Domestic (UK)

Shimomuran Economics: The No-Debt Investment Credit Creation Path to More Rapid Economic Growth

George Tait Edwards MBE makes the case for the urgent implementation of Keynesian economics to stimulate growth, based on the economic model's previous success in the US, China and Japan... [read more]

The writing out of the Radical tradition

Regular readers are aware of my view of Winston Churchill. On the five pound note, he will replace Elizabeth Fry, whom Michael Gove also wants to remove from the National Curriculum along with Robert Owen... [read more]

Repealing the Health and Social Care Act

The last ditch attempt by the House of Lords to stop wholesale privatisation of the NHS has failed... [read more]

You are now leaving Working England, Welcome to Middle England: The socio-economic underachievement of Neo-Liberalism in attaining reduced class disparity

Since the economic reform of the 1980’s, politicians like Blair, Thatcher and Prescott absolutely believe that the working class no longer exists and the majority of UK citizens are now middle class, writes Elijah Pryor.... [read more]

The Counter-Enlightenment

What happens to people when they become government science advisers? Are their children taken hostage? Is a dossier of compromising photographs kept, ready to send to the Sun if they step out of line? George Monbiot writes.... [read more]

The strange death of the Tory north

Congratulations to the Conservative Party on having delivered its South Shields leaflets in Jarrow. Everywhere beyond the Mason-Dixon Line that runs from the Bristol Channel to the Wash is now just "the North," to the Tories, isn't it? David Lindsay reports.... [read more]

Dance on Thatcher's grave, but remember there has been a coup in Britain

In the wake of Thatcher's departure, John Pilger remembers her victims both at home and abroad, from miners to Vietnamese children.... [read more]

Paulo di Canio

David Lindsay asks why didn't they say anything about Paolo Di Canio at Swindon... [read more]

The Great Unmentionable

We have offshored the problem of escalating consumption, and our perceptions of it, by considering only territorial emissions, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Together, We Can Save Our Post Office

For 20 years, central government has been privatising the postal service by stealth. In reaction, the idea of mutualisation does the rounds, writes David Lindsay.... [read more]

Together, We Can Save Our Post Office

For 20 years, central government has been privatising the postal service by stealth. In reaction, the idea of mutualisation does the rounds says David Lindsay... [read more]

Margaret Thatcher and the bias of the British Media

Dr Amjad Mirza reflects on the response of the mainstream media to Margaret Thatcher's death... [read more]

Margaret Thatcher's Contribution to Neoliberalism

Former Labour MP and Shadow Cabinet member, Bryan Gould, reflects on the tendency to lionise and exaggerate the importance of Margaret Thatcher's contribution towards promoting free market economics... [read more]

It Can Happen Here: The Bank Confiscation Scheme for US and UK Depositors

Confiscating the customer deposits in Cyprus banks, it seems, was not a one-off, desperate idea of a few Eurozone “troika” officials scrambling to salvage their balance sheets reveals Ellen Brown... [read more]

Peter Tatchell - Margaret Thatcher: Extraordinary but heartless

Former British Prime Minister's fee market policies paved the way for current economic crisis and she legislated the UK’s first new anti-gay law in over 100 years: Section 28, writes Peter Tatchell, Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation.... [read more]

Political Barbed Wire

Why are 97 per cent of our rivers shut to the public? A millionaire minister’s amazing conflicts of interest give you a clue, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Through the looking glass: An insight into old age and PTSD

History gives us perspective, it’s the chance to look back on events and examine the findings. History is the opportunity to question our direction writes Hussein Al-Alak... [read more]

An uninformed MP and a bigoted Judge

Ungrateful as I feel for bashing someone who was actually trying to be helpful, it was difficult not to (a) laugh and then (b) groan at a short letter I recently received from a client’s local MP, writes Felix McHugh... [read more]

Line of Battle

The 'private good, public bad' madness sees a bedroom tax foisted on the poor while the rich amass vast property wealth, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Press regulation and parliamentary sovereignty

Patriotism is meaningless unless it extends to active participation in the fight against each and all of the threats to our sovereignty, to our liberty, and to our parliamentary and municipal democracy, writes David Lindsay.... [read more]

The Booing of Churchill

Viewers of Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ‘45 are shocked to see Winston Churchill being booed and heckled during the 1945 General Election campaign. They ought not to be remotely surprised writes David Eade... [read more]

A long and dishonourable tradition

George Osborne may be just about the last person in Britain to believe that austerity offers a real path to recovery from recession and the resumption of growth - and it may be doubted that even he remains a true believer, writes Bryan Gould... [read more]

Barbican Centre Cleaners in Historic Strike for the Living Wage

Election Day for the Corporation of London will see a strike of cleaners at the Barbican Centre... [read more]

The choice to be British

Congratulations to the British Falkland Islanders, including the large Saint Helenian community there, some of whom are my relatives on my mother's side, writes David Lindsay after a referendum that was controversial in some parts of the world.... [read more]

Labour's chance. Will they take it?

