Britain

Will there really be an independence referendum in Scotland in October 2023?

Probably not, if we leave it in the hands of Sturgeon and the UK Supreme Court, argues Vladimir Unkvoski-Korica
What Britain Did to Nigeria - book review

Max Siollun’s What Britain Did to Nigeriais a careful history which demonstrates unequivocally that the imperial past should be reviled, finds Dominic Alexander
Capitalism and Slavery - book review

Over seventy years since publication, the first British edition of Eric Williams’ classic Capitalism and Slavery remains vital, despite establishment critics, argues John Westmoreland
Who benefited from the British Empire?

Nadhim Zahawi’s demand that teachers teach about the 'benefits of the British Empire' is not about teaching a balanced view - it's about using history to support the Tories' patriotic narrative, argues John Westmoreland
The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution - book review

The Brutish Museums presents a powerful case for restitution of looted objects, and hostile responses to it highlight enduring attachments to imperialism, argues Dominic Alexander
A very British disgrace: seven years of the Saudi war in Yemen

Seven years into the Saudi bombing of Yemen, the anti-war movement must continue to confront Britain’s key role in the massacre, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Stop the drive to war, return to diplomacy - Stop the War statement on Ukraine

The Stop the War Coalition's statement following the dangerous escalation of the crisis in Ukraine
How British security services colluded in the assassinations of Catholics in Northern Ireland

A new report from the police ombudsman details the role of Britain's intelligence and security services in massacres carried out by Loyalist murder gangs
The Road to Derry

Michael Lavalette introduces Seamus Heaney's poem commemorating the victims of the Bloody Sunday massacre on the 50th anniversary
Falling Down: The Conservative Party and the Decline of Tory Britain - book review

Falling Down shows that despite its historical dominance, the Tory Party faces long-term decline and clashing interests inside its ranks, finds Chris Bambery
In the Blair bunker war never ends – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Afghanistan and the end of occupation fallout
China: Britain's gunboat diplomacy is not a force for peace

The deployment of the aircraft carrier HMS Elizabeth to the South China Sea is a reckless ramping up of tensions, argues Lindsey German
Punished for speaking truth to power: Dawn Butler is right about Johnson’s lies

Instead of punishing Dawn Butler for her honesty, Boris Johnson should be held to account for his lies, argues Caitlin Southern
Creepy and cringeworthy: school student on 'One Britain One Nation' day

The campaign to get school children singing about how great Britain is the latest bizarre initiative in the Tory culture war, writes Jamal Elaheebocus
The Last Man: A British Genocide in Tasmania - book review

Tom Lawson’s The Last Man: A British Genocide in Tasmania is a crucial demonstration that British imperialist claims to humanitarianism were entirely hollow, finds Dominic Alexander
Existence is Resistance: Palestine, Israel and the West - video

Jonathon Shafi, Sybil Cock, Shabbir Lakha and Mona Kamal discuss Palestine, imperialism and the global solidarity movement
There's no reconciliation without justice: The British state's crimes in Northern Ireland

As the verdict from the Ballymurphy Massacre Inquest deems all victims were innocent when murdered by British soldiers, Mike Milotte’s account of the transgressions of the British state during the troubles is a clear argument against Boris’ amnesty
‘Arm the Protestants’: a state born in sectarian violence

One hundred years since the partition of Ireland into north and south, Chris Bambery looks at the determination by government, police and big business to hold on to a part of Britain’s fading empire
Loyalist riots: is the long Good Friday coming to an end?

The combination of sectarianism, poverty and repression is an explosive mix argues Chris Bambery
The Women's Liberation Movement and the Politics of Class in Britain - book review

A study of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain of the 1970s shows how essential it is to grasp the relationship of class and oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Imperialism under Biden - video

Shabbir Lakha explains what we can expect from Biden's foreign policy using a Marxist understanding of imperialism
How Britain helped Bahrain’s dictator crush the revolution

Ten years on from the Bahraini revolution, Shabbir Lakha looks at Britain’s role in supporting the violent repression of pro-democracy protesters
The sectarian roots of Orange rule

In the second part of his article on Ireland, partition and the Troubles, Chris Bambery spells out the economic and political reasons for the division of Britain's oldest colony
Armoured cars and tanks and guns: the real story of the Irish troubles

Chris Bambery looks at the history of the Northern Ireland state - and the violence Britain was prepared to use to maintain it
The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century - book review

Horne’s history of early colonialism in the Americas reveals how structures of racism were constructed to support the development of capitalism, finds Jamal Elaheebocus
Ready to die for Ireland one way or another: the rebel Countess

