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Tin-eared Truss is for turning

The Tory conference smells of burning rubber as the new government makes a screeching U-turn on tax, writes Sean Ledwith
Landlords go from buy to let to buy to wreck

John Smithee explains how the economic crisis will affect buy-to-let landlordism and their tenants, and how socialists should respond
Protesters say Tory scum out of Brum!

Lindsey German reports on a large and militant protest outside the Tory Party conference in Birmingham
Starmer might look good next to Truss, but he has no answers to the crisis – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Tory shock-and-awe implosion and the action plan our side needs
‘A mood for class war’ – protests around the country

Protesters joined picket lines and packed the centres of towns and cities up and down the country on Saturday. We bring you a flavour of how the day went.
Chaos reigns...but is there an independence plan?

Jonathon Shafi surveys the landscape as the Tories lose control
Strike days: let's go onto the offensive

We need wider and deeper co-ordination and escalation to win the strikes, argues Unjum Mirza
The government that just crashed the economy

As sterling falls, the IMF intervenes and the stock market falls, Dominic Alexander looks at the impact of the Tory budget for the rich
Tory crisis: Britannia unhinged - CounterBlast

Liz Truss’s premiership is off to the worst possible start, with the budget sparking meltdown in the economy and the Tory Party, argues Terina Hine
This fight will take everything we’ve got – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on squaring up to the double-down Tories
A love letter to billionaires

This vindictive class-war budget will worsen inequality while doing nothing to stem the problems of British capitalism, argues Dominic Alexander
The City casino relaunched

Terina Hine calls out the Tories’ plans for removing banking regulations, which were imposed due to the crisis of 2007-8, after over a decade of ballooning inequality.
Workers’ fightback resumes in a divided country

On 1 October, strikes across the docks, railways and post need to spark solidarity struggle, the only way to defeat the Tories, argues Unjum Mirza.
It's all-out class war - Counterfire Freesheet September 2022

Justice for Chris Kaba, the crisis in our schools, why we need to fight for peace in Ukraine, myths of monarchy, the intensification of climate breakdown, Felixstowe and Liverpool dock strikes and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Canada’s Tories: an attack dog at the ready

Canada’s new hard-right Conservative leader is dangerous due to the vacuum on the parliamentary centre and left, argues John Clarke
Trussonomics: adventures in fantasy deregulation land

Dominic Alexander looks at the contrast between Tory talk of growth and the reality of a failing economy
Iron lady tribute act won't work for Truss

Liz Truss’s reheated Thatcherism won't work because she can’t see that our present crises are the result of Thatcher’s legacy and failures, argues Tom Whittaker
Taking our health by stealth: the truth about NHS privatisation

The sale of our hospitals and healthcare is well under way, says Mona Ahmed, and it’s time to fight back
Truss’s energy plan: we pay now or pay later - CounterBlast

Terina Hine assesses Liz Truss's half-baked energy plan designed to protect the profits of energy companies
Save our buses: Unite protests against Tory cuts to London transport

Bus drivers, Unite members and activists rallied against proposed cuts to London buses and bus routes, reports Unjum Mirza
Truss's government of ghouls

Shabbir Lakha on the new Tory PM Liz Truss and what the 99.9% of us who didn't vote for her can expect
Tory transport austerity and the mass resistance we need

The RMT and Aslef joint national rail strike on 15 September offers a glimpse of the kind of resistance we will need to defend public services and workers against Tory cuts
Be prepared: Politics will resume shortly

David Jamieson argues that Tory complacency will not last. Soon the British state will wade into conflicts emerging around the cost of living.
As the energy cap soars: Five points on the cost of living crisis

Following the Ofgem announcement raising the energy price cap, Chris Nineham looks at who's responsible for the crisis and how we fight back
We need to win: how the strikes can break the Tories

Unjum Mirza analyses the growing strike wave and the political crisis and argues that the struggle has to move out of narrow industrial confines if we want to win
Hastings unites in a people's assembly to confront the crisis

Faced with multiple interlocking crises, unity in action is the only way we can effectively resist, writes Mikey Huguenot reporting on Saturday's Hastings people's assembly
How low can Starmer go?

