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A teacher speaks out: they want to make us pay for the crisis - video

There is no justification for the public sector pay freeze, it's a slap in the face for teachers and key workers that have kept society running, says David McAllister
Hostile environment: how the Tories broke the law to ramp up racism

A new report shows the hostile environment is unlawful, but it's more than a technical oversight - it's the deliberate racism of the state and it must be resisted
Why is there £21.5bn more for the military but no money for key workers?

The credit card is maxed out when it comes to public sector pay but there's always money for war according to the Tories, writes Terina Hine
Croydon Council cuts to jobs and services must be resisted

Local councils should be standing up to the Tories, not making their workers and most vulnerable constituents pay, writes Jamal Elaheebocus
Sunak’s spending priorities: money for the rich, pay freeze for key workers

The Tory spending review shows the government’s priority is to protect profits and making working class people pay, argues Shabbir Lakha
NHS worker: public sector pay freeze is an absolute injustice

The public sector pay freeze is a slap in the face for NHS workers and we need to push back against the government, says Alia Butt from NHS Staff Voices
Schools crisis sharpens as Tories gamble with children's future

Two and a half months into the first term of the school year and there is chaos, confusion and Covid in every aspect of education, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
We mustn't be passive observers: help build a fighting left

An appeal to Counterfire's supporters
No money for school meals but Johnson found £16.5bn extra for the military

Boris Johnson has chosen to up defence spending over the necessary measures to protect lives during a pandemic, writes Lindsey German
Johnson reset explodes on the launchpad - CounterBlast

The overdue departure of Dominic Cummings will not change the incompetence and corruption at the heart of this Tory government, writes Sean Ledwith
Johnson's choice: no good Brexit options

Whichever way the prime minister looks, he is presented with a circle of problems that is becoming increasingly difficult to square, argues Martin Hall
Parents know schools are no longer safe: close them now!

By continuing to keep schools open, the government is forcing teachers, children and parents into an unforgivable level of danger, argues Kara Bryan
Cummings’ exit shows how the Johnson administration is falling apart - CounterBlast

The sacking of Boris Johnson’s chief of staff has deeper roots than mere office tensions in Downing Street, argues Alex Snowdon
Croydon Council has gone bust because of austerity, and the most vulnerable will be made to pay

We must fight for the government to increase local spending instead of letting councils like Croydon go bust, fire their workers and cut essential services
Vaccine hope is not a substitute for a zero-Covid strategy

We need to stop the transmission of the virus now to prevent more deaths before a vaccine is ready, argues Caitlin Southern
Covid vaccine and government contracts: another dose of Tory corruption - CounterBlast

The government has handed more than £17bn of lucrative Covid contracts to their mates who aren't delivering
This is a lockdown in name only – CounterBlast

As the infection rate, and deaths, continue to rise, the government’s poor excuse for a lockdown offers no solution, argues Alex Snowdon
Manchester students tear down fences in thousands-strong protest

Students are raging at being repeatedly let down by the government and universities. Fences were the last straw for Manchester students - so they brought them down
Covid-19: A Worker's Self-Defence Manual - Counterfire pamphlet

A Counterfire pamphlet by Richard Allday aimed at providing you with information about the virus and your rights at work
Tory lockdown rebels: a divided party responsible for Covid carnage - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson's half-baked lockdown is failing to appease Tory dissenters, and failing to protect the country, now is the time for action from below
Universities must lock down too

We must move teaching online, test students and allow them home argues Dragan Plavšić
The Tory TfL stitch-up

The government’s eleventh-hour bailout has only deferred the TfL crisis, explains Unjum Mirza
The half-hearted lockdown from the cabinet of fools - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Tories, Covid and the Jeremy Corbyn open season
A national lockdown without closing schools is not going to stop the virus

The government’s refusal to close schools and universities marks the latest in a string of failures to protect people from the pandemic, argues Caitlin Southern
Paper-plating the Tories for voting against free school meals