Jim Murphy may speak truer than he knows. Labour is on course for a majority of over 80, with UKIP quite capable of handing scores of Conservative seats to the Lib Dems, writes David Lindsay.... [read more]

A Capitalist Command Economy

Forcing schools into the hands of unelected oligarchs is the latest contradiction of everything the market fetishists claim to stand for, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

John Lewis Cleaners to Strike for the Living Wage

Cleaners at the John Lewis Partnership are to ballot for strike action at the flagship Oxford Street store. This is the first step in the revived campaign to win the Living Wage for all cleaners employed by John Lewis... [read more]

After Eastleigh

Labour’s disastrous showing at Eastleigh is a self-inflicted wound but it still needs a friendly critic and a critical friend, writes David Lindsay.... [read more]

Corporate Blowback

Companies like EDF, seeking to terrify protesters with lawsuits, are likely to become victims of their own aggression, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

If markets weren't masters and economics worked for people

The choice on the one hand is for people to be a resource for a rich economy. The choice on the other is for a rich economy to be a resource for society. Alfie Stirling explains... [read more]

The end of nuclear power? Careful what you wish for

Flawed and stalled as the plans for toxic waste may be, at least they exist. There is no way to clean up CO2, the greater evil, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Labour should keep up momentum against a Eurofederalist project

Even if there were nothing else to do, the solution to an alleged electoral bias against the Conservatives cannot be the abolition of scores of Shire Tory seats. Instead, we need constituency members, county members, regional members and national members, writes David Lindsay.... [read more]

uk eurosceptics

Labour kept Britain out of the euro. Labour MPs have elected three Eurosceptics out of three to represent them on the party’s National Executive Committee... [read more]

Lenin on "Left-Wing" Communism in Great Britain

As part of our series analysing Lenin's book "Left-Wing" Communism: an Infantile Disorder, Thomas Riggins looks at what Lenin had to say about the problems of ultra-leftism in Britain in 1920... [read more]

Waiting 17 months for an appeal (Part 2)

Felix McHugh reveals the outcome of Paula’s appeal... [read more]

Welcome to the Shammies, the media awards that recognise truly unsung talent

There are awards for everyone. There are the Logies, the Commies, the Tonys, the Theas, the Millies ("They cried with pride") and now the Shammies, writes John Pilger... [read more]

ASLEF Tube Driver Strike: Look beyond the picket line to see the real story..

On Boxing Day, ASLEF members employed by London Underground Limited (LUL) staged a 24 hour strike and the press have been predictable in attempting to whip up hysteria and outrage, reports Karl Davis... [read more]

Waiting 17 months for an appeal...

Paula is depressed. She has no motivation to look after herself, to eat or to get dressed. Some days she stays in bed and doesn’t open the curtains. Felix McHugh discusses the hurdles one of his clients faces in trying to navigate the welfare system.... [read more]

You are now leaving Working England, Welcome to Middle England: The socio-economic underachievement of Neo-Liberalism in attaining reduced class disparity

One Nation- Ed's Third Way

David Eade reports on Ed Milliband's speech at the Fabian Society conference today... [read more]

"Leave. Go to Brixton- you'll make it there"

I am a Palestinian British Muslim. I take great pride in my dual heritage. There shouldn't be a price to pay for this duality, but there is. I have paid it always reluctantly, occasionally resentfully and once or twice bitterly, writes Faisal Mikdadi... [read more]

Northern Ireland Unionism's Dangerously Fascistic Tendency

After a lull over the Christmas period there have once again been violent protests on the streets of Belfast reports Conor... [read more]

The Grime Behind the Crime

It seems crazy, but the evidence about lead is stacking up. Behind crimes that have destroyed so many lives, is there a much greater crime asks George Monbiot.... [read more]

Teachers' Low Morale

For the first time in my life, if a youngster were to ask me if s/he should become a teacher, I would find myself feeling intensely uncomfortable repeating the old mantra about teaching being an honourable profession, a caring profession says Elizabeth Ellis... [read more]

Ain’t football grand?

For most of us an annual salary of £70,000 would be the stuff of dreams but for some young adults an offer of that nature would be considered a gross insult, says Felix McHugh... [read more]

Was the Bahraini ambassador trying to bribe British MPs?

It is interesting to receive two different news stories on the same day both mentioning the Gulf state of Bahrain and the UK Parliament, writes Iqbal Tamimi.... [read more]

The day my inner anarchist lost out to the bourgeois me

A winter's day, some years back: a fall on the ice landed George Monbiot in A&E – and that's when he met the man with tattoos on his neck and knuckles.... [read more]

Proportional Representation in the UK

After the disaster that was Nick Clegg's attempt at electoral reform it appears that reforming the voting system may be off the agenda for at least a generation, longer if the two main parties have their way, writes Bobby Gant.... [read more]

The Narcosis of Charity

Joseph Johnson asks whether charity is replacing welfare... [read more]

Ensuring Scottish sovereignty

Ellen Brown discusses options for economic development in a future independent Scotland... [read more]

Hard-working families. Aincha just sick of them?

Felix McHugh shines a spotlight on the propaganda spread by the mainstream parties that seeks to demonise those made unemployed or those who are too ill to work... [read more]

The year of cataclysm for the NHS

It has been a big year for the English health service, for the wrong reasons. With so much happening so fast, Alex Nunns of the NHS Support Federation pulls together the strands to explain what is really going on in the NHS... [read more]

Copying our neighbour's work ethic

I may be guilty of being unkind towards David Cameron, but I take his comments on emulating German industry under the suspicion that he is being his usual ‘selective’ self when referring to our European neighbours, Karl Davis explains... [read more]

Emily Wilding Davison Memorial Campaign Launched

A new campaign to honour the memory of the militant Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison on the 100th anniversary of her tragic death was launched on 29 November at the Firebox Café in King’s Cross. David Morgan reports ... [read more]

Obituary: Colonial officer, overseas aid administrator and champion of the oppressed who advanced the cause of gay people in the Civil Service'