Just when you think he can’t get any worse, Starmer finds a way, argues Terina Hine
All out against the Tories: Strike, protest, resist!

The Tories are fighting a class war but they're divided and weak, a united movement of strikes and protests can break them
System failure: What should socialists do? A discussion with Lindsey German and James Schneider - video

A discussion with Lindsey German, author and Convenor of Stop the War, and James Schneider, co-founder of Momentum and author of the upcoming book Our Bloc: How We Win, on the crises we face and strategy for the left
The government is missing while 35m people face cost of living catastrophe - CounterBlast

The zombie Tory government is sitting on its hands and the leadership contenders offer no solutions as energy companies rake in record profits at working people's expense, writes Terina Hine
Step up the action: All out against the Tories - Counterfire Freesheet August 2022

Uniting against a weak and divided Tory party, the NHS at breaking point, China and Pelosi, climate catastrophe, uprising in Sri Lanka and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
How to turn a strike wave into a tsunami

We need class logic - co-ordination, escalation and decisive action - to generalise the growing strike wave and take on the Tories, writes Unjum Mirza
Starmer backs the wrong side again…and again

A hat trick of own goals from Keir Stammer and his inability to support the unions should concern us, writes Lindsey German
Sunak and Truss: Whoever wins, we lose - CounterBlast

Following their recent TV debates, Terina Hine explains why Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss represent more of the same, but with a notable shift to the right
Crisis of conservatism: The hard-right trajectory of Canada’s Tories

The Canadian Tory party is moving further to the right and shoring up a reactionary base as political polarisation deepens, writes John Clarke
Creeping Covid: Acting like the pandemic is over does not make it over

Dominic Sorrell analyses the continuing pandemic amid a new wave of cases and the demands the left should be making on a government that is telling us to simply "live with it"
Imploding party: the destructive drama of the Tory leadership race

The blue-on-blue battle between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to be the next Prime Minister is widening Tory divisions while offering no solutions to the crisis, writes Terina Hine
The Tories fiddle while the planet burns, but protest is growing - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on unfolding economic and environmental crises, and how we should respond
The next round of rail strikes: time to tear the Tories apart

Unjum Mirza reports on the next round of railway strike dates and the need for co-ordination and escalation to beat back the Tories
Johnson’s on the way out: time to hit the Tories where it hurts – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Tory implosion and the mainstreaming of identity politics
The potential for a summer of discontent that could bring the Tories down

Unjum Mirza discusses the growing wave of industrial struggle with a backdrop of a collapsing government and the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead
Tory chaos is our opportunity

Shabbir Lakha on Boris Johnson's resignation, the ruling class crisis and the tasks for the left
The deep divisions beneath the Tory meltdown

With the ongoing wave of Tory resignations, Boris Johnson's government is in freefall, and behind it a ruling class in crisis, writes David Jamieson
The end of Boris Johnson

Terina Hine on the collapse of Boris Johnson's government following the resignations of Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid and other senior Tories
Tory sleaze only the tip of the iceberg in broken Britain – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the case of Christopher Pincher and an ever-encroaching Nato
We need a wage revolution - Counterfire Freesheet June 2022

The Tory assault on the working class, rail strikes, Ukraine, Spycops and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
By-election blow: Boris' bad days are just beginning

Following Tory defeats in Wakefield and Tiverton, Boris Johnson's already-numbered days just got fewer, writes Shabbir Lakha
Ten points on the rail strike

Lindsey German on the rail strikes, the Tory crisis and class politics
Urgency is necessary: We need to stop Priti Patel's persecution of Assange

There is still an opportunity to overturn Priti 'authoritarian' Patel's decision to extradite Julian Assange, but it will take mass resistance, argues John Rees
‘This is just the start’: Workers back on the streets of London

Tens of thousands of workers marched through London in a defiant rallying of the labour movement and a show of determination to take on the Tories, reports Chris Nineham
Grounded: Tory deportation flight to Rwanda stopped - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson and Priti Patel's planned deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda has been stopped, but the fight to scrap the policy altogether continues, writes Terina Hine
No Rwanda: Protesters and refugees fight to stop the flight