The anger against the Tories is growing and activists are developing creative ways of protesting, reports Chris Neville
The SpyCops bill is an attack on us all: it must be resisted

We shouldn’t imagine that we are powerless and have to accept this assault on our civil liberties lying down, argues Shabbir Lakha
Tory splits widen as opposition to No. 10 grows in all quarters - CounterBlast

The Tories are failing in the most basic principle of government, to keep its people safe, and its uniting people against them, writes Terina Hine
Free school meals: a Tory tipping point

The callous vote against free school meals is providing a focus for anger and driving opposition to this government, argues Chris Neville
Holiday hunger backlash turns the tide against Tories - weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on class warfare and the government’s commitment to inequality
Tory MPs vote to starve kids: this is what ‘scum’ really looks like

Tories’ refusal to extend free school meals into the school holidays tells us everything we need to know about the rottenness of the political elite, argues Kara Bryan
Manchester won’t pay for the crisis - protest report

Now in a Tier 3 lockdown, Manchester protesters call out Tory incompetence and demand proper support, reports Lucy Nichols
Refusing to feed children: Tory contempt for the working class

The Tories are punishing working class children for being poor and we can't let them get away with it, argues Caitlin Southern
Sunak's latest u-turn shows the Johnson project is falling apart

With a government this divided, we can win many more concessions and ones which benefit workers not businesses, argues Chris Nineham
Divide and rule: why the Tories are imposing Tier 3 on Manchester – CounterBlast

The government’s Tier system of local lockdowns is deliberately pitting regions against each other and avoiding an effective national strategy with the necessary financial support
Greater Manchester vs Tier 3 - CounterBlast

Manchester continues to resist Tory plans for an ineffective local lockdown with inadequate financial support, reports Chris Neville
Testing times, but no trace of a government strategy - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Tories’ ever-escalating Covid crisis, anti-austerity and Labour’s warped security values
Experts’ dissent reflects collapse of coronavirus consensus - CounterBlast

The rift which has opened up between the government and scientific advisors further amplifies Johnson’s negligence, argues Alex Snowdon.
Covid: a Tory-made crisis - Counterfire Bulletin October 2020

Why we need a zero-Covid strategy, resistance on the frontline, carnage in America and a new direction for the left in this month's Counterfire bulletin
Double trouble: Tory Covid shambles is hastening UK break-up

The government’s woefully inadequate handling of the pandemic is expanding the wedge between the nations of the union, argues Dr Stuart Cartland
Against a false dilemma: we can save lives and livelihoods

Protecting people's lives and preventing hardship are not an either/or, what we need is the political will to do both, argues Chris Nineham
The cost of culture: rethink, reboot

The government should be trying to save jobs instead of its crass attacks on those working in the arts and culture sector, argues Floyd Codlin
Warning from the wards: we are not prepared for the second surge

The government has simply not prepared the NHS for the second Covid wave combined with a winter crisis, warns Caitlin Southern
Now it's official: Johnson is denying the science - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson’s briefing on the latest restrictions reveal only that the government is ignoring the science and has no plan, writes Terina Hine
Teachers care about the safety of our schools; the government doesn’t

The failures of this government to control the pandemic have pushed schools and communities into an extremely difficult and dangerous situation, writes Sarah Kilpatrick
New Tory rules on 'anti-capitalist school materials' are an attack on civil liberties

The government's latest regulations are an attempt to hamper political learning and organising in schools, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
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
Johnson's conference speech: an ode to crony capitalism - CounterBlast

In his speech to Tory party conference, Johnson offered no route out of the catastrophe his government is causing, argues Terina Hine
The Tories and Covid, not just incompetent but corrupt

The government’s privatisation of public services is at the heart of the Test and Trace failures and it’s costing lives, argues Lucy Nichols
Tory Test and Trace error: a symptom of a failing strategy

More than a technical glitch, the NHS Test and Trace failure shows how little this government care about protecting lives, argues Adriana Cooley
Flattening the curve isn't good enough, we need a zero-Covid strategy

