Spiral Scratch
The ‘Scratch Orchestra’ founded in the 1970s by composer Cornelius Cardew was an experiment in democratic music-making, turning the orchestra into the microcosm of a new society.
4327 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.
Defeating the Third Runway
Yesterday’s court ruling against a third runway at Heathrow was a landmark moment in the international effort to hold governments to account over climate change.
The Last Social Democrat
Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated on this day in 1986. He was the last social democratic leader to really believe in a world beyond capitalism.
America’s First Red Scare
100 years ago the American state clamped down on the country’s militant trade union movement. Then, as now, Red Scares aren’t rooted in hysteria – they’re about ensuring capital remains unchallenged.
Citizens Disunited
Citizens assemblies are in vogue for their purported ability to circumvent ‘populist’ politics – but they are increasingly used by the establishment to take the heat out of political struggles.
Why Unions Matter
There is only one force on earth that can challenge the stranglehold of capital: a fighting trade union movement with organisers at its core, writes Jane McAlevey.
Organising the Housing Struggle
The housing crisis isn’t going away just because Labour lost the election. Now is the time for those who want to continue the fight to throw themselves into grassroots campaigns.
Eccentrics against the Apocalypse
This year is the 20th anniversary of the end of the Greenham Common Peace Camp. It was not just a protest but a community trying to live a better world in the present day.
How Bernie Won Nevada
A Labour Party member reports on the Bernie Sanders campaign, how its socialist message cut through in Nevada – and what we can learn from it in the UK.
Eccentrics against the Apocalypse
Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp was not just a protest but a community trying to live a better world in the present day.
Rebuilding from Defeat
Next month’s Bristol Transformed festival will aim to pick the socialist movement up from defeat – and begin the political education that can chart a way back.
Empowering Labour’s BAME Members
Navendu Mishra writes about his campaign for BAME rep on Labour’s NEC, his record of standing up for BAME members – and why we need a fighting anti-racist Left now more than ever.
The Manifesto in History
The final instalment of Harold Laski’s 1948 introduction to The Communist Manifesto for the Labour Party looks at the application of the Manifesto’s principles in practice – and its relevance to the Labour government.
The Fight of Our Lives
The CWU’s upcoming ballot in Royal Mail isn’t just a fight against management attacks on workers’ terms and conditions – it’s a battle for the future of the postal service itself.
Why Trade Unionists Should Vote for Rebecca Long-Bailey
There’s only one candidate in the Labour leadership race committed to undoing Thatcher’s anti-union laws and rebuilding the labour movement – that’s Rebecca Long-Bailey.
Bernie’s Path to the Presidency
Last night’s landslide victory in Nevada catapulted Bernie Sanders to the front of the Democratic field – and was built on a broad, working-class coalition that could take him all the way to the White House.
Secondary Modern
Wirral’s Solar Campus was a global pioneer in the field of ecology. Its gradual destruction tells a story about how idealistic social and architectural ideas have been ground down by class and regional inequalities.
Bloomberg’s Threat to Democracy
By next month, Mike Bloomberg will have eclipsed the most expensive presidential campaign in US history. His attempt to buy the presidency is an exercise in destroying democracy.
The Meaning of the Manifesto
On the centenary of the Communist Manifesto’s publication in 1948, the Labour Party asked Harold Laski to write an introduction for party members. We republish a section of his essay today.
Why the CWU Backs Rebecca Long-Bailey
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward on why he and his union back Rebecca Long-Bailey as the best chance of avoiding ‘death by a thousand compromises.’