Protesters marched up to the detention centre near Gatwick Airport where refugees who are due to be deported are being held and chanted together to stop the Tories' racist deportation plan, reports Ellen Graubart
Grenfell: A scandal that gets to the heart of the system

The fight continues for justice for Grenfell and to demand change from a government that continues to put the needs of private profit ahead of the lives of working people, writes Mona Kamal
This flight must be stopped: Rwanda flight protest tonight is a critical moment

The Home Office has scheduled its first flight to send asylum seekers to Rwanda this Tuesday, 14th June. Alistair Cartwright spoke to one of the activists organising the resistance
'People are sick of this, and they are going to fight back' - video

Chris Neville's speech at a recent People's Assembly rally in Manchester ahead of the TUC national demonstration
We have no confidence in Boris Johnson, kick him out - video

Shabbir Lakha at The People's Assembly London Rally on Tory crimes and why we need to fight back, starting with the national demonstration on 18 June
The beginning of the end of Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has managed to cling on to power, but the huge Tory vote against him shows his days are numbered, writes Terina Hine
18 June: the beginning of a fightback against the Tories

Chris Neville on the cost of living crisis, the authoritarian attacks on trade unionists and why the 18 June TUC national demonstration is a focal point for resisting the Tories
Airport chaos: How the airline industry's greed is wrecking the holidays

In the pursuit of maximising profit, airlines sacked thousands of workers and holidaymakers are now paying the price for their greed, writes Terina Hine
Sue Gray, Panorama and Tory lies: Boris Johnson must go - CounterBlast

Partygate is back and the overwhelming evidence that Johnson broke the law and repeatedly lied about it should be the end of his reign, writes Terina Hine
'If they have £1bn for the Jubilee, they can afford to pay workers': why tube workers are striking - video

Glen Hart, RMT Southern Region organiser, spoke to Counterfire's Yonas Makoni about why tube workers are striking to resist the Tories and TfL's attempt to put the cost of the pandemic onto the workers
Tariq Ali: why my account of Churchill angered the right - video

Tariq Ali's latest book documenting the time and crimes of Winston Churchill has provoked anger from the right wing media. Counterfire's Yonas Makoni spoke to Tariq about his book and why it's angered the right
The politics of helping out: why the left needs to do more than care for the community

Poverty and inequality are political so the left must focus on building an effective political fight back, argues John Westmoreland
Wee little children: The DUP and Boris Johnson’s tantrums in Northern Ireland

Following Sinn Féin becoming the largest party in Northern Ireland, the DUP and the Tories are undermining the Good Friday Agreement with cynical games, writes Chris Bambery
The Tory horsemen of the inflation apocalypse

Work harder and longer, get a better job or learn to cook. This is the empty advice of the people in charge of the policies driving people into poverty, writes Terina Hine
PCS President Fran Heathcote calls for united resistance to stop 91,000 civil service job cuts

We won’t accept more cuts, says Fran Heathcote, National President of the Public and Communication Services Union, and calls on the whole trade union movement to step up the fight against the Tories
Royalty, republicanism and the ruling class: Why we booed Prince William

Peter Dwyer explains why he and other Liverpool FC fans booed the monarchy at the FA Cup final in Wembley
'Close it down': Protesters mobilise against Hassockfield detention centre

Protesters in the North East took aim at the government's inhumane detention of vulnerable women seeking asylum, reports Lynne Saunders
We can defeat the Tories, collectively

The scale and intertwined nature of the crises we face show that the problems are systemic and so the solutions must be collective, writes Karen Buckley
The war abroad, the war at home

The opposition to the attack on working people and the drive for more war - which go hand in hand - will come from the streets
Local elections: Johnson’s Heineken effect goes into reverse

Even Tories now recognise their disgraced leader has morphed from electoral asset to electoral liability, argues Sean Ledwith
Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes - book review

Lindsey German welcomes Tariq Ali’s dismantling of the myth of the imperialist warmonger Churchill in Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes
We won't pay for their war - Counterfire freesheet May 2022

The Palestinian struggle for liberation, code red for the climate, interview with a Russian anti-war activist, resisting the cost of living crisis and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Why socialists should vote for Labour