The government is still pursuing ‘herd immunity’ when we should be aiming to eliminate the virus to stop its spread, argues Caitlin Southern
Boris Johnson's failures are to blame, not our 'complacency' - CounterBlast

The government is once again scapegoating ordinary people to cover its own failures, argues Alex Snowdon
Whose crisis is it anyway? The problem with the shock doctrine

The ruling class is ruthless in trying to exploit crises, but we shouldn’t underestimate the turmoil it's in and the opportunities to advance the struggle, argues Chris Nineham
Why we need to fight for arts jobs

Workers in the arts and culture sector are facing wholesale job and pay cuts - it's time to fight back, argues Floyd Codlin
What's gone wrong with the media? - video

At a Bristol Counterfire meeting, Chris Nineham, Kerry-Anne Mendoza and Tom Mills discuss the state of the British media and how the left can challenge the mainstream narrative
Wheels are coming off the Johnson bandwagon - CounterBlast

Even his own MPs are now losing faith in the Prime Minister’s ability to manage the second wave of the pandemic, writes Sean Ledwith
Johnson's 'Lifelong Learning': all bluster and no solutions - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson's latest measure falls way short of the mark and will do nothing to stop the impending unemployment tsunami, argues Terina Hine
When Towering Inferno meets Groundhog Day - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on a Tory party that cannot cope and a pitiful pseudo-opposition
PCS was right on the dangers of return to work, the Tories were wrong

After the government U-turn on being able to work from home, the PCS Union offers another example of the power of popular pressure, argues Floyd Codlin
International law and Britain’s colony in Ireland

Don’t be fooled by outrage over the latest Brexit proposals from the Tories. International law hasn’t stopped them in the past, argue Reuben Bard-Rosenberg and Martin Hall
Johnson’s disastrous policies will bring return to hundreds of daily deaths - CounterBlast

A rushed ‘return to normal’ is driving up the infection rates and, increasingly, the death rate, writes Alex Snowdon
8 Reasons to reject Sunak’s scheme and keep fighting for the furlough - Counterblast

Sunak’s scheme will mean millions are made jobless and the movement should reject it, argue Susan Newman and 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
‘And seem a saint, when most I play the devil’: Johnson’s dangerously misleading Covid broadcast

The government is still committed to putting profit before lives. We need to organise to force adequate safety measures argues Katherine Connelly
Second time farce, but it will lead to tragedy - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the spiralling Covid crisis and how class remains our compass point
The government is failing to keep schools safe from Covid

With rising infection rates, we need to confront Tory failures and campaign hard for safe and sustainable schools, argues David McAllister
Stronger measures needed to stop second wave - CounterBlast

Rising case numbers show that the government is failing to act decisively on the pandemic, argues Alex Snowdon
Where next for the left? - Holly Rigby

As part of a discussion on the next steps for the left after the rightward shift of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer, looks at Tory failures during the pandemic and the role of union and movement organising
Over 1,000 schools now have Covid cases, and it’s about to get worse

Parents and teachers warned of the dangers of full-scale school reopening but were ignored by the government. We must continue to fight for safety first, argues Corinne Pearson
North East lockdown: too little too late

Still no signs of the government having a coherent strategy, writes Matthew Giles
Aslef tube ballot returns overwhelming 95.2% yes vote for strike

Members of Aslef working on the tube have voted by a huge margin for strike action to defend jobs, terms and conditions and pensions, reports Unjum Mirza
The testing fiasco is just the start: we need to fight for a proper response - CounterBlast

Real preparations for the second wave must be the demanded of the whole movement, writes Chris Nineham
Extend the eviction ban now!