Richard Kirker remembers Ian Buist: the quintessential Civil Service mandarin, but also a doughty proponent of social progress. He had a fearless determination to champion the rights of the victims of injustice, minorities and the marginalised.... [read more]

Obituary: Colonial officer, overseas aid administrator and champion of the oppressed who advanced the cause of gay people in the Civil Service'

Ian Buist: Ian Buist, CB, colonial officer, overseas aid administrator and champion of human and gay rights, was born on May 30, 1930. He died on October 19, 2012, aged 82, remembered by Richard Kirker.... [read more]

As Gaza is savaged again, understanding the BBC's historical role is vital

We must understand the BBC as a pre-eminent state propagandist and censor by omission, says John Pilger.... [read more]

Social Constructionism Applied to Working Class Educational Attainment

Elijah Pryor looks into the origins, definitions and theory of Social Constructionism and explains inequalities faced by working class children in education... [read more]

Lies, damned lies, and PMQ’s (without the statistics or mandate)

Nathaneal Sansam comments on two elections that took place on the same day: the Corby by-election and election of a Police and Crime Commissioner in Humberside... [read more]

Police & Crime Commissioners and the Tories

The chaotic and rambling drumbeat of the Tory march has been laid bare for the questioning ears of the world once more, says Karl Davis... [read more]

Cameron’s Contagion

There couldn’t be a clearer case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. For the past three years there have been clear and unequivocal warnings that ash die-back could come to Britain, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Ash Cloud

There was a time when conservatism meant what the word suggests. It was an attempt to keep things as they are: to arrest economic and social change, to defend the position of the dominant class. Today conservatism has become a nihilistic festival of destruction, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

The Liberal Democrats: Liberalism in the European sense only

After months of activity and apologies, the message from Nick Clegg to the left of centre voter was this: "We are not the party for you." At least, this was the message I took away with me. Not just from the Lib-Dem conference but also from the New Statesman article by Richard Reeves, Clegg's former director of strategy, writes Nathaneal Sansam.... [read more]

Public Sector Workers

We publish here a short verse from Danny Herbert... [read more]

Ed's speech of faith

“That is my faith. One nation: a country for all, with everyone playing their part. A Britain we rebuild together.” David Eade reports on Ed Milliband's speech to the Labour Party Conference... [read more]

Eric Hobsbawm – towering above his critics

Naturally there have been many glowing tributes to Eric Hobsbawm following his death at the age of 95, but there have also been some extremely ungenerous slights and grotesque attacks on his integrity as an individual and as an historian, writes David Morgan... [read more]

Walk on, walk on...

When an individual with mobility problems seeks to obtain Employment and Support Allowance, simply getting to the assessment centre can be the first of many unpleasant battles. Felix McHugh reports.... [read more]

Condemnation partly motivated by hindsight

The condemnation of past behaviours has become fashionable. It is partly motivated by hindsight. It is also partly motivated by sheer outrage, as any decent and humane person cannot help but be outraged by man's often barbaric treatment of other human beings, writes Elizabeth Ellis.... [read more]

Cooperative Bank: A Basic Failure

Casper Denck reports on The Cooperative Bank's decision to no longer offer accounts to persons who are undischarged bankrupt... [read more]

Has ‘Citizen Khan’ on BBC One bridged the gap? .

‘Citizen Khan’ might have taken the mickey of some Muslims, but not of Islam, and that is a huge difference. I would not say that the show has stereotyped Asians as claimed, but rather seemed to be a reflection of self-criticism, writes Iqbal Tamini.... [read more]

Nice little earner

When it comes to dishonesty it may be that social security tribunals have more knowledge of the subject than one would expect, says Felix McHugh.... [read more]

Mass media directing the masses

Luke Innes looks at the effect of mass media on the working class in Britain... [read more]

Mining The Past

Paul Lloyd looks back at the findings of a coroner’s inquest that investigated the deaths of seven Cumbrian miners nearly a century ago. ... [read more]

Allan Horsfall 1927-2012: In remembrance

Peter Tatchell recalls the contribution of LGBT rights pioneer Allan Horsfall, who died from heart failure on 27 August 2012, aged 84-years-old.... [read more]

A Step Towards the Dock

Desmond Tutu has helped us see the true nature of what the former prime minister did to Iraq and increased pressure for a prosecution, writes George Monbiot. ... [read more]

Dance With the One Who Brung You

Protecting the environment, like protecting the welfare of a nation’s poorest and weakest people, requires a sweeping reform of political funding, on both sides of the Atlantic, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Scorched Earth Economics

The model is dead; long live the model. Austerity programmes are extending the crises they were meant to solve, yet governments refuse to abandon them and the UK provides a powerful example, writes George Monbiot. ... [read more]

Beer, Vomit And Lipstick: Revolting Acts In An Age Of Crisis

'Freedom' within the confines of what increasingly resembles an open prison isn't much to celebrate. The actual reality in Britain is economic meltdown and social crisis, writes Colin Todhunter ... [read more]

Tribunals, tigers and dogs

Felix McHugh, author of the book Damned Scroungers, is back with more stories about his daily struggle to ensure disability claimants receive the money to which they are rightly entitled... [read more]

A new front opens up in the war against nature

George Monbiot says that the Countryside Alliance’s campaign against a ban on lead shot strikes him as motivated by the age-old attitude of reactionary members of the landowning classes: that they will not be subject to the laws or considerations that affect lesser members of society. ... [read more]