Ahead of the local elections, Martin Hall reiterates the arguments about why socialists should vote for Labour
Let them ride buses: Boris Johnson’s car crash - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson’s vacuous interview on Good Morning Britain shows a Prime Minister who is out of touch and struggling to survive, writes Terina Hine
Confronting connected crises: cost of living and the war

Resisting the cost of living crisis means opposing the war, writes Feyzi Ismail
Johnson is running out of rope over lockdown parties - CounterBlast

Tory MPs are squirming over whether to save their leader or their own political careers, writes Sean Ledwith
Refugees are welcome here: Protesters stand up to Boris and Priti's racist plan

Protesters took to the streets to oppose the Tory government's racist and inhumane plan to deport refugees to Rwanda, reports Shabbir Lakha
NEU Conference escalates the fight against the government

Alex Snowdon reports on the debates and decisions at the National Education Union's conference, and the mood to take the fight to the Tories
Racist Rwanda refugee plan: Taking cruelty to a new level

The movement must rise to the challenge to stop Boris Johnson and Priti Patel's racist and inhumane "offshoring" of refugees, writes Yonas Makoni
Fines won't cut it: Johnson and Sunak have got to go - CounterBlast

Johnson and Sunak's lies are finally catching up to them, but a slap on the wrist isn't good enough, writes Terina Hine
Energy security strategy: disingenuousness wrapped in a Union Jack

In the same week as the IPCC's stark warnings, the Tories have presented a cynical response that offers no actual solutions, only nationalist bluff, writes Elaine-Graham Leigh
Partygate: yesterday’s news? - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson is using the war in Ukraine to divert from his crimes, but the majority of people aren't just forgetting his lies, writes Terina Hine
Whatever happened to taking back control? Brexit and the cost of living crisis

As gas and electricity prices rises this month by 54%, the Tories refuse to take control of the energy crisis, argues Martin Hall
'We won't pay!': Protesters take to the streets against Tory-made cost of living crisis

People's Assembly protests in towns and cities across the country raised opposition to the cost of living crisis and brought solidarity to sacked P&O workers
1 April energy price hike: the joke's on us

Soaring energy prices are pushing millions into poverty while energy companies are raking in the profit. Enough is enough, writes Shabbir Lakha
Living with Covid? - CounterBlast

Based on what we’re hearing from the government, you would think Covid doesn’t exist anymore, argues Terina Hine
Freeports and freeloading: How the Tories bent the rules for DP World

Transport Minister Grant Shapps offered P&O owner DP World an eye-watering set of exemptions from taxes and duties writes Reuben Bard Rosenberg
Jingoism against Russians hurts us all - CounterBlast

Putin’s war in Ukraine should not be blamed on ordinary Russians-dead or alive, argues Sean Ledwith
Solidarity with P&O workers: this is a fight for us all

The sacking of ferry workers in British ports is an attack on workers’ rights, argues Richard Allday, and we must unite to defeat the employers
Long Covid: the elephant in the room?

While it might seem that we are coming out the other side of the pandemic, for many people, the effects are here to stay, argues Adriana Cooley
Can the BBC be reformed? - Interview with Tom Mills

Ahead of the Media Democracy Festival, Counterfire's Shabbir Lakha spoke to Tom Mills, author of The BBC: Myth of a Public Service about the state of the public broadcasting service, the Tories and what the left should be campaigning about
10 reasons to join the cost of living protests this Saturday

The upcoming People’s Assembly protests are a crucial opportunity to remind the Tories about the crisis at home, writes Sean Ledwith
Trojan Horse affair: Michael Gove's Islamophobic witch-hunt

New evidence shows how the Tories were blinded by Islamophobia during the investigation of Birmingham schools, writes Sean Ledwith
'Living with Covid': The Tories just don't care about public health

The government's scrapping of all Covid measures and dumping the costs of testing onto individuals is a political choice to sacrifice public health for profit, argues Terina Hine
Cost of living and the Tory assault: How we fight back

Terina Hine discusses the impacts of austerity mark-2 and the need to mobilise on 5 March as a united response from below
Mental health: an inhumane lack of care that will hinder all our futures

