From counterfire.org
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Paul Symonds, an ex-miner, finds much of value in the new documentary on the 1980s Miners’ strike, even though it lets the Labour Party and trade-union leaderships off the hook It’s forty years since the Great Miners’ Strike of 1984-5.
7h ago
From counterfire.org
Starmer sides with Trump against Assange: expect more of the same if he’s leader
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Sir Keir Starmer is less critical of the Extradition Treaty than Boris Johnson, says John Cook Just as Julian Assange fights extradition by the Trump administration in the court in Belmarsh, Sir Keir Starmer has weighed into the debate on the side of the US government.
#dpp #mi5 #mi6 #tory #press #labour #assange #gestapo #iraqwar #starmer
7h ago
From counterfire.org
Seven Children: Inequality and Britain’s Next Generation – book review
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Dorling’s latest book, Seven Children, offers vividly detailed analysis of the extent and meaning of inequality in today’s Britain, finds Graham Kirkwood Less than seven percent of children in England attend private school.
7h ago
From counterfire.org
The post-election challenge in France
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We repost an interview by Tempest with French socialist John Mullen on the challenges facing the left Tempest Collective: What do you understand to be the main lessons from the summer’s electoral process?
on Thu, 11AM
From counterfire.org
Labour’s next steps to make workers pay!
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Labour’s Next steps to make work pay is driven more by the need to make workers more productive than to increase their power, argues John Westmoreland The day after Labour revealed its workers’ rights policy document Next steps to make work pay, we need to focus on what is driving this...
on Thu, 10AM
From counterfire.org
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In the second part of his history of modern Lebanon, Michael Lavalette explains how imperialist and Israeli interventions and invasions have repeatedly devastated the country Part one here Lebanon gained its formal liberation from French imperial rule in 1943, though the League of Nations...
on Oct 10
From counterfire.org
Divisions deepen within Israeli garrison state
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Long before 7 October last year, divisions in Israel have been widening in ways that undermine its cohesion and even its usefulness to US imperialism, argues John Clarke After a year of genocide in Gaza and accompanying brutality in the West Bank, the entire region now stands on the brink of...
on Oct 10
From counterfire.org
Why does Israel get away with it? – weekly briefing
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Lindsey German on war abroad and further crisis for Starmer’s Labour It is hard to credit that our government, Joe Biden, and assorted media spokespeople keep tell us that Israel is ‘defending itself’.
on Oct 7
From counterfire.org
10 October: Palestine day for students and workers
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Clementine Russell explains why there will be actions at workplaces and walkouts from schools and university campuses on Thursday 10 October, and how you can get involved Israel’s genocidal siege and bombardment in Gaza through the last year has seen widespread anger, and as a result, huge...
on Oct 7
From counterfire.org
Government sleaze: Starmer-style
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Terina Hine on Labour's cronyism and corruption Starmer won the election because the governing Tory party was transparently unfit for office, mired by scandal and corruption.
on Oct 6
From counterfire.org
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Our world is dominated by a hierarchy of power – military, economic and financial, asserts Chris Bambery Despite much talk of its, relative, economic decline, the United States is the single great power which can wield all three – military, economic and financial – kinds of power.
on Oct 6
From counterfire.org
Israel: The wounded beast is lashing out – editorial
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The demonstration on 5 October must be the launchpad for a bigger and more dynamic movement After twelve months, Israel continues to bomb refugees relentlessly.
on Oct 5
From counterfire.org
Loot: How Israel Stole Palestinian Property – book review
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Adam Raz’s Loot contributes important new research on how Israelis plundered and dispossessed Palestinians during the Nakba, finds John Westmoreland Adam Raz has made an important addition to the study of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in this detailed volume containing original research.
on Oct 5
From counterfire.org
When Labour attacks working people, what’s next?
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As Starmer pushes for more austerity and trade unions remain limited, the need to build an anti-cuts movement is clear, argues Simon Midgely Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham made a splash last week at the Labour Party Conference.
on Oct 4
From counterfire.org
When is an invasion not an invasion? When the British media report on Israel…
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The UK media’s reporting consistently favours Israel to the extent of reflecting UK foreign policy rather than reality, argues Des Freedman The mainstream media’s coverage of Israel’s bombing of Beirut and its subsequent invasion of Lebanon is straight out of its playbook for how they cover...
on Oct 4
From counterfire.org
Waving them on to war. Why the West is backing Israel’s escalation.
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Chris Nineham slams the deepening and dangerous Western hypocrisy in backing Israeli attacks while condemning any kind of resistance or retaliation, warning of a potential global conflict if we don’t take action immediately The anti-war movement has been warning of this for 12 months.
on Oct 4
From counterfire.org
Lebanon: a country created, divided and destroyed by Western imperial interests
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In this first of two pieces on Lebanon, Michael Lavalette looks at the role of Western Imperialism in the creation of modern Lebanon Part One: imperialism and the creation of modern Lebanon.
on Oct 4
From counterfire.org
Can there be a revolution in 21st century Britain?