Constance Markievicz, a clarion figure in both anti-imperialism and women’s liberation, is remembered by Chris Bambery
International opposition to the war on Yemen is growing

The desperate situation in Yemen cannot be hidden anymore. More and more international voices are calling for a halt to the fighting, says Chris Nineham
Protecting war criminals and torturers: the Tory bill and Starmer's shame

The passing of the Overseas Operations bill which Labour abstained on is a disservice to victims of torture and undermines international law, argues Lindsey German
Protest for Yemen: The UK has blood on their hands

The opposition to Britain’s role in facilitating the destruction of Yemen spilled onto the streets of London for a second week, reports Maddalena Dunscombe
If VE Day never came: It Happened Here - film review

On the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Tom Griffiths finds Brownlow and Mollo's alternative vision of Nazi-led Britain in the 1940s still resonates powerfully
Who pays? Socialists and state intervention part 1 – long read

State intervention is back. In part one of a two-part article, Chris Nineham looks at the myths and politics behind state involvement in the economy
(B)ordering Britain: Law, Race and Empire - book review

(B)ordering Britain presents a powerful case that immigration law is rooted in the racism of Empire, and that migrant solidarity must be anti-imperialist, finds Alyssa Cassata
The British State: A Warning - book review

Chris Nineham’s The British State argues that the left must confront the entrenched power of the British state to achieve radical change, writes Alex Snowdon
Rebels and Friends: a play by Jacqueline Mulhallen

Drama, art and Irish history come together at Unite the Union’s headquarters, finds Ellen Graubart
At war with the powers that be

Don’t be naive — the British state will move against a Corbyn government, writes Chris Nineham
Defending the Indefensible: the British Army in Northern Ireland, 1969

In deploying troops to Derry, Downing Street was propping up the Unionist government to shield itself from blame, argues Chris Bambery
The Centenary of the 1919 Race Riots

One hundred years after the race riots of 1919, author, activist and co-director of Writing on the Wall, Madeline Heneghan reflects on racism then and now
Dirty tricks: the British State and the left

Recent attacks on Corbyn are part of the British state's long history of undemining the left, writes Chris Nineham
Boris Johnson as Prime Minister should not be tolerated

Boris cannot be allowed to take control unopposed - we must demand a general election, argues Chris Nineham
Ten things they don't tell you about D-Day

As the commemorations of the 75 year anniversary of D-Day take place, Lindsey German reminds us of the truth about the end of the Second World War
Bloody Sunday: one prosecution is not justice

The British state would prefer we forget about the cold-blooded murder it sanctioned on Bloody Sunday, we can't let them escape justice, argues Chris Bambery
Rees-Mogg's Imperial Denialism

Rees-Mogg's obfuscation around imperial nostalgia is a cynical ploy to romanticise the atrocities commited under the British Empire, argues Dominic Alexander
Deportation flights: Tories have learned nothing from Windrush

Despite the furore over the Windrush scandal last year the Tories show no signs of scaling back their racist deportation policies, argues Sean Ledwith
London rallies against Venezuela coup and sanctions

Over a hundred people packed out a rally in London at short notice to oppose Trump's push for regime change in Venezuela and Britain's role in it, reports Shabbir Lakha
Cameroon: neo-colonised before independence

Explo Nani-Kofi gives a brief history of how British and French colonialism defined Cameroon's power structures and maintains its influence in a rigged political system
Contemporary Trotskyism - book review

A valuable study of the Trotskyist tradition in Britain misses the importance of strategy in revolutionary organisation, argues Alex Snowdon
Watch the Guardian's Larry Elliott take down those calling for a People's Vote

Even the Guardian's economics editor thinks staying in the EU is a bad idea
Notes on a dying ideology

John Rees on how Brexit is an expression of a crisis for one set of establishment ideas
Has the BBC smuggled a critique of Israel past the thought police? - TV review

BBC One's Little Drummer Girl manages to cut through some of the usual BBC bias when it comes to Israel and even criticises Britain's role, argues Sofie Mason
Aftermath: Art in the wake of World War One - review

Modern art was a way of actively willing war towards an end says Alistair Cartwright in his review of the Aftermath exhibition at the Tate
Systemic Islamophobia in Britain has deadly consequences

The political mainstream's cynical use of Islamophobia leads directly to death and heartbreak, argues Maz Saleem
Context is King - exhibition review

John Rees looks at the Royal Academy’s prestige exhibition, 'Charles I: King and Collector'
Paris and London: A Tale of Two Radical Cities

