Despite years of austerity and workplace exploitation, across the economy as a whole most workers are still not trade union members. CHRIS WILSON wonders why and suggests ways to halt the decline....
Beyond PR: Why Voting Reform Won’t Save the Left
As a lukewarm supporter of proportional representation, BEN SALTONSTALL is unimpressed by the left’s current enthusiasm for voting reform. PR matters as one part of a broader push for economic, social and democratic change, not because it will save the left....
A Tale of Two Keirs: Labour & its Broad Church
Keir Hardie’s conception of Labour as a broad alliance of left and liberal thinkers is under threat like never before from Keir Starmer’s leadership team. DAVID CONNOLLY calls for a halt to the current hostility and a renewed commitment to the founder’s vision....
ILP@130: In or Out – The Lessons of 1932
Socialist historian IAN BULLOCK marks the ILP’s 130th anniversary by reflecting on its fateful decision to disaffiliate from Labour and his own relationship with the Party, drawing pointers for today’s left about the unhappy consequences of separation....
Labour’s Constitutional Challenge
The rise of nationalism at home and abroad makes tackling the constitution vital for Labour, says TREVOR FISHER. The Starmer team needs to map out a coherent alternative both to Tory-style unionism and independence. The answer lies partly in Corbyn’s manifesto....
Labour & the Constitution
WILL BROWN reflects on a recent Compass paper on electoral reform, the union and devolution, that calls for Labour to be far more radical on constitutional reform than the current debates over proportional representation. ...
‘We Need to be Rooted in Workplaces’
Trade unions need a Christian socialist voice, argues CHRIS WILSON. And churches need to change their view of unions....
Why Socialists Should Support PR
It’s no secret that support for proportional representation has been growing within the Labour Party, not least on the Labour left. JACQUELINE TAYLOR puts the socialist case for a proportional voting system for UK general elections and addresses some of the common arguments against it....
Solidarity with the People of Ukraine
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is against international law and a flagrant breach of the UN Charter. In deliberately targeting the civilian population the Russian leadership is committing crimes against humanity....
Safety First: Keir Starmer & The Road Ahead
It may be a centrist approach, but Keir Starmer’s recent Fabian pamphlet does at least reveal the three prongs of his electoral strategy. DAVID CONNOLLY assesses a flawed and uninspiring statement....
Only Labour Can Save the United Kingdom
‘Only a Labour Party prepared to make a progressive and collaborative case for a modern, four-nation union can give the United Kingdom any chance of a viable and sustainable future.’ First Minister of Wales MARK DRAKEFORD believes there’s no more urgent cause in politics today....
Why the Left Needs its own Foreign Policy Think Tank
Right-wing, ‘realist’ thinking has long dominated discussion of international affairs. It’s time that changed, says KAILASH KUTWAROO. A new progressive body is needed to build on the left’s rich tradition of internationalism and peace....