Housing activists are again building pressure on the government to not end the eviction ban on 20 September as planned, reports Shabbir Lakha
Urgent action needed to stop resurgent virus - CounterBlast

With an alarming rise in the infection rate, radical measures are required to combat coronavirus, argues Alex Snowdon
Campuses and Coronavirus: students head to universities despite rising R rate - CounterBlast

As we head into a second wave, students and academic staff must put pressure on the government and university management to keep people safe, argues Lucy Nichols
No to the exam factory: what kind of education do we want? - video

Lindsey German discusses the state of education and what the alternatives could look like
The government's letting down NHS workers, it's time to fight back

With a second wave on the horizon and continuing government incompetence, we need to fight for health workers' rights now, writes Alia Butt
The official opposition isn't working: is there a new frontline? - CounterBlast

While the government is in disarray and Starmer fumbles, the opposition is building in workplaces, writes Chris Nineham
The market crashes: from exam crisis to political crisis

University staff are pushing back against the callous actions of universities and the government putting staff and students at risk
It's Tory failures not young people that have caused the covid spike

The government is trying to scapegoat young people, but it's their drive back to work and schools that is behind the rise in infections, argues Caitlin Southern
Johnson’s latest pandemic plan is more moonshine than moonshot - CounterBlast

The Prime Minister who bungled the first wave of coronavirus cannot be trusted to tackle the second, suggests Sean Ledwith
We must stop the Tories ending the eviction ban

The government’s new end date for the eviction ban is fast-approaching amid a growing housing crisis, now’s the time to resist argues Norbert Lawrie
The Assange case: the people have the power

The tide is turning in the case to extradite Julian Assange - now opinion needs to be turned into power, argues John Rees
The Tories still see us as expendable

As the infection rate remains high, the government continues to put the interests of its own class above the interests of the majority, argues Caitlin Southern.
The ongoing Covid19 testing fiasco - Counterblast

Many months of Tory government failures on testing and tracing are doing serious damage, writes Alex Snowdon
Tax the rich - but it is about a lot more than that

Kevin Ovenden looks at the growing crisis facing the government over the soaring deficit and the debate on taxation
Johnson is floundering in a sea of incompetence - CounterBlast

As parliament returns, no one should believe Johnson’s promises of safety at school or work, argues Sean Ledwith
This town is a ghost town: government pushes re-openings amidst empty city centres - CounterBlast

Tory attempts to square the circle of profits and public safety are becoming increasingly desperate, argues Lucy Nichols
This Tory is for turning: Boris Johnson’s vacillations

The present series of U-turns shows the government is both incompetent and vulnerable to pressure from below as never before, asserts David McAllister
Students protest against classist education system

Students continue to march against education inequality and for Gavin Williamson to go, reports Lucy Nichols.
Keep the furlough: stop the jobs massacre

Ending the furlough scheme prematurely would be economically reckless and would put millions of jobs at risk, argues Terina Hine.
Refugees are not the enemy, the Government is - CounterBlast

The Tory government are once again scapegoating vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers to cover up for their own failings, argues Lucy Nichols
Scrapping Public Health England is passing the buck - it's also deadly dangerous

Scrapping PHE for a new system that will be led by Baroness Harding has shown the Tories to be craven and corrupt, argues Caitlin Southern
Tory shambles boosts support for Scottish independence

Polls in Scotland show a consistent lead in favour of independence as the Tory Covid failures are laid bare, argues Chris Bambery
Not a penny more to Serco

Protesters gathered in Wandsworth to demand no more public contracts be given to Serco, reports Peter Bird
Dunce’s cap for Williamson, and a big Fail for the exam system - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Tory education and why socialists defend refugees
Exam fiasco: students and teachers take to the streets

Young students are fighting back after being unfairly downgraded by the government, reports Shabbir Lakha.
A-Levels fiasco reflects deeper problems with exam factory schooling

The government's shambolic handling of A-level results should prompt a rethink of how our education system works, writes Roy Wilkes
Sunak’s ‘hard times’ – choice not necessity

The chancellor’s plans work for his class, not ours, writes Chris Nineham
Failing our kids: the Tory exams fiasco

Students, particularly those from working class backgrounds, are the victims of the government’s exam shambles, argues John Westmoreland
Stop blaming individuals for Coronavirus spikes

