Living to Tell
Paris Lees’ novel, inspired by her upbringing in the East Midlands, is a traumatic and funny story of class mobility, and of the places where the oppressions of class and gender collide.
4346 Articles by:
Ko Leik Pya
Ko Leik Pya works as a teacher and writer in the UK and Myanmar. He writes here under a pseudonym.
Batley and Spen Showed How Labour Has Gone Backwards Under Starmer
Labour’s right-wing has treated the razor-thin victory a week ago in Batley and Spen as vindication – but it exposed a stark reality: the party’s problems are even greater now than they were in December 2019.
Steve Turner’s Plan for a Worker-Led Fight Against Climate Change
Steve Turner’s ‘Workers’ Greenprint’ is a bold plan to put workers at the forefront of the fight against climate change – and it shows why he’s the candidate we need as the next general secretary of Unite.
The Myth of the No-Go Zone
In the last decade, right-wing politicians and media outlets have proliferated the idea of ‘no-go zones’ as a way to foment hatred against immigrants – only proving how much of their ideology consists of fantasy.
43. Imperial Nostalgia: An Interview with Peter Mitchell
This week, Grace speaks to writer and historian Peter Mitchell about how the memory of empire manifests in today’s politics, how Labour supports that trend, and how the Left should respond to emotive calls for a return to a better age.
Together in Electric Dreams
A documentary film about the science fiction motif of ‘the world as a hallucination’ reveals something quite different — the tragedy of the means people use to cope with reality.
How a Luton Council Estate Is Taking Control of Its Future
After years of institutional neglect, residents of Marsh Farm in Luton have come together to build a bottom-up model of regeneration – one which puts the community’s interest before private profit.
The Workers’ Wimbledon
Tennis has often been considered an exclusive sport – but in the 1930s, trade unionists came together to challenge the private clubs with their own tournament: the ‘Workers’ Wimbledon.’
The Ethnic Cleansing Theme Park
For decades, Israel has used culture and heritage as a weapon in its war against the Palestinians – but its latest move in Silwan is the most brazen yet: replacing living neighbourhoods with a biblical theme park.
The Film That Fell to Earth
The recently re-released ‘Friendship’s Death’ is an ambitious 1980s Channel 4 film in which left-wing director Peter Wollen brings radical science fiction together with the Palestinian freedom struggle.
How Covid-19 Accelerated the Corporate Takeover of Our Economy
Despite early predictions that the pandemic would be a ‘great leveller,’ it’s increasingly clear that Covid-19 has helped major corporations increase their power – and only worker organising can fight back.
Ashington’s Statue to Jack Charlton: Tribute to a Working-Class Hero
Last week, the campaign for a statue to Jack Charlton in his hometown of Ashington reached its funding goal – with support from trade unions, ex-miners and the local council securing a statue to a working-class hero.
Care Workers Are the Foundation of Our Economy – And the Government Should Act Like It
While the government rolls out grandiose schemes to make Britain a ‘global superpower,’ it continues to neglect the care sector at home – priorities which show it has learned nothing from the Covid-19 pandemic.
How Britain’s Growing Inequality Left Poorer People to Die During Covid-19
New analysis shows that Covid-19 mortality was 25 percent higher in parts of England which were poorer and more impacted by austerity – exposing the government’s myth that the pandemic was a ‘great equaliser.’
The Government Could Outlaw Fire and Rehire – If It Wanted
Nearly 1 in 10 workers have faced threats to their pay, conditions and jobs since the pandemic began due to aggressive fire and rehire tactics – but the government could step in tomorrow to make them illegal.
How Labour Alienated Muslim Voters
Keir Starmer’s party might have held Batley and Spen, but its approach to both domestic and foreign issues has turned away swathes of supporters in the Muslim community – as well as showing a total lack of moral fibre.
Batley and Spen Is Not a Victory for Keir Starmer
Labour’s razor-thin victory in Batley and Spen owes to Kim Leadbeater’s popular local candidacy – not to a party leadership that continues to alienate its own core voters.
The Fallout from Climate Change Isn’t Coming – It’s Already Here
As one historic heatwave tears through the Pacific Northwest, another is causing temperatures ‘too hot for humanity’ in Pakistan – the consequences of climate change are no longer a threat, they’re already here.
Fighting the Privatisation of Channel 4
The Tories are once again threatening to privatise Channel 4, the latest in a string of attacks on public broadcasting – to only way to fight back is to build a campaign for a truly democratic media.
Food Banks Shouldn’t Exist
Last year, the Trussell Trust distributed a record-breaking 2.5 million emergency food parcels. That charitable giving isn’t cause for celebration – it’s proof of the total abdication of responsibility by our politicians.