Blair, Olympic deals and the glimpse of another Britain

John Pilger reports on two letters that illuminate two very different Britains, and on how the London Olympics is being used to rehabilitate Tony Blair, the invader of Iraq.... [read more]

The Promised Land

To be young in the post-industrial nations today is to be excluded. Excluded from the comforts enjoyed by preceding generations; excluded from jobs; excluded from hopes of a better world; excluded from self-ownership, says George Monbiot.... [read more]

A Word in Your Shell-like

In his latest article, resident philosopher Stephen Gilbert bemoans the lack of confidence in our society.... [read more]

Britain: BMA strike - The Truth

Last month's day of action by doctors in Britain attracted a lot of criticism from the Tory press - no surprise there! Dr Tomasz Pierscionek puts forward the case for the doctors' strike and explains what really happened.... [read more]

Isle of Wight Festival – an alternative perspective – June 2012

Miles Caston describes the highlights of this year’s Isle of Wight festival and suggests a ‘greener’ way to enjoy music festivals... [read more]

Britain’s Summer: A Juxtaposition of Sport & Politics - The Question of Nationalism

We may end up remembering 2012 for it’s grand summer of British national pride but we must not forget the country is in a terrible state and it doesn’t appear that things will get better, writes Joseph A. Daniels. ... [read more]

Anomie

Enclosure and dispossession have driven us, like John Clare, all a little mad, says George Monbiot.... [read more]

Bad Sight of the Week

At the weekend, I sent a letter to The Observer via email. So sure am I that the paper will not run it this coming Sunday that I breathe life into it by reproducing it here below... [read more]

Reclaiming the NHS

This weekend healthcare campaigners will gather for a conference on how to fight the Coalition’s newly passed Health Act. Alex Nunns assesses their options... [read more]

Paternal Vigilance

The LPJ's resident philosopher and arts correspondent muses on David Cameron's parenting skills, VIP security and the conclusions of some of our favourite television series.... [read more]

Storm Warning

I suppose I should have seen this coming. In January, I discovered that the forecasters employed by a company called Positive Weather Solutions, whose inaccurate predictions were widely used by the newspapers, don’t exist, says George Monbiot.... [read more]

Camping Needs Solid Ground

LPJ's arts correspondent and resident philosopher, Stephen Gilbert, comments that an emphasis on celebrity is the prevailing television flavour of the age, infecting every genre of programming, whether appropriate or not... [read more]

High Quality Healthcare- Competition brings Quality?

Tomasz Pierscionek sheds light on the recent High Quality Healthcare conference organised by pro free market think tank Reform ... [read more]

Longing to Reign Over Us

As is my wont, I found plenty to occupy me over the extended half-week holiday and never felt sufficiently at a loose end to find myself tuning in to any of the blowsy and noisy shenanigans somebody thought might be welcome to Her Majesty the Queen to mark the 60th anniversary of her accession, writes W Stephen Gilbert.... [read more]

Monarchy not the main obstacle to a better tomorrow

Karl Davis argues that those protesting against the monarchy are aiming their ire at the wrong target... [read more]

The Resurgent Aristocracy

Rural policy is once again the preserve of the elite, and wildlife and people suffer as a result, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

The Radical Alternative to Austerity

A message to all readers from Labour MP John McDonnell...... [read more]

The Politics of Truth

Politicians are easy targets and scoring points off aunt sallies is a national sport. Stephen Gilbert discusses the chasm between the accountability of political columnists and that of MPs... [read more]

Mere insults should not be criminal offences

Peter Tatchell says Section 5 of the Public Order Act is a menace to free speech and the right to protest... [read more]

Taking Another look at ‘Chavs’

Chavs by Owen Jones has rightly been lauded as an overdue rejoinder to the steady and near unstoppable denigration of the working class in Britain over the past three decades of unbroken Thatcherism, under both the Tories and New Labour, reviews John Wight.... [read more]

Senior Moment

This month, I turn 65. If you know your musicals, my naming Eliza Doolittle Day as the date in question will give you the day that this event takes place. If indeed it is An Event, says W. Stephen Gilbert (photo courtesy of Barbra Flinder).... [read more]

Who are the benefit thieves?

Lord Freud, Welfare Reform Minister, recently said: "We always push for the strongest possible punishment for benefit thieves who are stealing money from the people who need it the most".If David Freud did not exist it would be necessary for a left-wing writer to invent him, writes Felix McHugh.... [read more]

A Monstrous Proposal

Extending transparency laws to the private sector would make the likes of News International think twice before misbehaving, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Democracy is licking its wounds but the fight for social justice is gathering momentum

Sadly, the resounding feature of the 2012 local elections is one of a weak democracy. It’s true that of the 32 per cent of people who decided to vote, more voted Labour than any other party. But the dominant characteristic of 2012 is that almost seven in every 10 people decided that the election wasn’t worth the walk to the polling station writes Alfie Stirling.... [read more]

Paying by the mile

Sam Hunt lets off steam as he tallies up the cost of running a car these days... [read more]

DEREK, or LITTLE by LITTLE

By common consent (at least among those like me who lived through it), the ‘golden age’ of broadcasting – at the BBC especially – was that which spanned the 1960s, writes W Stephen Gilbert.... [read more]

University fees and a recession?