Tory cuts to mental health services are driving the mental health crisis and failing the very people who need the most support, writes Lucette Davies
We can't afford the Tories

John Rees looks at the battles ahead
Cost of living crisis: We must resist the Tory assault

The Tories want to make us pay to keep the rich profiting. The 12 Feb People's Assembly protests have to be the first step of the fightback, argues Shabbir Lakha
Good riddance: The long overdue resignation of Cressida Dick

Cressida Dick's role as Commissioner highlighted how deep the rot goes in the Metropolitan police and why we must oppose Tory plans to give them more powers, writes Steph Pike
Energy prices and the real cost of inflation

Contrary to what the Bank of England Governor thinks, higher wages are not responsible for the cost of living crisis, argues Dominic Alexander
Rishi rich: making the poorest pay to protect corporate profits

It's a multi-millionaire Chancellor with a huge property empire that is deciding to raise National Insurance and bills while cutting welfare and bankers' taxes, writes Terina Hine
The right answer to price hikes is strikes and protest – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on battle plans and the continuing crisis in the Met
The deepening decay of unionism in Northern Ireland

Following the resignation of Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Chris Bambery explains what’s behind the growing political crisis in the six counties
We will not pay for their energy crisis

Reuben Bard-Rosenberg explains why the energy price cap lift will hit the worst off the hardest, and urges everyone to join the People’s Assembly on the streets on 12 February
We can't afford the Tories: It's time to fight - Counterfire Freesheet February 2022

The cost of living crisis, institutionally sexist police, the victories for the working class in 1972, stopping war in Ukraine and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet
Super-rich Sunak says ‘adjust’ to poverty. We say: hit the streets

The government's energy price hike is an outrageous assault on working people that the movement has to fight, argues Chris Nineham
Gove’s levelling up is a hand-me-down rehash - CounterBlast

The Tories have stolen failed policies of their predecessors in a desperate bid to save Johnson’s skin, argues Sean Ledwith
Cressida Dick: The rot starts at the top

Jonathan Maunders looks at Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick’s sordid record and her relationship with the Tories
Sue Gray report: Johnson's told too many lies to redact

Despite being heavily redacted thanks to the Met Police's intervention, Sue Gray's report is still damning of Johnson and his government, writes Terina Hine
The police, the Prime Minister and the birthday party - CounterBlast

The walls are closing in on Boris Johnson, writes Terina Hine
The idiocy of Sajid Javid's 'academy-style' NHS privatisation plan

Private healthcare doesn't plug a gap in the NHS, it's the drain depleting the NHS's resources, writes Alia Butt
Tory logic: if the voters don't like you, stop them voting - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson plans to use Trump-style voter suppression as part of his desperate bid to cling to power, writes Sean Ledwith
'Keep making noise': Priti Patel defeated in the Lords but the battle to kill the bill continues

The defeats suffered by the Tories in the House of Lords is a victory for the movement but the bill isn't dead yet, writes Terina Hine
Last orders for Johnson – weekly briefing

Lindsey German gives an overview of the Tory PM’s terminal days
Kill the Bill: If the Tories want a fight, they have one

Protesters took to the streets around the country in renewed opposition to the Tory attack on our right to protest
Illegal "VIP lane" contracts: Tory corruption is the other pandemic - CounterBlast

This Prime Minister personifies the arrogance, sleaze and inability to empathise of the ruling class, writes Sean Ledwith
Boris bottles it: is the party over? - CounterBlast

The lies are catching up to BYOB Boris and his position is becomes increasingly untenable, writes Terina Hine
1972: A great year for the workers - Tony Cliff

As part of a series of articles marking the 50thanniversary of a tremendous year for the British working class, we republish Tony Cliff’s overview of the decisive events of 1972
The Colston 4 victory and the principled defiance we need

The acquittal of the Colston 4 is a victory for the whole movement and highlights the kind of solidarity we need to challenge this authoritarian government, writes Simon Duckett
New year, same problems - CounterBlast

The Tories' mishandling of the pandemic has once again left us starting the year with the NHS and schools in crisis, writes Terina Hine
'The government is literally laughing in our face': why Unison workers are balloting to strike - video