Chris Bambery on the history of two great capital cities, and the architecture of power.
Iolo Morganwg and the making of nationalisms

The fakery of Celtic myths are part of a long tradition of nation-building in these islands, argues Chris Bambery
Britain is hardening its foreign policy

As the British state's new aircraft carrier, worth billions of pounds, springs a leak, Lindsey German takes a look at the war games being played
Extreme Podiatry: the situation for refugees in Calais and Dunkirk

The Jungle camp may have been demolished a year ago but refugees are still arriving in Calais and Dunkirk and suffering in intolerable conditions reports David Bailey
Rosa Luxemburg on the politics of poverty and homelessness

This winter people are dying needlessly. Rosa Luxemburg reminds us that politics is about more than negotiations between competing states.
Charges dropped against activists that shut down Israel arms factory

Having had the criminal charges for shutting down an Israeli arms factory against her dropped, Huda Ammori explains why this is a victory for BDS
Letter to Theresa May from a Palestinian refugee

A letter from an 11 year old Palestinian refugee to Theresa May asking her to rethink celebrating the Balfour Declaration centenary.
Racist Trump will never be welcome here

From the repeated attempts to pass the Muslim Ban to attacking NFL players, Trump is racist and is not welcome here argues Maz Saleem
Balfour 100 years on - nothing to celebrate

The Balfour Declaration was the prelude to violent settler colonialism in Palestine argues Alex Snowdon and explains why thousands will be protesting not celebrating.
The Balfour Declaration: Palestine, Empire and Resistance - video

Bernard Regan launches his new book "The Balfour Declaration" as the centenary of the infamous event that started the Israel-Palestine conflict approaches.
How the Establishment Lost Control - book review

Chris Nineham’s new book is both digestible for those new to radical politics and presents an engaging analysis for experienced activists, argues Martin Hall
'May Days' - poem

A poem by William Alderson on the current state of Britian
Is Britain breaking up? - video

With Scottish independence looking more likely, and murmurings in Northern Ireland too, Tom Griffiths looks at the prospects for Britain breaking up
Darcus Howe (1943 – 2017): the Mighty Lion remembered

A trailbreaking activist, writer and broadcaster is remembered by Madeline Heneghan
Class: Money and Power in Neoliberal Britain

Buy online: A short, sharp analysis of class structure and combativity after forty years of neoliberal offensive
Trotsky on 'gradualness' - key texts

Trotsky's polemic against gradualness shows Britain's history has been shaped by conflict and revolution. This 'key text' is introduced by Alex Snowdon
Jeremy Corbyn: anti-war protests have shaken British politics

Jeremy Corbyn discusses the impact of the anti-war movement on British politics with Stop the War Coalition convenor Lindsey German
'Marauding migrants': demonising the victims of western wars

The migrant crisis is not a threat to Britain but a human catastrophe for those fleeing for their lives, often as a result of Western intervention
Lenin and the Labour Party - lessons for today?

As Jeremy Corbyn's campaign for Labour leader gains seemingly unstoppable momentum, John Rees looks at some of the debates on the left at the time of the formation of the Labour Party
How Corrupt is Britain?

Lindy Syson finds that neoliberal capitalism extends corruption across society and the economy, reviewing the collection of studies, How Corrupt is Britain
Liberté, Égalité, Vélocité

Mark Perryman makes the case for a two-wheeled revolution
The Green surge and the new politics in Britain

The surge in membership of the Green party shows that British politics is not marching to the right - James Meadway looks at the implications for the Left
Britain's crisis continues

Chris Bambery argues that, despite the No vote in the referendum last month, the British state remains mired in a deep crisis with no obvious way out
Scottish Labour: living on borrowed time

Following Yes majorities in party heartlands Chris Bambery examines a Scottish Labour under threat of annihilation
The English Question: Democracy or jingoism?

Alastair Stephens: we need to democratise the state in all its aspects, but for now the battle lines are clear: we want democracy restored not jingoism revived
UK undead: 10 reasons democracy is dying

Alastair Stephens looks at how democracy in the UK is dying at the hands of the neoliberal ruling elite
Devolution, democracy and the fight to end austerity

James Doran, a socialist activist in north-east England, considers some repercussions of the Scottish referendum for the anti-austerity movement
Scotland's vote and politics after the referendum

Lindsey German's take on the changed political landscape in the wake of the Scottish referendum result
The Scottish referendum and the English Left – a contribution to debate

Counterfire’s Alex Snowdon replies to two recent articles by Mark Perryman discussing the implications of the Scottish independence referendum for socialists in England
After Scotland, turning into the English Left?

