Blog

Remembering Ed Rooksby

Writer and academic Ed Rooksby passed away last week at the age of just 46. We republish one of his final in-depth interviews – and remember his contributions to socialist thought in Britain.

The Rise and Fall of the French Left

France was once the heartland of socialism, but today its left is on the retreat and its far-right emboldened. The roots of this malaise lie in François Mitterrand’s turn from radical reform to neoliberal austerity in the 1980s.

The Council Tax Debt Crisis

An estimated 3.5 million people in the UK are in council tax arrears – more than half of them as a result of the pandemic. It’s the latest Covid economic fallout that threatens to widen inequality.

Manchester’s Fight for the City

The Court of Appeal has blocked a plan by Manchester City Council to build a 440-space car park on a site local activists are campaigning to turn into a green space – it could mark a turning point in the struggle for a city that works for all.

Recovery Bonds Are Not the Answer

Labour’s recovery bonds are a retail offer masquerading as something radical – their real beneficiaries will be those with significant savings at a time when many can’t keep their heads above water.

The Holocaust on Film

A film adaptation of Jerzy Kosiński's Holocaust book, 'The Painted Bird,' is a bracing but humane treatment of what 'modern' Europe descended into in the 1940s – and a reminder of what could happen again.