Cici Washburn speaks to Kridos Pavlou, Assistant Branch Secretary of Tower Hamlets Unison, about his union's national strike ballot of local government workers
The battle in the NHS isn't over, it's just beginning: Lessons from the GMB strike ballot

GMB organiser Helen O'Connor analyses the state of the NHS and the lessons to be learnt from the GMB ballot for trade unions organising health workers
Johnson is on the ropes: North Shropshire result could finish him off - CounterBlast

This morning’s electoral earthquake could be the beginning of the end for the Prime Minister, writes Sean Ledwith
The party's over for Johnson - CounterBlast

Johnson’s authority is diminishing among both the public and his own MPs faster than Omicron is spreading, writes Terina Hine
Why is there never enough money for the NHS? – explainer

The NHS lurches from crisis to crisis. In this explainer, Alia Butt analyses why
The ghost of Christmas parties past – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Tory double standards and Sir Keir’s relentless rightwards steer
Building a coalition of resistance against the Tories

Anger, joy and even revolution were in the air, as Manchester People’s Assembly brought together a wide array of campaigns wanting to build the resistance, reports Martin Hall
'We're already strike-ready': London transport workers rally against planned TfL cuts

TfL workers sent a clear message to the Tories and Sadiq Khan that they are prepared to fight against cuts and attacks on their pay and conditions, reports Cici Washburn
Government guilty of gross negligence finds The People’s Covid Inquiry

The People's Covid Inquiry has released a scathing report which finds Boris Johnson's government responsible for tens of thousands of avoidable deaths, reports Tom Griffiths
Murder in the Channel

The tragic deaths of refugees trying to get to Britain are the consequence of the government's hostile environment, argues Shabbir Lakha
Is this the beginning of the end for Boris Johnson? - CounterBlast

From Peppa Pig to rebellion in his own ranks, this is a moment of danger for Boris Johnson, within his party and among the electorate, argues Terina Hine
The ghost of Corbynism still haunts Johnson – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the persistence of our ideas
Johnson’s Northern Powerhouse comes off the rails - CounterBlast

This government’s addiction to over-promising and under-delivering has now shown itself in transport policy, writes Sean Ledwith
Going down the tube: the threat to London’s transport

As the Tories prepare to inflict new cuts to London’s transport network and Sadiq Khan looks set to transfer the costs onto workers, the unions must get ready to fight
Stateless children: the next victims of Priti Patel’s war on refugees

The Nationality and Borders Bill enshrines outrageous measures threatening the internationally agreed rights and welfare of children, argues Aaron Gates-Lincoln
The Tories have brought the NHS to the brink of collapse – CounterBlast

Severe staff shortages and people dying in ambulances outside hospitals is the state the Tories have put the NHS in, writes Terina Hine
The Tories’ spiralling sleaze scandal - CounterBlast

Terina Hine on the growing Tory corruption crisis
Sleaze: it’s a Tory way of life - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the unfit-to-govern Conservatives and how we square up to them
Mired in sleaze: Tory corruption reveals a system ‘not fit for purpose’

The Paterson scandal is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the overt corruption of Johnson’s government, writes John Westmoreland
Capitalism will cost us the earth - Counterfire Freesheet November 2021

Climate briefing for activists, more Tory Covid failure, Clarks strikers fight fire-and-rehire, Scotland's wider crisis, socialism explained and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Sunak’s feelgood budget flop

Sunak’s much trailed budget didn’t match the hype argues Chris Nineham
Never forget: the pain and the politics of Covid

We have to keep up the pressure for action over the pandemic, argues Covid patient Kevin Potter.
Sunak’s smoke and mirrors - Counterblast

Wednesday’s much trailed budget will offer little of substance for working people argues Terina Hine
NHS worker: why Sunak’s six billion won’t solve our problems

There is no short-term fix, argues NHS worker Caitlin Southern, the NHS needs fundamental change, and staff will have to fight for it
Tories: the Covid mask slips – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the pandemic’s persistence and the idiocy of our rulers
Making saving life a crime: the brutality of the Nationality and Borders Bill

