On Benefits and Big TVs
From tabloid columnists to Job Centre snoopers, Britain’s obsession with the less well-off owning flat-screen TVs has become a symbol of how inequality is blamed on those at the bottom, rather than at the top.
4299 Articles by:
Raven Hart
Raven Hart is co-founder of the Bristol Cooperative Alliance, an organisation that aims to promote a decentralised economy that empowers local communities and facilitates democratic self-determination.
The Refugee Union Behind Barbed Wire
After being placed in the Penally barracks, refugees organised a union to fight inhumane conditions – their campaign forced the government to commit to closing the camp and inspired others to take up the struggle.
Bill Gates’ Monopoly Medicine
The Gates Foundation claims to have fought for access to medicine during the pandemic, but its defence of intellectual property rights has had the opposite impact – and exposed the limits of philanthrocapitalism.
39. Marxism 101: An Interview with Hadas Thier
Grace talks to writer and activist Hadas Thier, author of ‘A People’s Guide to Capitalism,’ about the key tenets of Marxist thought and what they tell us about the ongoing crisis of the world’s economic system.
Child Hunger Is a Political Choice
There is enough wealth in Britain to feed every child, yet 14% of families with children experience food insecurity – that is a political choice, not an inevitability, and it’s time those in power were held to account.
The Cladding Scandal Isn’t Over
The government has promised repeatedly to end the cladding scandal, but the new Fire Safety Act and the funding on the table go nowhere near far enough – residents need safe homes now.
There’s No Place for Private Companies in Our NHS
While the Tories claim that NHS privatisation is over, healthcare profiteers Virgin are embedding themselves in local structures – another sign that the erosion of our public system is continuing at pace.
The Radical Critique of Edward Said
Four new books about the life and works of Edward Said remind us of his towering intellectual significance – and his indispensable contribution to understanding Palestine’s struggle for liberation.
Building a World Fit for Women
A new Barbican exhibit examines the work of the feminist architects who broke down the barriers of their industry and the ‘neutral’ buildings it created to imagine a genuinely inclusive, accessible use of space.
Another Round of Blairism Won’t Save Labour
In another ‘rare intervention’, Tony Blair recently urged Labour to reject the collectivism that brought it into existence and return to the individualism that defined his tenure – but that’s the last thing voters want.
When the Commune Came to Britain
After their defeat in Paris in 1871, exiled Communards arrived on British shores. Their time here forged solidarity across the Channel, and left an imprint on British radicalism for decades to come.
Remembering the Peasants’ Revolt
On this day in 1381, the lower classes of southern England began a titanic class struggle against the aristocracy – to demand justice for those who laboured and build a land where ‘everything be common.’
Today’s Blairites Aren’t Modernisers, They’re Dinosaurs
The latest relaunch of Labour’s centre-left has seen it contrast its own modernity with socialist ‘nostalgia’ – but the Blairites remain wedged in the 1990s, and are determined to take the party down memory lane.
Taking Back Birmingham
Two writers who grew up in Birmingham – one in Thatcher’s 1980s, and one in Blair’s ’90s – discuss class, geography, housing, work, and accents inside and outside of England’s second city.
The Last International Brigader: In His Own Words
Josep Almudéver, the last surviving International Brigader to Spain, passed away earlier this week aged 101. We republish one of his final interviews on the global significance of the struggle against fascism.
Why the Right Loves the Culture War
Faced with growing anti-elite sentiment, the Tories have reinvented themselves as culture warriors – a reinvention designed to overcome the disasters caused by decades of free-market economics.
Remembering Josep Almudéver: The Last International Brigader
Earlier this week Josep Almudéver Mateu, the last veteran of the International Brigades which defended the Spanish Republic, passed away aged 101. We remember his contribution to the fight against fascism.
The Housing Crisis Is Bad for Your Health
One quarter of all privately-rented homes in England fail to meet basic health standards. The problem can’t be solved by piecemeal reforms – only grassroots tenant organising can fight landlord neglect.
Covid-19 Is Not the End of Neoliberalism
As the Covid-19 pandemic forced greater state intervention in the economy, many commentators proclaimed the end of neoliberalism – but governments around the world are acting to prop up the market.
How to Tackle the Corporate Tax Dodgers
Corporate tax avoidance is systemic in the modern economy, accounting for $600 billion a year, but a number of new plans aim to close the loopholes – and force the world’s wealthiest companies to pay their share.