Sam Hunt says whenever he says that he doesn't believe in the recession, he feels like some sort of conspiracy theorist, yet considering the vast scope of our economy even at a base level it makes him too sceptical to believe that the recession is anywhere near as large as it is made out to be, if not completely non-existent. One such example is the revenue that universities generate.... [read more]

The Keys to the Blood Bank

The Conservative minister charged with protecting wildlife is making a packet as a result of weak wildlife protection laws, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Rejection of the wi-fi world

Miles Caston makes the case that life is better lived off-line ... [read more]

Rewilding Our Children

When my second child reaches my age I fear the NHS, along with the tiger and rhino, will be part of a mythologised arcadia, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Is the BBC middle class enough?

Are our national media outlets the domain of the middle class, or is the truth even worse...? Felix McHugh discusses... [read more]

Spying an opportunity

Stephen Gilbert argues that surveillance over the whole population involves an erosion of our basic liberties. We give away our rights at our own peril. ... [read more]

The Great ESA Robbery

The removal of contributory Employment and Support Allowance assessment has not been a major talking point during the Welfare Reform Act's progress onto the statute book but I believe it is actually the most pernicious of all the benefit cuts which are just about to take place, writes Felix McHugh.... [read more]

Coalition: crafty or chaotic?

Offering businesses a PR opportunity with the Prime Minister, and riling up the public into believing fuel will disappear in the very near future, both seem like quick and highly-profitable business ventures, writes Sam Hunt ... [read more]

Theresa May and Al-Qaeda's ''Assurances''

Hussein Al-Alak reflects on Teresa May seeking assurances that Abu Qatada not be tortured if deported to Jordan... [read more]

The Devil’s Playground

The very concept of work, and its application in society, is controlled by those whose policies have been sent straight from hell. outRageous! explains... [read more]

Defend victimised students! Defend education!

The victimisation of a Cambridge University student has caused anger and outrage amongst the wider student body. Thus far, 2800 Cambridge students have signed a petition condemning the University’s decision to suspend the individual concerned... [read more]

The symbolic violence of reality television

Prior to the encroachment of neo-liberal policy into the economic and cultural landscape of Britain, television programmes we would typify as ‘entertainment shows’ were built around the dominant working-class lifestyle and values, writes Tom Chivers.... [read more]

The alleged drunkenness of the British

Miles Caston challenges propaganda alleging Britain is a nation of boozers... [read more]

Beat the Cheat: an alternative take

With the Sun newspaper launching yet another campaign of 'Beat the Cheat', Felix McHugh highlights the problem of claimants being cheated out of their benefits... [read more]

Has Europe abandoned the Left?

David Eade looks at whether there is any truth in the claim that the people of Europe have turned away from the parties of the Left... [read more]

Alfred Russel Wallace: Socialist and co-founder of evolutionary theory

Next year will see the centenary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace. Simultaneously with Darwin the discoverer of evolution due to natural selection, but history has largely eclipsed his name under Darwin’s immense shadow, writes John Green.... [read more]

The government's tragic argument against opposition to NHS plans

When it comes to the Health Minister’s plans for the National Health Service, the patients are against it, the nurses are against it, the doctors are against it, even the government are against it, says Chris Mason-Felsing.... [read more]

Sixty years of philatelic pleasure, and now?

For the five or six generations of solitary, sedentary boys in the middle of which fell my vintage (the baby boomers), the hobby par excellence was collecting stamps, recalls W Stephen Gilbert.... [read more]

The Florence Anderson Row

Patrick Cawkwell brings attention to the unfair suspension of a Labour Party Councillor... [read more]

The problem with ‘Workfare’

Karl Davis discusses the unfairness and flaws inherent to the Workfare scheme... [read more]

News International Wapping Exhibition closes as Sun on Sunday is launched

David Eade reviews the News International Wapping – 25 Years on exhibition that has been touring around the UK... [read more]

It's time we recognised the Blair government's criminality

John Pilger shows that in the Kabuki theatre of British parliamentary politics, great crimes do not happen and criminals go free... [read more]

The Death Penalty: Flawed Justice

Introducting the death penalty is not only controversial but, as Chris Bath shows, it is too easy for mistakes to be made and for innocent people to die.... [read more]

Nice work indeed

Felix McHugh asks whether Social Security appeal tribunals provide good value for taxpayers' money... [read more]

How Independent Would An Independent Scotland Be?

Britain’s history of war and imperialism, and its current role as junior partner in service to US hegemony, has had a deleterious impact on British society at home, writes John Wight.... [read more]

Don’t Quota Me

Is there a single reputable argument in favour of positive discrimination? The fact that so many of our institutions are unrepresentative of the make-up of society is of course deplorable, but manipulating recruitment in order to create an artificial balance is no way to put this right, writes W Stephen Gilbert.... [read more]

No shortage of jobs?

Felix McHugh looks at the extraordinary and insulting comments made by the Minister for Disabled People... [read more]

Liberal Constipation

Conservatism is linked to low intelligence; but the real idiots are the progressives letting it win, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

The Politics of the Psyche

BBC 4’s Saturday night primetime slot is cornering the market in excellent European drama but we don’t need Denmark to point out how impotent we feel. However idealistic were its ancient Roman origins, the UK’s version of representative democracy has become as distorted as a burning pillar of wax, says outRageous!... [read more]

Saltley Gate 1972

Terry McPartlan recalls how forty years ago coordinated and determined action by unions halted the Conservative government's plans to drive down living standards... [read more]

Divine Injustice

Drone warfare can be used to thwart democratic movements, anywhere, says George Monbiot.... [read more]

Lies, Damned Lies and Opinion Polls

Stephen Gilbert challenges the so called 'accuracy' of ICM opinion polls and shows how Labour continues to miss classic opportunities to rebut Conservative policy. ... [read more]

Is Ed making a balls of it?

