The Border Business
The grim condition of Home Office’s asylum accommodation is notorious, but less well-known is the fact that its provision is outsourced to private companies – who profit from those fleeing disaster and war.
4358 Articles by:
Miriam Pensack
Miriam Pensack is a writer, editor, and doctoral candidate in Latin American history at New York University.
England’s Fan-Owned Clubs Show that Another Football Is Possible
From Enfield Town to FC United and AFC Wimbledon, fan-owned clubs are succeeding across the English game – and offering a model for supporters who want to reclaim football from the corporate elite.
How Workers’ Struggles Won our Rights
Since the 1800s, the upward march of the organised labour movement has transformed the world of work – reducing hours, improving conditions and winning new rights for millions of working people.
Why We Need a Fighting Trade Unionism
Recent decades have seen a decline in trade union membership, with workers’ conditions deteriorating as a result. The need for the labour movement hasn’t diminished – but to rebuild it, we need to be brave.
Class Struggle Built the Welfare State
The welfare state wasn’t created by enlightened dialogue or ‘sensible’ moderate politics. It was a concession won by workers from the business class – through decades of struggle.
There are Other Worlds Than This
Jack Latham’s records made under the name Jam City are intensely political – not as protest songs written on acoustic guitars, but in the radical texture and ideas conveyed by the music itself.
What Does it Mean to Be Working Class in the Arts?
A new online exhibition exposes the financial and cultural obstacles working-class artists face breaking through – and offers a reminder of the distinctive perspective workers bring to the arts.
The Colour Bar at the Border
For decades, ‘concern’ about immigration to Britain sought to preserve the racial hierarchies of the empire – and imperial notions of ‘us’ and ‘them’ continue to affect our political discourse today.
Portugal’s Drugs Strategy Could Work in Britain
Portugal decriminalised drug possession for personal use 20 years ago – and as more countries swap a criminal approach for a public health one, Britain’s failure to adapt looks increasingly outdated.
Competitive Policing Is a Terrible Idea
Priti Patel is reportedly drawing up plans for police force league tables. It’s a market-logic method that’s been shown to reproduce inequality elsewhere – and risks making police brutality even worse.
The Revolving Door Spins On
‘Sleaze’ and ‘chumocracy’ have been features of the past year’s politics, but corruption is nothing new – it’s a feature of a system where politicians and corporate lobbyists are often the same people.
After the Bodies Piled Up
The debate over Boris Johnson’s comments is a reminder that Britain’s pandemic disaster wasn’t an act of god, it was a failure of government – as lockdown eases we should remember why so much was lost.
34. Border and Rule: An Interview with Harsha Walia
This week, Grace talks to author and organiser Harsha Walia about the role of borders in capitalism and imperialism, and how the Left can resist right-wing populism in the age of nationalism.
Covid-19 Exposed Britain’s Callous Disregard for Worker Safety
On International Workers’ Memorial Day, we remember those at the frontline who lost their lives to the pandemic – and the protective measures, from liveable sick pay to PPE, which could have saved them.
The War over Work
New books by Jon Cruddas and Amelia Horgan exploring work share much common ground, but come to radically different conclusions – exposing a deep generational divide over the future of the workplace.
The Dark Prince Returns
The Labour leadership’s decision to lean on Peter Mandelson in Hartlepool is just the latest sign that it is running out of ideas – and instead turning to discredited establishment hacks to bail it out.
Kwame Nkrumah’s Pan-African Socialism
Kwame Nkrumah, who died on this day in 1972, was a leader in the fight against colonialism. But he knew that independence wasn’t enough – only a unified, socialist Africa could truly free itself from its former masters.
Don’t Let Your Boss Spy on You
The shift to working from home has massively increased the capacity of bosses to spy on their workers, with new surveillance technologies becoming mandatory – it’s time to organise to protect our autonomy at work.
Patronising 101: How Universities Moralise over Hardship Funds
In order to access hardship funds, some universities are forcing students to undertake patronising courses on budgeting and ‘sensible’ spending – but inequality can’t be solved by not buying takeaways.
‘We Won’t Pay Glazer, Or Work for Sky’: FCUM’s Fan-Owned Revolution
As a supporter-owned club with a proud commitment to the wellbeing of the local community, FC United of Manchester shows that there’s an future for football beyond corporate greed – if we’re willing to fight for it.