Hundreds protested against the latest assault on the rights of refugees on Wednesday. Peter Bird was there
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
Boris Johnson's climate fallacy

Johnson’s carbon-reduction plans are grossly inadequate, and his inept diplomacy is on display during a vital moment in the climate crisis, argues John Westmoreland
Déjà vu: more Tory failure as Covid cases soar - CounterBlast

The government has once again allowed Covid to run rampant with their criminal inaction, argues Terina Hine
Welfare that makes you ill: the cruelty of the DWP

Lucette Davies condemns the cruelty and inhumanity of Tory welfare policies, and argues that activism can make the difference that will force change
Austerity and law and order: why more police won’t help our communities

The problems of deprived communities cannot be reduced to issues of law and order. John Westmoreland reports from Hexthorpe in South Yorkshire
A fatal policy: the Covid Report and deliberate deaths

A parliamentary report exposes the deliberately cruel nature of the government's disastrous pandemic response, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Now it’s neither heat nor eat – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Tory’s Universal Credit offensive and how our side needs to shift up a gear
Why I joined Counterfire

Four recently joined Counterfire members explain why they became members
Are the wheels coming off the Tories’ wagon?

Richard Allday reports on the Unite the Union meeting of reps turning the tide against the Tories
Johnson is levelling up on lies - CounterBlast

The Tory leader’s conference speech demonstrated how out of touch he is with most British people’s predicaments, argues Sean Ledwith
The cruelty of the Tory Universal Credit cut

Government talk of ‘levelling up’ is cynical spin, as the £20 UC cut demonstrates a determination to punish the already poor, argues Steph Pike
Driver shortage? What driver shortage?

The problem in road haulage is down to low pay and poor conditions, but unionised workers can win improvement for all low-paid workers, argues Richard Allday
We won't pay for their crisis - Counterfire Freesheet October 2021

The Tory crisis, an interview with Ken Loach on Starmer and the next steps for the left, urgent demands to stop climate breakdown and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
An unfriendly welcome: Tory party conference, Manchester 2021

As the Tories usher in more austerity, thousands march through Manchester in united opposition, reports Sam Colclough
Stop the Tory attacks on education - Staffroom Voice, Counterfire Schools Bulletin October 2021

This month's Counterfire Schools Bulletin on Tory cuts, climate change and refugees
Liverpool University: a benchmark victory for HE and beyond - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles
Discontents for all seasons – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the current crisis and how socialists should square up to it
Protesting against pollution: don’t incinerate our climate

Activists take to the streets against the extension of a toxic incinerator in Edmonton, reports Orlando Hill
Gas and greed: Why Britain faces a special crisis

As the UK's energy crisis deepens, Chris Nineham looks at the roots of the gas shortage in the neoliberal economic system
Gas shortages ignite Tory crisis - CounterBlast

The UK's gas crisis is one part of what looks like a major political storm for the Tories, writes Terina Hine
NHS strikes on the table as health workers decisively reject pathetic Tory pay deal

GMB organiser Helen O'Connor explains why NHS workers have voted overwhelmingly to reject the 3% pay offer and are determined to fight back
Did someone say austerity was over? – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on universal credit crimes and building the Cop26 protests
Johnson reshuffle: a cabinet of none of the talents - CounterBlast

Changing faces in the Tory top team is just papering over the cracks of a rotten regime, writes Sean Ledwith
Off the rails: The Tories have no plan for trains

The Tories' plans for railways is all talk and no action, writes Kieran Crowe
Universal Credit cut: catastrophe in the making

Terina Hine explains why the UC cut will be a disaster for millions of people, including children
“Staying quiet doesn’t work” - interview with a Staff Nurse

After being on the frontlines of the fight against the pandemic, health workers were rewarded with a pay cut by the Tories. Now they’re fighting back and demanding 15%. We spoke to Staff Nurse and activist Stacey Richardson about the conditions in the NHS and the campaign
Why I’m marching in Manchester: take the fight to the Tories over the climate crisis

Elaine Graham-Leigh explains how the People's Assembly demonstration outside the Tory conference in October presents another opportunity to build the movement against climate change
Just like Thatcher, Boris Johnson cosies up to Chilean Tyrants