David Eade reflects on Ed Balls' recent speech at a Fabian Society conference and asks whether the Shadow Chancellor is more of a hinderence than a help to his own party... [read more]

The Great Pay Robbery

Here’s why the government’s proposals on executive pay won’t work – and why we need a maximum wage, says George Monbiot.... [read more]

How Can We Save the British Economy from Third Rate Status?

Following the decline of the manufacturing sector, in recent years, Dr Jonathan Feldmann discusses ways in which Britain could go about redeveloping its industrial base... [read more]

An outRageous! essay on The Arts, Education and The People.

This rant is aimed at your crassness, Cameron. It goes to the heart of what is art, and why it's so important in preparing people for democracy, says outRageous!... [read more]

Economic democracy – The next big social reform?

Peter Tatchell says democratising economic decision-making is the key to a fairer society and a more stable economy... [read more]

My Granny Speech

Attending social security and disability appeal tribunals in 2012 is like watching a Dickens adaptation on the television, says Felix McHugh.... [read more]

The Lady Doth Screech too Much

Rhys Harrison reviews 'Iron Lady', a recent film about the life of Margaret Thatcher ... [read more]

Can the far-right be blamed for their Ignorance?

For years now the debate over choices of far-right supporters has created social and ethical tensions. Since the political rumble of the 1970s and 1980s, which sparked far-left and far-right tensions, the far-right membership has increased and declined more than any other political following, writes Elijah Pryor.... [read more]

A Ghost Story Retailed (part three)

W Stephen Gilbert delivers an up-to-date, state and fate of the retail trade in Britain, it is partly personal and anecdotal, and partly a critical overview: part three.... [read more]

Why Miliband and Balls have got it wrong

The capitulation by Labour to the austerity and cuts agenda of the Tories and the right-wing press has been confirmed by shadow chancellor Ed Balls' statement that Labour would not be able to reverse the Tory cuts and would maintain the pay freeze within the public sector if they come to power at the next election, says John Wight.... [read more]

Damned Scroungers

Dr Tomasz Pierscionek reviews a book challenging one of the last remaining forms of prejudice deemed ‘socially acceptable’ in modern Britain. (This book is now free to download from this review.)... [read more]

The State of Racism in Britain

UK society is dead. Or that is what its detractors would like you to think. Many will point the finger not at our leaders or themselves but towards those who they believe don’t belong here - immigrants and asylum seekers, writes Chris Bath.... [read more]

A Ghost Story Retailed (part two)

W Stephen Gilbert delivers an up-to-date, state and fate of the retail trade in Britain, it is partly warmingly, personal and anecdotal, and partly a critical overview: part two...... [read more]

In Memoriam

It has long been said that justice delayed is justice denied, yet it would be hard to find anyone to agree with this sentiment over the conviction of David Norris and Gary Dobson for the murder of Stephen Lawrence 18 years ago, writes John Wight.... [read more]

A future of Labour

Karl Davis suggests how Ed Miliband could give a big boost to Labour’s chances of winning the next General Election... [read more]

A Ghost Story Retailed

W Stephen Gilbert delivers an up-to-date, state and fate of the retail trade in Britain, it is partly warmingly, personal and anecdotal, and partly a critical overview: part one... [read more]

Bankers’ Oligarchy spells the end of democracy

A qualitative change is taking place within the European Union where it is crystal clear that national independence and democracy are being dumped without formal procedure or public announcement, says John Boyd.... [read more]

Once in Unreal David's (Big) Society

Stephen Gilbert asks whether Britain is a Christian country and whether Cameron's coalition government lives up to the Christian values he professes... [read more]

Christopher Hitchens - an obit and opinion

Amid the avalanche of articles and obituaries written in tribute to Christopher Hitchens in the wake of his recent passing, we have been reacquainted with the essential condition of western liberalism - moral depravity, says John Wight. ... [read more]

Embracing the Working Time Directive

Karl Davis has some advice for David Cameron... [read more]

Legoviews ~ Goodbye yellow brick road!

In the first of her interviews using the novel 'Lego Serious Play' method, Patrizia Bertini speaks to one of the occupiers at the OccupyLSX camp.... [read more]

Cancer patients: throw off the chains of dependancy

Felix McHugh looks at the how the Coalition government plans to cut Employment and Support Allowance to further impoverish those who have the least... [read more]

Unmasking the Press

The corporate newspapers are the elite’s enforcers, misrepresenting the sources of oppression, says George Monbiot.... [read more]

The call for a UK amendment on the EU

There is a rising tide of Euroscepticism within mainstream political parties and on the floors of national Parliaments throughout the European Union, says David Lindsay.... [read more]

Marxist Historians Map Out an Agenda for Today

If the evidence of the successes of recent events is anything to go by, interest in the socialist approach to history is on the increase, which is probably no surprise given the turbulent and uncertain times in which we currently live, says David Morgan.... [read more]

What a £ot of Balls!

outRageous! thinks sports have gone Doo-£ally!... [read more]

Poor's show

Ever since the decline of European Socialism in the 1980s and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the ’90s, capitalism has considered itself king of the world and has behaved accordingly, says W Stephen Gilbert.... [read more]

Hateful stories & hate crimes

Fuelled by tabloid media propaganda, Felix McHugh shows how hate crimes against disabled people are on the rise ... [read more]