Guest contributor Mark Perryman offers a personal contribution to debates about the implications of the Scottish referendum
The crisis of the British regime: democracy, protest and the unions

The British political regime faces a crisis of confidence. This report presents empirical evidence for the democratic deficit, growing protest, the state of the trade unions and the strategic implications for the left

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Britain

Britain

Probably not, if we leave it in the hands of Sturgeon and the UK Supreme Court, argues Vladimir Unkvoski-Korica

Max Siollun’s What Britain Did to Nigeriais a careful history which demonstrates unequivocally that the imperial past should be reviled, finds Dominic Alexander

Over seventy years since publication, the first British edition of Eric Williams’ classic Capitalism and Slavery remains vital, despite establishment critics, argues John Westmoreland

Nadhim Zahawi’s demand that teachers teach about the 'benefits of the British Empire' is not about teaching a balanced view - it's about using history to support the Tories' patriotic narrative, argues John Westmoreland

The Brutish Museums presents a powerful case for restitution of looted objects, and hostile responses to it highlight enduring attachments to imperialism, argues Dominic Alexander

Seven years into the Saudi bombing of Yemen, the anti-war movement must continue to confront Britain’s key role in the massacre, argues Jamal Elaheebocus

The Stop the War Coalition's statement following the dangerous escalation of the crisis in Ukraine

A new report from the police ombudsman details the role of Britain's intelligence and security services in massacres carried out by Loyalist murder gangs

Michael Lavalette introduces Seamus Heaney's poem commemorating the victims of the Bloody Sunday massacre on the 50th anniversary

Falling Down shows that despite its historical dominance, the Tory Party faces long-term decline and clashing interests inside its ranks, finds Chris Bambery

Lindsey German on Afghanistan and the end of occupation fallout

The deployment of the aircraft carrier HMS Elizabeth to the South China Sea is a reckless ramping up of tensions, argues Lindsey German

Instead of punishing Dawn Butler for her honesty, Boris Johnson should be held to account for his lies, argues Caitlin Southern

The campaign to get school children singing about how great Britain is the latest bizarre initiative in the Tory culture war, writes Jamal Elaheebocus

Tom Lawson’s The Last Man: A British Genocide in Tasmania is a crucial demonstration that British imperialist claims to humanitarianism were entirely hollow, finds Dominic Alexander

Jonathon Shafi, Sybil Cock, Shabbir Lakha and Mona Kamal discuss Palestine, imperialism and the global solidarity movement

As the verdict from the Ballymurphy Massacre Inquest deems all victims were innocent when murdered by British soldiers, Mike Milotte’s account of the transgressions of the British state during the troubles is a clear argument against Boris’ amnesty

One hundred years since the partition of Ireland into north and south, Chris Bambery looks at the determination by government, police and big business to hold on to a part of Britain’s fading empire

The combination of sectarianism, poverty and repression is an explosive mix argues Chris Bambery

A study of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain of the 1970s shows how essential it is to grasp the relationship of class and oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Shabbir Lakha explains what we can expect from Biden's foreign policy using a Marxist understanding of imperialism

Ten years on from the Bahraini revolution, Shabbir Lakha looks at Britain’s role in supporting the violent repression of pro-democracy protesters

In the second part of his article on Ireland, partition and the Troubles, Chris Bambery spells out the economic and political reasons for the division of Britain's oldest colony

Chris Bambery looks at the history of the Northern Ireland state - and the violence Britain was prepared to use to maintain it

Horne’s history of early colonialism in the Americas reveals how structures of racism were constructed to support the development of capitalism, finds Jamal Elaheebocus

Constance Markievicz, a clarion figure in both anti-imperialism and women’s liberation, is remembered by Chris Bambery

The desperate situation in Yemen cannot be hidden anymore. More and more international voices are calling for a halt to the fighting, says Chris Nineham

The passing of the Overseas Operations bill which Labour abstained on is a disservice to victims of torture and undermines international law, argues Lindsey German

The opposition to Britain’s role in facilitating the destruction of Yemen spilled onto the streets of London for a second week, reports Maddalena Dunscombe

On the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Tom Griffiths finds Brownlow and Mollo's alternative vision of Nazi-led Britain in the 1940s still resonates powerfully

State intervention is back. In part one of a two-part article, Chris Nineham looks at the myths and politics behind state involvement in the economy

(B)ordering Britain presents a powerful case that immigration law is rooted in the racism of Empire, and that migrant solidarity must be anti-imperialist, finds Alyssa Cassata

Chris Nineham’s The British State argues that the left must confront the entrenched power of the British state to achieve radical change, writes Alex Snowdon