Boris Johnson is continuing the Tory legacy of supporting human rights abusers, argues Carole Concha Bell
Tory care plan punishes the poor and rewards the rich - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson is deluded if he thinks his legacy will be anything apart from the Covid catastrophe, argues Sean Ledwith
Priti racist: Patel's war against refugees

The vile inhumanity of the Tories trying to send refugee boats back across the Channel is part of creating a scapegoat for the cuts they're inflicting, argues Yonas Makoni
Lorry drivers take the wheel with strike votes

Amid the HGV driver shortage, lorry drivers at two firms are fighting back against poor pay and conditions, reports Chris Neville
The Tories' contempt for the working class knows no bounds

With the Tories revamping austerity and Starmer focused on attacking the left in Labour, the real opposition is on the streets
It's them or us: we can beat them if we fight - Counterfire Freesheet September 2021

Taking on the Tories, victory for Bexley strikers, interview with a Staff Nurse and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Stop the culture war against the old and unite against the Tories – weekly briefing

The Nasty Party’s assault on our class has to be defeated, argues Lindsey German
Raab up Afghan creek without a paddleboard - CounterBlast

The Foreign Secretary’s performance before a parliamentary select committee typifies twenty years of blundering UK policy in Afghanistan, writes Sean Ledwith
Why NHS workers will be taking the fight to the Tories in Manchester

Ian Johnston explains why NHS staff will be joining the People's Assembly demonstration outside the Tory Party conference on 3 October
NHS workers step up the fight for 15%

Unite members working in hospitals took a stand against the effective pay cut they are facing, Carole Vincent and Lucy Nichols report
Kill the Bill: movements continue to converge on the streets of London – report

Activists from different causes remain on the streets to defend the right to protest, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
‘Woefully inadequate’: the Home Office’s pitiful plan for Afghan refugees

The hostile policies towards Afghan and other asylum seekers stem from a long-standing anti-immigrant agenda of successive Tory governments, argues Raoul Walawalker
Time to teach the Tories a lesson: why I'll be marching in Manchester

David McAllister explains why teachers will be joining the People's Assembly demonstration outside the Tory Party conference on 3 October
A question of class: ‘Grade inflation’ and statistical snobbery

The education system is built to preserve class society, that’s why the right are crying foul when working class kids do better than planned, argues John Westmoreland
Pissing on the Red Wall – a miner speaks

Following on from Johnson’s provocation about Thatcher and the miners, John Westmoreland speaks to a Yorkshire miner who fought the pit-closure programme
Latin in schools and the Bellum cultura

Teaching Latin and Classics in state schools will do little to address the needs of young people, writes Lucy Nichols
Have you been invited to the 250 club? Tory corruption hits new heights

An astonishing article in the Financial Times this weekend made several revelations about the extent of corruption in the Tory party. Jamal Elaheebocus reports
This is a Tory crisis, not a migrant crisis

The Home Office's new Nationality and Borders Bill exemplifies the racism at the heart of the government's immigration policy, writes Jamal Elaheebocus
Don't be fooled by the pingdemic - CounterBlast

The government’s mixed messaging on self-isolation puts all workers at risk and unions should be leading the fight for safe workplaces, argues Terina Hine
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
Tory cruelty and incompetence vs public good sense and caution - CounterBlast

People are once again showing more sense than those who govern them, argues Terina Hine.
How feeding racism ultimately became the Home Office’s main plan

By Raoul Walawalker, a writer at theImmigration Advice Service, an organisation of UK and Ireland immigration lawyers
Tory culture wars vs anti-racist good sense

The events of the last week following the Euro 2020 final present an opportunity for anti-racists to take our arguments into every corner of the country, argues Martin Hall
‘Freedom Day’ is really Groundhog Day

Freedom Day shows every sign of being anything but free, argues Dragan Plavšić
The Tories won’t divide us - anti-racists take to the streets

Protesters take to the streets around the country to stand strong against racism and to call out Tory hypocrisy
Covid, crisis and the fight for a new normal - video

The opening rally of Counterfire's Revolution! Festival of Marxist Ideas featuring Tariq Ali, Danièle Obono and Lindsey German

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