No2VAG's request falls on deaf ears

No2VAG has a legitimate right to be heard by the NLWA, as Ellen Graubart explains. The campaign group has requested a hearing at the Authority's meetings, and three times the group has been refused.... [read more]

The Struggle Continues

Despite David Cameron's attempt to brush the November 30th strike under the carpet and continue with his attacks on the poorest, John Wight predicts that strong resistance to the cuts will continue.... [read more]

Transcendental argument

Through a mist of tears, I caught up with the conclusion of 'My Transsexual Summer', Channel 4’s four-part fly-on-the-wall series, says W Stephen Gilbert.... [read more]

Slash and Burn Capitalism

Now the government intends to strip away protection from our most treasured places, says George Monbiot.... [read more]

Boom at the top

At a time when the poorest are being hit hardest, W Stephen Gilbert comments on the obsence bonuses enjoyed by those at the top echelons of the financial sector and puts paid to the reasons most commonly used to justify such unfair practice.... [read more]

The Terrifying Prospect of Becoming Something You Loathe.

Deborah X ponders over a dilemma... [read more]

The Corporate Welfare State

Despite the crisis, it’s still socialism for the 1 per cent, capitalism for the rest.... [read more]

The secret to obtaining DLA

Welfare rights worker Felix McHugh reports that, contrary to regularly repeated rumours, obtaining Disability Living Allowance is much harder than many are led to believe... [read more]

A violent double standard

Phil Bates cast an eye on David Cameron's hypocrisy and the recent threat of rubber bullets being used by police... [read more]

Wearing Your Heart on Your Lapel

W Stephen Gilbert reflects on the politics of poppy wearing, its dissociation in popular society from what it actually represents and its hijacking by politicians. ... [read more]

Photos from Occupy London

Patrizia Bertini presents us with a series of photographs from the Occupy London protests.... [read more]

Why Freecycle could change the world

Deborah X tells of an online scheme were strangers share items according to their needs... [read more]

Wealth Destroyers

The Corporation of the City of London has harmed you more than you know, says George Monbiot. ... [read more]

Local communities bear the brunt of the Con-Dem agenda

Deborah X provides a personal view of the effect of the coalition’s policies on single parents, their children and the communities in which they live... [read more]

Capitalism's Lost Generation

Rob Sewell looks at the global problem of rising youth unemployment... [read more]

Show Me The Money

We have a democratic right to know who is funding public advocacy, says George Monbiot.... [read more]

Conservative Conference: Economy and House Building

Mirela Ivanova scrutinises David Cameron’s address to the Conservative Party conference... [read more]

A valuable victory for the anti-cuts movement- HSBC 3 Win Appeal

Mark Tyers and Jonathon Proctor show how a victory in court helps to protect the appetite and capacity of our movement's ability to protest... [read more]

The tilted scales of justice

Dr Tomasz Pierscionek looks at how the state reacts when it feels its authority being usurped.... [read more]

A new fiscal policy for London?

Oliver Healey explains how giving the London Assembly greater control over taxation would benefit both the capital and the country as a whole... [read more]

The real genius of the Big Society? It can only get Bigger

Tom Rollins shows how Cameron is using his concept of the ‘Big Society’ to launch a fresh class war... [read more]

Modern Pauperism and its Consequences: A Dissenting View on the Riots in England (Part II of II)

The second part of an essay by Matthias Dapprich in which he adopts a class based analysis of the recent London riots.... [read more]

Modern Pauperism and its Consequences: A Dissenting View on the Riots in England (Part I of II)

The first part of an essay by Matthias Dapprich in which he adopts a class based analysis of the recent London riots. ... [read more]

Mental Health in the Workplace

Hussein Al-Alak shows how the Equality Act (2010) provides added employee protection for veterans suffering mental health conditions... [read more]

The Health and Social Care Bill and the Negation of Democracy

Colin Leys discusses the profound impact that the Health and Social Care Bill will have upon the publically owned National Health Service... [read more]

Facing up to Trauma

Hussein Al-Alak reveals the scale of mental health trauma amongst soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan... [read more]

Think of a Tank

The “free market thinktanks” and their secret funders are a threat to democracy, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

Dale Farm Ethnic cleansing - Not is our name

An activist involved in the Save Dale Farm campaign calls for solidarity with the site’s residents who are facing eviction within a week. ... [read more]

Why I think students fees are a good thing...

In an ideal world (one in which The X Factor is but a terrible dream, foisted upon us by a vengeful Satan), students wouldn't have to pay tuition fees, says Chris Mason-Felsing.... [read more]

The Reluctant Revolutionaries

Hussein Al-Alak talks about the origins of Combat Stress- a charity that has cared for the mental health of veterans since the First World War.... [read more]

The Lairds of Learning

Who are the most ruthless capitalists in the Western world? Whose monopolistic practices makes WalMart look like a corner shop and Rupert Murdoch look like a socialist?... [read more]

Out of the Ashes

Now is the time to start planning for a new economy, not dependent on growth. ... [read more]

United in our Heritage

In response to comments made by David Cameron, Hussein Al-Alak takes a look at the origins of ‘Britishness’... [read more]

Arise the heroes of the people

Hussein Al-Alak considers what makes a hero of the people by examining the remarkable achievements of three working class individuals.... [read more]

Politics and the UK Riots

The recent civil unrest points to the failure of three decades of Thatcherite consensus, writes Nathaniel Mehr.... [read more]