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The left faces big challenges, but the establishment is deeply unpopular, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica Revolutions occur when ordinary people no longer wish to continue to live in the old way, and when the upper classes are unable to rule in the old way.
on Oct 3
From counterfire.org
The World’s glaciers are melting
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The pace of glacial melting is accelerating alarmingly, and the world’s poor will be the first to suffer, but too few are naming capitalism as the cause, argues John Clarke Switzerland and Italy are redrawing the portion of their common border that traverses the Matterhorn alpine peak because...
on Oct 3
From counterfire.org
Israel: a terror state on the rampage – weekly briefing
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Lindsey German on imperialism’s roadmap to hell for the Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to drag the world into a Middle East war which will see Israel squaring up to Iran.
on Sep 30
From counterfire.org
Israeli terrorism kills Hassan Nasrallah
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Israel's massive bombardment of Beirut has killed Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, taking the Middle East to the brink of regional war, reports Michael Lavalette Hezbollah has confirmed that its leader Hassan Nasrallah was martyred by a massive Israeli attack on the Dahiyeh suburb of...
on Sep 29
From counterfire.org
The terrorist Israeli state has turned its sights on Lebanon
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A year on from the Gaza genocide, Israel is opening up a second front of war.
on Sep 28
From counterfire.org
Stop Starmer’s austerity attack – model motion
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Counterfire presents a model resolution for members to take to their trade-union branches to help relaunch the anti-austerity movement Austerity is not an economic necessity, it is a political choice.
on Sep 26
From counterfire.org
Covid Inquiry: How not to learn the lessons of the pandemic
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The government is failing to address the problems revealed by the Covid Inquiry, as the NHS decays, and threats of a new pandemic loom, argues Terina Hine Public inquiries into disasters take too long and rarely lead to change, so said the House of Lords committee tasked to examine the...
on Sep 25
From counterfire.org
The UN’s empty pact for the future
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International institutions face a crisis of legitimacy, particularly with Israel unrestrained by the imperialist powers, and the relative power of the US weakening, argues John Clarke On 22 September, the UN convened a grandly titled ‘Summit of the Future’ at its New York headquarters to...
on Sep 25
From counterfire.org
The Tories created the crisis in universities, but Labour is only reinforcing it
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University vice chancellors up and down the country appear to be taking a lead from Rachel Reeves and discovering black holes in their finances UK-based students have suddenly become hot property over the past couple of months, in a mad summer dash to fill university courses.
on Sep 25
From counterfire.org
Rich, entitled and unpopular: welcome to the new Labour government – weekly briefing
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Lindsey German on Starmer’s hapless floundering and Israeli imperial aggression Labour has no one but itself to blame for its sea of troubles.
on Sep 23
From counterfire.org
Pushing out the urban poor: the power of the developers
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Gentrification is not just a phenomenon in wealthy cities; the poor are being displaced in fast-growing cities in the Global South too, as John Clarke explains In the major cities of the world’s wealthiest countries, the harsh impacts of upscale redevelopment are well-known and have been for...
on Sep 20
From counterfire.org
The Stone-Cold Heart of Starmer’s Labour – No Nineties Revival Here
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Starmer’s government is no mere rehash of ‘New Labour’, in fact its something with even less content or purpose, and the Labour left is far weaker than before, argues Kevin Crane ‘The winter fuel payment was a great Labour achievement.
on Sep 18
From counterfire.org
Long-range missiles won’t win Ukraine war, but risk significant escalation
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We should instead be working towards a ceasefire and negotiations, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica.
on Sep 18
From counterfire.org
The unprecedented environmental cost of Israel’s genocide in Gaza
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Israel’s genocide in Gaza is once again exposing the lethal, planet-warming emissions of wars writes Sweta Choudhury One of the most graphic depictions of the environmental costs of war was when 700 of Kuwait’s oil fields were set ablaze during the first Gulf War leaking an astounding 11...
on Sep 17
From counterfire.org
Don’t trust Labour with our NHS
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The Darzi report reveals the dire state of the NHS, but the signs are that the government is preparing for more privatisation of the service, rather than funding it properly, argues Lucy Nichols The Darzi report largely confirms what we all knew to be true about the NHS.
on Sep 16
From counterfire.org
We always thought Starmer was a stuffed shirt, now we know he’s a bought suit – weekly briefing
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Lindsey German on an already benighted Labour government It hasn’t taken long for Keir Starmer’s already inauspicious poll ratings to plummet.
on Sep 16
From counterfire.org
UK and US intelligence agencies advance global rivalry
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In their warning about threats to Western interests, the MI6 and CIA chiefs only reveal the dangerous and reactionary agenda of imperialism, argues John Clarke This month, in what was obviously a carefully calculated move, the heads of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the UK...