The drive to get people back to work is responsible for a rise in infections, not individual behaviour, argues Kevin Potter
Refugee crisis is one of the major legacies of Britain’s recent interventions

'Wars are welcome, refugees not' seems to be the only mantra the media and politicians want to repeat, says Lindsey German
NHS Crisis: a result of Tory cruelty and incompetance

Privatisation and underfunding of the NHS has exacerbated the Tories' mishandling of the pandemic, argues Caitlin Southern.
Why the government is to blame, not the people - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson’s Tory government should be held responsible for the scale of the coronavirus crisis, not ordinary people, argues Alex Snowdon
NHS workers are taking the fight to the government

NHS Staff Voices launches its first newletter demanding pay justice for all NHS staff across all disciplines and carers, writes Alia Butt
You clapped for NHS workers, now support their fight for pay justice

Caitlin Southern on why you should support the protests around the country this Saturday for NHS pay justice
Resurgent virus exposes Johnson’s terrible failures – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on a persistent Covid-19, feckless Tories and campaigning for carers
Regional lockdown puts wealth before health

New lockdown measures introduced in Great Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire are an incoherent farce, argues Chris Neville.
Health workers march on Downing Street over pay rise betrayal - video

Health workers protest in London against Tory betrayal, reports Lucy Nichols
Stop the massacre in Yemen

Demands for an end to UK support for Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen are growing, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
The contact tracers tracing contact tracers in Lanarkshire

The outbreak at an NHS England Covid contact tracing call centre in Scotland exposes why workplaces aren’t actually safe, argues Sophie Johnson
Hoping for a vaccine is not a policy - CounterBlast

Johnson’s government is gambling that reports of a vaccine will distract us from their disastrous handling of the pandemic, argues Sean Ledwith
Parliament betrays the NHS: Starmer won’t save it, so it’s up to us

The political arena where we must operate is larger than Westminster alone, and we must move into it now, argues Tom Griffiths
The Russians are coming: the new liberal delusion

The unfounded hysteria about Russian interference is being driven by the political centre struggling to find a way back, argues Chris Nineham
Tory logic: clap for nurses but deny them a pay rise

The government's public sector pay rise has denied any reward to the nurses on the frontline they've been clapping for, writes Mona Kamal
'Global Britain': the defence review

As competition increases for defence funding, Cummings' involvement has reignited concerns over the UK’s defence strategy, argues Terina Hine
If we all fight together, then we can win - video

Lindsey German speaking at the People's Assembly's Tolpuddle Martyr's Festival event on the struggles we face and the need to organise
NHS workers are getting organised - Staff Voices Conference report

Caitlin Southern reports on the NHS Staff Voices Conference which brought together workers from across the service and around the country
'It will be over by Christmas' is a dangerous delusion - CounterBlast

The prime minister has recklessly heralded a renewed push back to the workplace for millions of people, writes Alex Snowdon
A wealth tax is a bare minimum, why is Labour not demanding it?

Starmer refusing to back a wealth tax shows he’s not going to fight against the Tories putting the cost of the crisis on working people, argues Shabbir Lakha
This pandemic hit when our NHS was at its very weakest

Dr Mona Kamal speaking at the Arise Festival closing rally on the NHS and the pandemic
As likelihood of a second wave grows, the NHS is being set up to fail again

Despite scientists warning of the danger of a second wave, the government continues to leave the NHS unequipped and underfunded, writes Alia Butt
‘This is a campaign for all of us’: TfL workers rally against job and service cuts

This critical campaign provides a model to the kind of movement that will be needed to protect jobs and win improved public services, says Kate O'Neil
England's dreaming: under Sunak there's no hope of a v-shape recovery

The chancellor's plan for recovery is doomed to fail, argues Michael Roberts
People are desperate for change, why isn't Labour fighting the Tories? - CounterBlast

People want fundamental change coming out of this crisis and neither the piecemeal Tory measures nor Labour's weak response are adequate, writes Lucy Nichols
Tory scapegoating should be resisted