UK riots: Missing the bigger picture

Tomasz Pierscionek examines a variety of proposals to deal with the rioting that swept London and reveals gaps in the logic of those calling for the usual knee jerk reaction.... [read more]

UK Riots: Crackdown will solve nothing

As expected the state is warming to the task of cracking down hard, as they like to put it, on looters/rioters past, present and future. Cameron and May have been strutting around talking tough about what they are going to do. ... [read more]

Protests turn to Riots as Working Classes Vent Their Anger

As the dust settles on the UK riots, Ben Missenden considers the possible causes of the recent civil unrest. ... [read more]

Innocent(ish) Until Proven Guilty

The British media have disregarded a key tenet of our democracy, endangering the safety of a woman who may be completely innocent. ... [read more]

Yet more shady dealings inside Murdoch's empire

Hot on the heels of revelations of widespread phone hacking, journalist Solomon Hughes discloses that the Murdoch empire also engaged in hacking into the computer systems of business rivals.... [read more]

The fall of an empire

Jeremy Corbyn reflects on the rise of Murdoch media empire and the years of shameless and blinkered journalism that have been a feature of the newspapers controlled by the media mogul.... [read more]

Even the most powerful man in the world is not above a pie in the face

When media magnate Rupert Murdoch was summoned before the Commons select committee on 19th July, one man tried to ensure he would not walk away untarnished. Jonathan May Bowles, famed as the individual who threw a shaving foam pie at Murdoch, explains his actions.... [read more]

The ruling class policy toward its soldiers - Use Once and Throw Away

Dr Tomasz Pierscionek describes the treatment of war veterans, from the Vietnam era to those returning from present day conflicts, and highlights the continual deceit war-mongering governments use to deceive the public. The real enemies are not foreign but domestic.... [read more]

African history: the need for its teaching in UK schools

Madeleine Louise Fry reflects on the Anglo-centric nature of history teaching in the UK's schools.... [read more]

Medics Resist Tory NHS Plans

Tomasz Pierscionek looks back on last month's demonstration against Tory plans to privatise the National Health Service.... [read more]

Kettled in TopShop

Cristina Brooks recounts her treatment at the hands of the Metropolitan police while shopping during the student marches earlier this year.... [read more]

Jody McIntyre: Victim of Police Brutality and Media Distortion

The case of Jody McIntyre typifies the hypocrisy of the media discourse on political violence, writes Ben Missenden.... [read more]

Bullying and Hijacking Muslim Women’s Voices in the UK Live on Air

Iqbal Tamimi reflects on a gross incident of on-air sexist bullying on the UK Arabic TV channel, Alhiwar.... [read more]

Introducing ... British Government Plc

John Green on the growing preponderance of unelected advisors from the business sector in senior government roles. ... [read more]

Bewildering Times!

From student fees to taxes, the Liberal Democrats are increasingly being seen as cheerleaders for hard-line Tory policies, writes Chris Mason-Felsing.... [read more]

Students Lead the Way in the Fight Against Austerity Measures

The two huge student protests that rocked London were just the tip of the iceberg, writes Ben Missenden.... [read more]

How Should We Invest? A Juxtaposition of War and Welfare

The coalition insists we need to cut the deficit. Fine - but that doesn't have to mean destroying the welfare state, argues Joseph Daniels.... [read more]

Professor Nutt Urges New Thinking on Drugs

As the controversial medical expert David Nutt finds himself back on the news agenda, Tom Bangay considers the vexed question of drug law reform.... [read more]

Miliband: The Knives are Already Being Sharpened

Now that the dust has settled on Ed Miliband's surprise victory in the Labour leadership election, Michael Prior considers the challenges facing the new leader as he seeks to move the party away from Blairism.... [read more]

Cut to Shreds: Injustice for All

The coalition government's vicious attack on the public sector amounts to nothing less than a political coup d'état, says Richie Nimmo.... [read more]

The Gay Liberation Front's Social Revolution

Forty years ago, the Gay Liberation Front challenged society's gender system. Peter Tatchell looks back on four decades of activism.... [read more]

Media Ambivalence About 'Red Ed' is a Sign of the Times

Nathaniel Mehr reflects on the media reaction to Ed Miliband's success in the Labour leadership election.... [read more]

An Age of Consent of 14?

Peter Tatchell argues education, not criminalisation, is the best way to protect children when it comes to sexuality.... [read more]

Mervyn King Comes to Town

Rob Sewell considers the significance of Mervyn King's address to the TUC in Manchester.... [read more]

Thatcher and the Last Tory cuts

Eric Hollies puts today's coalition government in historical perspective by looking back on the brutal public spending cuts imposed by the Thatcher government.... [read more]

The BBC’s defence of the ‘Death in the Med’ is far from being convincing or ethical

Iqbal Tamimi on why the BBC's response to the complaints they received of bias in their 16th August 2010 Panorama programme is inadequate.... [read more]

Lansley can Shove his White Paper

The Tory-Lib Dem coalition is intent on a wholesale privatisation of the National Health Service, writes John Lister.... [read more]

Towering Lunacy

Green enthusiasm for vertical farms shows that no one is untouched by magical thinking, writes George Monbiot.... [read more]

An Interview with Yvonne Ridley

Tomasz Pierscionek talks to award winning journalist Yvonne Ridley about her capture by the Taliban in 2001 and subsequent conversion to Islam, as well as her views on the recent rise in Islamophobia and political opposition towards the veil... [read more]