Higher Wages Are the Only Solution to the Cost of Living Crisis
The cost of living crisis is causing the biggest fall in living standards in decades – and the only way to turn the tide is to fight for wage increases across the economy.
273 Articles by:
Grace Blakeley
Grace Blakeley is a staff writer at Tribune.
75. Foodbank Britain w/ Sumi Rabindrakumar
On this week’s podcast, Grace talks to Sumi Rabindrakumar of the Trussell Trust about the roots of the cost of living crisis, who’s being worst hit, and what could be done to tackle it.
Landlords Must Be Defeated
Landlords raised rents by the highest percentage ever in 2021. More than 1,200 people died while homeless in the same year. It’s time for tenants to organise – and take back housing from the profiteers.
74. Imperialism and the Energy Crisis w/ David Wearing
This week, Grace chats to David Wearing, author of ‘AngloArabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain’, about Boris Johnson’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia and the UAE – and how the energy crisis will transform world politics.
Inflation Is Political
Rising inflation is driving the cost of living crisis, but it isn’t an act of God. It’s the result of policy decisions that favour the rich — and socialists need to have an alternative.
73. The War on the Poor w/ Alfie Stirling
This week, Grace and Alfie Stirling, Chief Economist of the New Economics Foundation, look ahead to the Chancellor’s spring statement – which looks set to contain very few of the measures needed to tackle the cost of living crisis.
72. The Cost of Living Crisis w/ Gary Stevenson
This week, Grace speaks to Gary Stevenson of Gary’s Economics about the cost of living crisis – where’s it coming from, who’s paying for it, and what can we do about it.
There’s Only a Cost of Living Crisis for Workers
Rising prices and stagnant wages are pushing millions of workers towards poverty – but, as usual, corporate giants are profiting from the chaos.
71. Housing and Class Struggle: An Interview with Susanne Soederberg
This week Grace talks to author and academic Susanne Soederberg about the class roots of the global housing crisis, and about resistance to the cycle of debt, eviction, and homelessness.
70. Inequality Explosion: An Interview with Max Lawson
This week, Grace talks to Max Lawson, Head of Inequality Policy at Oxfam, about why inequality increased so much during Covid, how it’s affecting our democracies, and what we need to do about it.
Punish the Oligarchs, Not the Poor
Western sanctions that drive ordinary Russians into poverty would be both wrong and ineffective – it’s time to hit Putin’s real base of power: Russia’s 500 richest oligarchs.
The Zero-Hour Scam
Over one million workers in Britain are now on zero-hour contracts. Their proliferation has never been about ‘flexibility’ – it’s about keeping workers insecure and wages low.
69. The Battle for Trade Union Rights: An Interview with Matt Wrack
This week, Grace talks to Matt Wrack, General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, about why the government is trying to take away firefighters’ right to strike – and how FBU members are organising to resist.
Yes, Now Is the Time to Demand Higher Wages
After a decade of stagnant wages, rising inflation is threatening to drive millions towards the breadline. Forget what the establishment says – it’s time to demand higher wages.
68. Capital’s Chaotic Kingdom: An Interview with Rupert Russell
This week, Grace talks to writer and filmmaker Rupert Russell about how apparently random movements in prices, often driven by speculation in the Global North, create tectonic shifts that multiply around the world.
67. Feminism Against Fascism: An Interview with Laurie Penny
This week, Grace speaks with author Laurie Penny about the resurgence of gendered violence, building a culture of consent, and how women can organise to resist oppression.
Interest Rate Hikes Are Class War
Today’s right-wingers are hoping to solve the inflation crisis like they did in the 1970s: through hiking interest rates and suppressing wages. That’s how economists wage class war.
It’s a Billionaires’ World, We’re Just Living in it
The obscene wealth of the world’s billionaires doesn’t just afford them a luxury lifestyle – it gives them control over the economy the rest of us rely on to live. That’s the reality of capitalism’s ‘free market.’
66. Elite Capture: An interview with Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò
This week, Grace Blakeley speaks to writer Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò about how elites have captured identity politics – and how liberation movements can resist establishment co-optation.
65. The Care Crisis: An Interview with Emma Dowling
This week, Grace talks to author Emma Dowling about the crisis of care facing the world economy, the challenges of organising, and what it would take to genuinely democratise care work.