Boris Johnson’s attempt to shift the blame for the impact of Covid-19 in care homes on to workers is a gross denial of responsibility, argues Victor Davis
Calling all NHS staff: it's time to get organised

The future of the NHS is in danger and it can only be defended through collective action, argues Lucy Nichols
Women, coronavirus and austerity

The coronavirus crisis is disproportionately impacting women who have already been hardest-hit by ten years of Tory austerity, argues Karen Buckley
It’s official: there’s no science behind lifting the lockdown - CounterBlast

Focused on boosting profits for their mates, health is just not on the Tories’ agenda, argues Penny Hicks
Sunak's 'Green Homes Grant' only scratches the surface

Neither the government nor Starmer's Labour party are taking the climate crisis seriously - real action must be led from outside parliament, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Sunak's 'big statement' proved the Tories just don't have a plan - Counterblast

Today Rishi Sunak released a budget full of platitudes that make a huge effort to avoid the major economic issues facing society, argues Chris Nineham
The coming jobs slaughter

The government will pass the blame anywhere they can but now, more than ever, we must fight for an economy that works for us, argues Richard Allday
The NHS is 72: why we must fight to defend it

As the NHS turns 72, it is under threat from the free-market dogma that has been underfunding and privatising it, writes John Westmoreland
‘Super Saturday’ reopening is reckless and dangerous - CounterBlast

The government’s push to reopen pubs, restaurants and much else this weekend is irresponsible and premature, writes Alex Snowdon
The Tories have chipped away at the NHS for years and now it's under threat

The NHS isn't failing, its been under attack through austerity and stealth privatisation for years, says Alia Butt
‘Be sensible’ says Boris Johnson as he recklessly ends the lockdown - CounterBlast

While new Covid infections and deaths continue, it is disgraceful that the Tories are patronisingly telling us to be sensible, says Penny Hicks
Boris is playing a grim game - CounterBlast

The new haphazard approach of leaving local areas to impose their own small lockdowns shows callous disregard for lives, argues Lucy Nichols
The battle is on: and the left can’t win in Labour - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Labour, the left and taking on the Tories
Starmer’s ruthless at rooting out the left, not antisemitism - CounterBlast

In a week where the Tories are covering for corruption and risking working people’s lives, Keir Starmer is attacking the left instead of the government says Penny Hicks
Three years on from Grenfell and people still aren't safe

Tragedies like Grenfell are an inevitable consequence of placing profit over lives and this week at Ferrier Point was too close, reports Lucy Nichols
Starmer plays to the right: where now for the left?

Starmer has signalled war on Labour's left with the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey. It is a deliberate attempt to root out Corbynism from positions of influence
Are the Tories just making it up as they go? - CounterBlast 19 June

The Tories have lowered their covid temperature gauge after already easing the lockdown, what are they playing at?
Lives and livelihoods: Britain’s pandemic economy

Michael Roberts takes a look at economic implications of the government's failures
Don’t let cynical ploys derail BLM - CounterBlast 13 June

The Black Lives Matter movement in the UK is coming under pressure from a number of directions, writes Alex Snowdon
Boris Johnson, statues and staying in the streets

As Johnson launches lazy attacks on the movement, now is no time to retreat, argues Lindsey German
The Tories are at each other's throats, why isn't Labour seizing its chance? - CounterBlast 11 June

When the Tories are caught between their donors and the polls, we deserve better than the present docile opposition, argues Chris Nineham
Government defeat on schools shows organised resistance can win - CounterBlast 9 June

Teachers and parents have successfully pushed the government back, writes Shabbir Lakha
'Are there no food banks?' The Poor Laws and Charles Dickens at 150

Dickens’s acute observations of social inequality illuminate the cruelty of our government 150 years after his death, says Katherine Connelly
On the front line: back to school too soon

Teachers are working hard to support children returning to school in difficult circumstances, writes Alex Snowdon
Coronavirus: death rate higher if you’re poor and BAME