Drama, art and Irish history come together at Unite the Union’s headquarters, finds Ellen Graubart

Don’t be naive — the British state will move against a Corbyn government, writes Chris Nineham

In deploying troops to Derry, Downing Street was propping up the Unionist government to shield itself from blame, argues Chris Bambery

One hundred years after the race riots of 1919, author, activist and co-director of Writing on the Wall, Madeline Heneghan reflects on racism then and now

Recent attacks on Corbyn are part of the British state's long history of undemining the left, writes Chris Nineham

Boris cannot be allowed to take control unopposed - we must demand a general election, argues Chris Nineham

As the commemorations of the 75 year anniversary of D-Day take place, Lindsey German reminds us of the truth about the end of the Second World War

The British state would prefer we forget about the cold-blooded murder it sanctioned on Bloody Sunday, we can't let them escape justice, argues Chris Bambery

Rees-Mogg's obfuscation around imperial nostalgia is a cynical ploy to romanticise the atrocities commited under the British Empire, argues Dominic Alexander

Despite the furore over the Windrush scandal last year the Tories show no signs of scaling back their racist deportation policies, argues Sean Ledwith

Over a hundred people packed out a rally in London at short notice to oppose Trump's push for regime change in Venezuela and Britain's role in it, reports Shabbir Lakha

Explo Nani-Kofi gives a brief history of how British and French colonialism defined Cameroon's power structures and maintains its influence in a rigged political system

A valuable study of the Trotskyist tradition in Britain misses the importance of strategy in revolutionary organisation, argues Alex Snowdon

Even the Guardian's economics editor thinks staying in the EU is a bad idea

John Rees on how Brexit is an expression of a crisis for one set of establishment ideas

BBC One's Little Drummer Girl manages to cut through some of the usual BBC bias when it comes to Israel and even criticises Britain's role, argues Sofie Mason

Modern art was a way of actively willing war towards an end says Alistair Cartwright in his review of the Aftermath exhibition at the Tate

The political mainstream's cynical use of Islamophobia leads directly to death and heartbreak, argues Maz Saleem

John Rees looks at the Royal Academy’s prestige exhibition, 'Charles I: King and Collector'

Chris Bambery on the history of two great capital cities, and the architecture of power.

The fakery of Celtic myths are part of a long tradition of nation-building in these islands, argues Chris Bambery

As the British state's new aircraft carrier, worth billions of pounds, springs a leak, Lindsey German takes a look at the war games being played

The Jungle camp may have been demolished a year ago but refugees are still arriving in Calais and Dunkirk and suffering in intolerable conditions reports David Bailey

This winter people are dying needlessly. Rosa Luxemburg reminds us that politics is about more than negotiations between competing states.

Having had the criminal charges for shutting down an Israeli arms factory against her dropped, Huda Ammori explains why this is a victory for BDS

A letter from an 11 year old Palestinian refugee to Theresa May asking her to rethink celebrating the Balfour Declaration centenary.

From the repeated attempts to pass the Muslim Ban to attacking NFL players, Trump is racist and is not welcome here argues Maz Saleem

The Balfour Declaration was the prelude to violent settler colonialism in Palestine argues Alex Snowdon and explains why thousands will be protesting not celebrating.

Bernard Regan launches his new book "The Balfour Declaration" as the centenary of the infamous event that started the Israel-Palestine conflict approaches.

Chris Nineham’s new book is both digestible for those new to radical politics and presents an engaging analysis for experienced activists, argues Martin Hall

A poem by William Alderson on the current state of Britian

With Scottish independence looking more likely, and murmurings in Northern Ireland too, Tom Griffiths looks at the prospects for Britain breaking up

A trailbreaking activist, writer and broadcaster is remembered by Madeline Heneghan

Buy online: A short, sharp analysis of class structure and combativity after forty years of neoliberal offensive

Trotsky's polemic against gradualness shows Britain's history has been shaped by conflict and revolution. This 'key text' is introduced by Alex Snowdon

Jeremy Corbyn discusses the impact of the anti-war movement on British politics with Stop the War Coalition convenor Lindsey German

The migrant crisis is not a threat to Britain but a human catastrophe for those fleeing for their lives, often as a result of Western intervention

As Jeremy Corbyn's campaign for Labour leader gains seemingly unstoppable momentum, John Rees looks at some of the debates on the left at the time of the formation of the Labour Party

Lindy Syson finds that neoliberal capitalism extends corruption across society and the economy, reviewing the collection of studies, How Corrupt is Britain

Mark Perryman makes the case for a two-wheeled revolution