at the TUC in Liverpool rightly received unanimous support.
Further, Labour leader Keir Starmer recognised the point on social media, arguing that a Labour government will give people like the Wilko workers, thrown on the scrap heap by owners who paid themselves millions when the company was in trouble, hope for the future.
More from this author
KEITH FLETT revisits the 1978 origins of Britain’s May Day bank holiday — from Michael Foot’s triumph to Thatcher’s reluctant acceptance — as Starmer’s government dodges calls to expand our working-class celebrations
From bemoaning London’s ‘cockneys’ invading seaside towns to negotiating holiday rents, the founders of scientific socialism maintained a wry detachment from Victorian Easter customs while using the break for health and politics, writes KEITH FLETT
Facing economic turmoil, Jim Callaghan’s government rejected Tony Benn’s alternative economic strategy in favour of cuts that paved the way for Thatcherism — and the cuts-loving Labour of the present era, writes KEITH FLETT
Starmer’s slash-and-burn approach to disability benefits represents a fundamental break with Labour’s founding mission to challenge the idle rich rather than punish the vulnerable poor, argues KEITH FLETT