The report into disproportionate BAME deaths from Covid-19 confirms that structural racism is at the heart of the problem, writes Lucy Nichols
Heroes today, gone tomorrow: the hypocrisy of the immigration bill

Government claps for key workers ring hollow as they force through the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill, writes Alia Butt
Rasputin: scandal, murder and revolution

Dominic Cummings has been compared to another powerful, dangerous and despised political adviser: Rasputin. John Westmoreland recounts the story of Russia’s ‘mad monk’
Teachers tell Johnson to follow the science - CounterBlast 31 May

Scientists speaking out against the government put pressure on Boris Johnson to delay school re-opening, writes David McAllister
Not until it's safe: stay away on 1st June

Many primary schools will re-open for large numbers of children on Monday. This is too soon, argues NEU activist Tony Dowling
The Coronavirus Trilemma

We must push for the kind of transformative solutions that the government will do everything it can to avoid, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg
5 things the Cummings crisis teaches us which make the country virtually ungovernable - CounterBlast 28 May

The bizarre and obsessive defence of Dominic Cummings shows that the current crop of Tories are incompetent as well as callous, argues Chris Nineham
The China syndrome: why Trump’s obsession could lead to war – long read

The US policy to counter the growing economic and political strengths of China have taken a dangerous turn, says Chris Nineham
Herd today, gone tomorrow? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Cummings, Covid and the reassertion of working class organisation
Cummings' contempt deepens Tory crisis - CounterBlast 25 May

One rule for them, another rule for us
We won't send our children back until it's safe

This government are not to be trusted over their plans to reopen schools on June 1st, explains Jos Forester-Melville, a parent from the North East
TfL price hike: risk your life going to work and pay for the privilege

The fares and congestion charge changes will hit the very people being forced to go back to work in the capital the hardest, argues Shadia Edwards-Dashti
Do as I say, not as I do: Cummings must go

The revelations about Boris Johnson’s chief adviser breaking lockdown rules should be the end of his career, writes Sean Ledwith
This crisis has exposed the Tory class for what they're really like - CounterBlast 21 May

Is there a day that goes by that you don't just groan at something stupid the Tories have done again?
Teacher speaks out against government plans for school opening

Sarah Kilpatrick, a secondary school teacher in Gateshead and Assistant Secretary of her NEU branch, looks at why fulfilling NEU's five tests are critical for the safe opening of schools
Tube drivers: In dubious battle

Tube driver and ASLEF branch chair Unjum Mirza describes the growing conflicts over worker and passenger safety on London Underground
Contagion revisited: how Hollywood got its pandemic prediction upside down

Chaotic leadership vs calm public: how reality was different from Contagion's plotlines, says Chris Nineham
Liverpool defies Johnson's dangerous schools plan

Liverpool Council has taken a stand against the government's reckless plan to begin opening schools on 1st June, reports Don Davies
Why teachers won't go back until it's safe

Teachers have been working in the interests of children all through lockdown: the government hasn't, argues David McAllister
Laura Smith: why we should listen to our teaching unions

Teaching unions are right to set tests for the government to meet to protect their members, children, and families, says Laura Smith
The daily deception

It's not the public that wants to end lockdown - it's the government, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Austerity reloaded: Tories want us to pay for crisis

The Tories are talking about more austerity and we need to shut it down, argues Kevin Potter
Let our ‘heroes’ live - don’t end the lockdown

Thank our key workers by listening to what they are saying, says Alia Butt
Why does Sadiq Khan say that Transport for London has no money?

