Andy Burnham may not be standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection but his notion of ‘Manchesterism’ has gained much publicity in recent weeks. JONATHAN TIMBERS reviews a new book on the city that casts a critical light on decades of ‘state-led gentrification’ and working class displacement. ‘Manchester may have developed its own distinctive model...
Labour came to power promising unprecedented support for the co-operative sector. Eighteen months on the prospect remains more a taunting hope than the driving force of social and economic change many had wished for. CHRIS OLEWICZ & STEVE THOMPSON chart the progress so far, but fear a genuine grasp of co-operation’s transformative potential is...
Blue Labour, soft left, hard left, Labour Together, Labour to Win … Labour it appears is riven with conflict. JOHN CUNNISON reviews an in-depth analysis of party factions that makes a bold attempt to bridge political rifts but ultimately misses the point....
For JOHN CUNNISON disappointment with Labour budgets is ‘baked in’. He picks out his personal highs and lows from last week’s announcement. ...
Keir Starmer came to power on the back of ‘a deliberate and calculated act of internal political sabotage’, according to a new book on the party think tank behind his leadership. It reveals, says ERNIE JACQUES, ‘a secretive, deceptive campaign to dismantle the Labour left and extinguish social democratic principles’....
CHRIS WILSON welcomes the arrival of the new broad left network that calls itself ‘the home for Labour’s radical realists’. Early signs are encouraging, he says, but some questions remain....
With the world in crisis and the UK government floundering in response to the rise of the populist right both here and abroad, WILL BROWN assesses the challenge for the left and asks what it means for the ILP. ...
Our friend and comrade Barry Winter, former ILP secretary and editor, has died at the age of 80. NEIL RHODES remembers a teacher, writer and thinker who embodied the organisation’s commitment to political honesty and unwavering humanity....
After a week of parliamentary rebellion and government chaos, ERNIE JACQUES assesses the outcome and impact of Labour’s ‘crazy’ welfare proposals....
Sick of waiting for free markets and trickle-down economics to make us all better off, ERNIE JACQUES looks for hope in the legacy of a northern factory owner and philanthropist whose social reforms inspired the welfare state. ...
The Co-operative Party has teamed up with the Labour Climate and Environment Forum to launch a new report on “the role that community-owned energy in playing in building climate consensus at a local level”....
CHRIS WILSON takes issue with Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s claim that there is no alternative to benefit cuts. A tax on wealth is not only possible, he says, but widely supported....