on Sep 15
From counterfire.org
Breakthrough in Brighton: The TUC backs the Palestine movement
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The Palestine and anti-war movements have received a major boost at the TUC Conference report Zahid Rahman and Chris Nineham Just two years ago the TUC Congress narrowly passed a motion that pressed the government to increase defence spending and invest more in arms industries.
on Sep 14
From counterfire.org
Nowhere is safe in Gaza: Hundreds protest after Al-Mawasi massacre
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Protesters gathered at Downing Street to demand an end of arms sales to Israel after yet another Israeli atrocity, reports Clementine Russell Following yet another Israeli strike killing dozens, this time on Al-Mawasi camp, which was deemed a ‘humanitarian zone’, hundreds of protesters...
on Sep 14
From counterfire.org
‘Our votes are not taken seriously’: The left leads the fight against Macron and Barnier
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An estimated 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Paris on Saturday 7 September to oppose President Macron's anti-democratic appointment of Michel Barnier.
on Sep 11
From counterfire.org
The Palestine movement is unstoppable
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Only the minority in the government and establishment who support Israel's genocidal actions fear the Palestinian movement, writes Chris Nineham The Metropolitan police have once again backed off on plans to clamp down on the Palestine movement.
on Sep 7
From counterfire.org
France: Resistance takes off as Macron ignores elections
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Emmanuel Macron has named a prime minister from the right-wing party that came fourth in June’s elections Just like Trump, Macron has little respect for democracy.
on Sep 7
From counterfire.org
Labour’s meek ban on Israel arm sales: A step too little, too late
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The suspension of a small portion of the total arms sales to Israel is not enough, but it represents a victory for the Palestine solidarity movement, argues Zahid Rahman On Monday, the Labour government announced a partial ban on arm exports to Israel.
on Sep 5
From counterfire.org
Kursk and Ukraine’s looming defeat
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Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk is looking increasingly ill advised, and as its prospects dwindle, it becomes ever more urgent that an end is brought to this war, argues Chris Bambery For weeks, we have been told by the British political leadership and the established media that Ukraine’s attack...
on Sep 3
From counterfire.org
Stop Met Police threats over Saturday’s national march for Palestine – Coalition Statement
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We are concerned that the Metropolitan Police are threatening to place restriction orders on next Saturday’s Palestine protest, delaying the start time by one and a half hours to 2.
on Sep 3
From counterfire.org
Squaring up to the new austerians – weekly briefing
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Alex Snowdon on Tory cuts dressed as Labour remedy It is a remarkable fact that, less than two months after forming a new government, Labour’s honeymoon appears to be over already.
on Sep 2
From counterfire.org
Labour chooses austerity: the black hole is an illusion
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The supposed fiscal black hole is needed by Starmer’s government in order to justify austerity, not the other way around, argues Dominic Alexander Keir Starmer insisted on Tuesday that the October budget would ‘be painful.
on Sep 1
From counterfire.org
We will not be silenced: The mass movement and the clampdown in Nigeria
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Hundreds have been arrested following huge anti-poverty protests, which have rocked Nigeria.
on Aug 31
From counterfire.org
The extension of Israel’s genocide to the occupied West Bank
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Shabbir Lakha spoke to Palestinian-British activist Samer Jaber about Israel's latest military assault on the West Bank.
on Aug 31
From counterfire.org
Starmer, war and the weight of history: Why Labour has never been a party of peace
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The Labour Party’s racism, imperialism and warmongering is nothing new, and nor is the liberal media’s apologism for it, argues Tom Sykes In the run-up to the general election in July, the Guardian, the BBC and other Labour leadership-friendly platforms gave Keir Starmer a headache over the...
on Aug 31
From counterfire.org
Fossil fuels, far-right riots, and Palestine
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Climate denialism gives fossil-fuel interests strong reasons to support the far right, which connects the issues of Palestine, anti-racism and climate justice, argues Nandita Lal The recent far-right riots in the UK, which many attribute to the actions and rhetoric of Nigel Farage, expose a...
on Aug 29
From counterfire.org
The enemy never left the gate: A new round of struggle against lithium exploitation in Serbia
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The renewed movement against destructive lithium mining in Serbia can defeat the government and Rio Tinto but strategic direction and focus are needed, argues Pavle Ilić High summer is generally not a period of mass political activity, and Serbia is no exception to this universal rule.
on Aug 28
From counterfire.org
Starmer’s theme song: things can only get worse – weekly briefing
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Lindsey German on Starmer's austerity, Labour's commitment to war and the racist hysteria against Carnival There can be little doubt the first two months of Starmer’s government, with its huge majority and with the disarray of the Tories, haven’t gone exactly as planned.
on Aug 27