Transport for London’s problems go back far further than the virus to Thatcherite spending cuts and austerity, argues Kevin Crane
Doctor speaks out: this isn't freedom, it's a death sentence

Physical distancing restrictions are not simply a matter of preserving NHS capacity, they are about saving lives, says Red Elmahdi
It is not safe to reopen schools - Kevin Courtney on Sky News

The National Education Union's joint General Secretary Kevin Courtney spoke to Sky News on why the government's plan to reopen schools is reckless and irresponsible
Johnson’s gamble will cost thousands more lives – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on Tory recklessness and the workers fighting back
Britain in World War Two: when workers wouldn't go back to normal

The history of working-class struggle during the Second World War that transformed Britain for the better should be remembered on VE day, writes John Westmoreland
Teachers: why we won't be rushed back to school

As the government moves towards lifting lockdown, Alex Kenny from the National Education Union executive explains why school staff are not returning until it is safe
Government failures laid bare by highest death toll in Europe - CounterBlast 5 May

News that the UK has the worst death rate in Europe is a grimly unsurprising indictment of Government inadequacy, argues Mona Kamal
Government and opposition: all in it together? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Covid-19, Labour collusion, the dictates of capital and remembering WW2
After failing to meet 100,000 tests target, Hancock must resign

After a campaign of deceit and blame dodging to cover up brutal incompetence and disregard for lives, Matt Hancock must walk or be pushed, argues Shabbir Lakha
The government keeps moving their own goalposts - CounterBlast 1 May

As the government fails its own tests and scrambles to ‘get the economy going again’, we must demand that people are put before profit, writes Cameron Panting
Palestine activists win Supreme Court battle against UK Government

In a historic victory, the government's attempts to outlaw Palestine solidarity has been pushed back after a successful legal battle, reports Sara Sammak
Who pays? Socialists and state intervention part 2 – long read

In the second part of his article, Chris Nineham examines the recent development of the state and how the Coronavirus will impact on government policy and the left
Cummings and Sage: 'following the science' was always herd immunity

It should be blatantly obvious that someone who effectively advocates the culling of a vulnerable section of the population should not be allowed anywhere near public health policy, argues Lucy Nichols
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
Lockdown? This government should be locked up – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Covid-19, class crises and the escalation of global tensions
A minute's silence that will speak volumes - CounterBlast 26 April

On International Workers' Memorial Day, we will remember the avoidable deaths of thousands caused by government incompetence, writes Chris Nineham
The Tories are the real criminals - CounterBlast 25 April

The government is doing everything it can to deflect from its own failures and blame anyone else, writes Lucy Nichols
The Tories' complete disengagement from what is needed - CounterBlast 24 April

The Tories couldn't even keep their own website for testing running for more then a couple of hours, how are they going to deliver 100,000 tests a day by next week?
(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
How long can the government distort facts - CounterBlast 22 April

While the government continues to distort facts, labour movement outside parliament has started to bear fruits inside, says David McAllister
Tories fail to meet already inadequate standards - CounterBlast 21 April

The Tories have brought back their election spin team to cover up their hideous failings in this crisis, reports Shabbir Lakha
PPE and testing: not just another Tory scandal

Government failings are putting life-saving NHS staff at risk, and the latest PPE scandal is guaranteed to make matters far worse, argues Alia Butt
The government's callousness is clear for all to see - CounterBlast 19 April

Boris Johnson's government has blood on its hands, says Tom Griffiths
Thick as thieves: coronavirus and the media

Timid, bland, uncritical - British news media have failed in holding the government to account over the coronavirus crisis, explains Des Freedman
Learning from the Lockdown: 10 ways UK education should change after the pandemic

The neoliberal model of education must be scrapped and replaced with a more humane system, argues Sean Ledwith
Hang your head in shame, Hancock - CounterBlast 17 April

The NHS is not a charity, the Tories shouldn't be boasting about people crowdfunding for it, says Penny Hicks
Profit over people still the mantra, as school meal vouchers don't reach families

Rightly lack of PPE and testing is making news, but amongst the other scandals is the school meals voucher programme, explains Helen Rutherford-Gregory
Sir Keir Starmer’s deadly crusade: supporting big business and undermining unions - CounterBlast 15 April

Keir Starmer's "forensic" opposition amounts to siding with the government against unions and public health it seems, writes Katherine Connelly
The coronavirus care home crisis: this is what herd immunity looks like - CounterBlast April 14

The government's attitude to the elderly in care homes is unconscionable, argues Shabbir Lakha

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