25 Days of the British Gas Strike
A striking British Gas engineer writes for Tribune about the fight against ‘fire and rehire,’ how the company has tried to squeeze its workers on the picket line – and why solidarity was the best form of defence.
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Ko Leik Pya
Ko Leik Pya works as a teacher and writer in the UK and Myanmar. He writes here under a pseudonym.
Rishi Sunak Is Not Your Friend
The media’s hero-worship of Rishi Sunak ignores his real record during this crisis – from Eat Out to Help Out to opposing a circuit-breaker and liveable sick pay, the Chancellor has been one of Covid’s villains.
Jack Lang: Australian Labor’s Renegade Premier
In the 1920s and ’30s, Jack Lang served as Premier of New South Wales and introduced sweeping social reforms. His populist, working-class coalition is derided today – but remains a highpoint in Australian politics.
Yes, We Can Raise Corporation Tax in a Pandemic
The Labour leadership’s attempt to brand a corporation tax rise as ‘austerity’ is politically inane, economically backwards and a gift to the Tories. But they won’t mind – the only real aim is to signal that Corbynism is over.
‘Coal Not Dole’: The Legacy of the Miners’ Strike
The Miners’ Strike – which began on this week in 1984 – was one of the biggest disputes in British history. But it wasn’t just a fight over jobs, it was a battle for and by communities which Thatcher set out to destroy.
How the Third Way Turned its Back on Democracy
The Third Way which conquered the centre-left during the 1990s brought with it a hostility to democratic politics – the public would have to adapt to the demands of market, not the other way around.
The Second City
To begin a Tribune series on England’s Second City, Birmingham’s own Lynsey Hanley asks why the city’s development was so chaotic – and tended to ignore, diminish and segregate its population.
Rebecca Long-Bailey: ‘The Tories Are Ignoring the Pandemic Debt Trap’
UK household debt has increased by 66% since May. It’s already a crisis for millions and will be for many more as ‘frozen’ pandemic payments thaw out – but the government refuses to act.
The Tories Are Setting out Their Stall – While Labour’s Lies Empty
This week the Tories will outline their recovery plan: a more muscular state which intervenes on behalf of the wealthy. Labour needs a response that focuses on working people – but is sorely lacking it.
Rishi Sunak’s Plan to Keep the Housing Casino Rolling
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to extend the stamp duty holiday in Wednesday’s Budget, propping up an economy that relies on ballooning property prices – and locking in the housing crisis for years to come.
How Online Radicalisation Is Fuelling Anti-Muslim Hatred
Referrals for far-right terror offences have risen markedly among young people during Covid. The phenomenon is fuelled by growing online subcultures – many of which thrive on anti-Muslim vitriol.
How Goldsmiths Staff Are Fighting Covid Austerity
In the wake of Covid-19, Goldsmiths management are forcing through job cuts worth £6 million and a vast increase in workloads – but staff are fighting back against the latest neoliberal reforms to higher education.
The Real Cheats Are in Tax, Not Benefits
Tax fraud costs the UK more than ten times as much as benefits fraud but is hardly ever prosecuted – it’s all part of a right-wing scam to divert your attention from who really cheats the British public.
Our Friends in the Establishment
‘Our Friends in the North’ turns 25 this year. The show dealt with the institutions of British society with a rare honesty, and opened the eyes of many to the ongoing symbiosis between politicians, the police, and the press.
Pinochet’s Long Shadow
Dictator Augusto Pinochet’s influence lingers in Chile’s politics through widespread inequality and the impunity of its security forces – but today, there is a growing movement to bury his legacy.
Capital’s Safe Pair of Hands
Labour’s opposition to tax increases for major corporations isn’t popular or even good economics – but it is a signal that the days when the party challenged big business interests are over.
The Personal Isn’t Always Political
‘The personal is political’ originated as a crucial feminist insight into the politics of daily life – but in recent years, the slogan has morphed into an excuse for reducing politics to the individual and the moral.
Obama’s Third Term
While liberals swoon and right-wingers predict the end of days, there’s little to suggest Joe Biden’s presidency will be transformative – for better or worse, its early weeks look very much like a new Obama era.
Recovery Bonds Could Form a Left Strategy – If Used Correctly
Rather than giving money to middle-class savers, the Left could push a programme of regional recovery bonds to help the areas cheated by the London finance bubble – before the Tories take renewal for themselves.
Tony Benn’s Plan to Democratise Britain — and Abolish the Monarchy
Thirty years ago, Tony Benn’s Commonwealth of Britain Bill proposed to transform our democracy by devolving power, guaranteeing social rights and abolishing the monarchy — it’s time for today’s Left to take up its mantle.