CHRIS OLEWICZ calls for a revival of the consumer co-operatives that once formed a vital pillar of the Labour movement and could play a crucial role in our crisis-riddled times....
‘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....
Banners, Bands & the Big Meeting
MARY STRATFORD celebrates the return of Durham Miners’ Gala, explaining how it’s survived for more than 150 years and why it still matters to local people and the wider Labour movement. ‘It remains the greatest celebration of trade union and Labour movement values in the UK … and beyond.’...
Social-Democracy with a Hyphen
The Social-Democratic Federation had various names and endured many splits during its existence, but at its best it embodied the crucial and often neglected link between socialism and democracy. PAUL MAYNE reviews a new book on one of Labour’s founding organisations....
Fund Schools to Support Ukraine Children, Union tells UK Government
Delegates at the Community Union conference last week passed an emergency resolution on Ukraine calling for government to provide extra funds to help UK education institutions support refugees from the war....
ILP Profiles: Charles Ammon – Fiery Unionist & Friend of the Salters
Charles Ammon had a habit of getting sacked for speaking his mind. But he rose from lowly telegraph boy to Labour Chief Whip and the House of Lords. GRAHAM TAYLOR traces the life of a founding ILPer and lifelong socialist who provided support and friendship to the Salters in Southwark....
Universal Credit: Fighting the Cut
Unite Community has been at the heart of campaigns against Tory cuts to Universal Credit. HEATHER BLAKEY and GERRY LAVERY report on the ongoing battle for a new ‘common sense’....
Marching Altogether: Lessons of the Jarrow Crusade
MATT PERRY marks the 85th anniversary of the Jarrow Crusade with a call for the revival of the grassroots campaigning politics that roused the marchers on their month-long trek and helped Labour recover from electoral disaster in the 1930s....
United by the Struggle
MARY STRATFORD reviews a joint memoir from two remarkable women who were thrust into the spotlight by the 1984 miners’ strike and found a shared sense of values, commitment and joy. ‘It is so rare to see a book in which defiant working-class women are able to recount their own tales and define their own...
Scotland’s Future & the Case for Federalism
Brexit, Covid, and the looming prospect of Scottish independence – why now is the right time to propose a federal model for power sharing. By PAULINE BRYAN...
Labour Conference: One Rule for Them …
WILL BROWN assesses the mixed bag of high-handed and factionally-driven party rule changes pushed through Labour conference in the wake of Keir Starmer’s last minute proposals....
After McCluskey: Unite at a Crossroads
As Len McCluskey retires, the ballot to elect the next general secretary of Unite opens on Monday 5 July. For the union, Labour and the left, there’s a lot at stake. GERRY LAVERY assesses the field....