Parliament

Something rotten in the state of Westminster – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the black hole of parliamentary decay and revolts in Iran
Breakthrough for Assange campaign

Protesters form a human chain around Parliament in support of Julian Assange
The myths of monarchy and the need for a republic

We print some thoughts from socialists past and present on why democracy and monarchy don’t mix
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
Voting Labour after Corbyn

Until such time as a new parliamentary vehicle for the working class emerges, socialists should continue to vote Labour, argues Martin Hall
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
Starmer’s shtick: Ruthless against the left, useless against the right - CounterBlast

Preoccupied with burying the politics of the Corbyn era, Starmer’s vacuous leadership is failing to offer a coherent alternative to the Tories, argues Alex Snowdon.
Tory CRG: the crazed, the bad and the ugly

Terina Hine assesses the hard-right libertarian Tories influencing the government to put safety last
Universal Credit uplift: Tories lose vote, now they must be forced to u-turn

The government’s defeat in Parliament is to be welcomed, but only pressure from below can save the £20 Universal Credit uplift – and go further, writes Steph Pike
The fight against Trumpism: lessons of Hitler’s Munich Putsch

As far as historical parallels can be made, we must draw the lessons from the past in the fight against fascism, writes John Westmoreland
Starmer is colluding with Tories to unleash the spy cops - CounterBlast

The Labour Leader is jeopardising civil liberties in his pursuit of approval from the establishment, argues Sean Ledwith
Can socialism come through Parliament? - explainer

Morgan Daniels looks at the prospect of achieving socialism through Parliament
Starmer’s taking Labour back to the right, what’s next for the left?

Counterfire asked six socialists and activists what they think the next steps are for the left
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
Queen Caroline and Swellfoot the Tyrant

Jacqueline Mulhallen recounts the radical support for Queen Caroline and Shelley's play Swelfoot the Tyrant which highlighted the distrust of the monarchy
Israel annexation of West Bank will be the final nail in the Oslo Accord

What the annexation would mean to Palestinians and Israelis and why we should oppose it, explains Sybil Cock
Lives before profit: learning from the struggle for health and safety in the 1970s

John Westmoreland conducted a series of interviews with workers on the front line struggling for health and safety in the 1970s
Reading the Labour Party: book recommendations by and for socialists

How can we explain what has happened in the Labour Party? We asked eight Counterfire authors to tell us about the books that have helped them to understand what the Labour Party is and how socialists should engage with it
A Knight’s leadership heralds a return for the Labour right – CounterBlast 4 April

This grave result is at loggerheads with the dictates of our present reality, observes Alex Snowdon
Where's Keir Starmer?

Keir Starmer's failure to stand up for working class people during this crisis is a glimpse of what we can expect if he becomes Labour leader, writes Alyssa Cassata
Labour, the manifesto, and the rationalist error

Policy, however good, isn’t enough to win a general election, argues John Rees
What really happened in the Supreme Court and why

Dragan Plavšić assesses the wider political significance of the Supreme Court’s decision against Boris Johnson
Why we can win: the left and Boris Johnson's crisis

The way out of this crisis is to keep left, fight for Corbyn and stay on the streets, argues Chris Nineham
The outlaw government must go!

John Rees on the next step to elect a socialist government
Tory crisis: does Boris Johnson have a way out?

There is still hope for Labour to take power but they must take advantage of flagrant weaknesses in the Tory party, argues Alex Snowden
Labour can only expose Johnson if they represent a radical opposition

Labour needs to champion democracy to counter Boris Johnson and put forward a class-based approach to overthrow the government, argues Alex Snowdon
The biggest attack on democracy since before universal suffrage

The hard right have seized government and are now launching an attack on democracy, we have to fight back, argues Chris Nineham
Boris Johnson proroguing Parliament is a Tory coup

Boris Johnson's undemocratic manoeuvres must be stopped by mass opposition on the streets, argues Lindsey German
Trump’s trade wars: battle of the giants - weekly briefing

The threat of recession will mean more attacks on the working class and the further demonisation of socialist ideas, argues Lindsey German
Rebels for life: next steps for the climate justice movement

Recent climate activism has shifted the debate but unless the system of profit-seeking is addressed then the ecological danger will remain, argues Bill Perry
Climate emergency and the power of protest

The school strikes and Extinction Rebellion protests changed the political agenda, leading to Parliament declaring a climate emergency, reports Ellen Graubart
Marxists, so-called Marxists, and parliamentary socialists

John Rees tries to distil some sense from recent tabloid exchanges, and looks at the real relationship between Marxism, parliament and Jeremy Corbyn
The Brexit crisis and the disintegration of Britain's political system

Brexit is a crisis that cuts deep into the ruling class and Theresa May's failures have brought to the fore the cracks in Britain's political system, argues Sean Ledwith
Brexit crisis continued: Theresa May's inept authoritarianism

Theresa May blaming Parliament for her failures reveals her distaste for democracy and inability to keep her ship afloat, argues Morgan Daniels
Brexit delayed: general election now!

This week’s parliamentary back-and-forth shows the Tories cannot deliver Brexit and a general election is the only sensible outcome, argues Martin Hall
Chuka's core values: privatisation, austerity and war

What the 7 MPs who quit Labour have in common is their voting records supporting welfare cuts, privatisation and foreign intervention, writes Mona Kamal
Good riddance… but the left must face up to this new danger

Good that the splitters have gone, but this is a dangerous moment for the left, argues John Rees
Labour’s immigration fudge – pandering to the right doesn’t work

Labour’s failure to oppose the Tory Immigration Bill shows that appeasing the right is always a mistake, argues Shabbir Lakha
Tacking right with a smile. May has her moment.

Theresa May temporarily unites her party by appeasing the hard right Tories and DUP. Whether or not it lasts, we need an alternative plan for Brexit, argues Chris Nineham
No confidence in May, and no confidence in this failing government: a general election is the only option

This government is sustained by class hatred alone. But they are weak and we must keep up the pressure for a general election
No government should survive this kind of rout. May must go.

After the catastrophic loss in Parliament, it's clear the Tories are unable to govern and Theresa May should already have resigned, argues Chris Nineham
The establishment seems to have forgotten we live in a parliamentary democracy: let's remind them

We must demand a general election to resolve this crisis, argues Chris Nineham
Theresa May: more than a lame duck, less than a dead duck

Theresa May clinching the confidence vote solves nothing for her or the country, argues John Rees
Theresa May fiddles while the country burns

John Rees counts the days left for the Prime Minister
Class questions are the way to defeat austerity, not a rerun of the referendum - weekly briefing

The Brexit blizzard is there to blind us; it's time to take out the Tories and that means a general election, argues Lindsey German
Europe: time to look reality in the face - weekly briefing

A People’s Brexit that unites the left is the only way to confront an increasingly bold neoliberal mafia, argues Lindsey German
This rudderless government deserves a hostile environment – weekly briefing

It’s up to us to make sure the nasty party pays for its crimes, argues Lindsey German
Nationwide opposition to Syria airstrikes

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in over 40 towns and cities across the country to voice their opposition to Theresa May's bombing of Syria
When the ruling class can't rule in the old way - weekly briefing

The establishment is losing control, but there is a way out for them, if the left lets its guard down, warns John Rees
Context is King - exhibition review

John Rees looks at the Royal Academy’s prestige exhibition, 'Charles I: King and Collector'
Despatches from the Tory civil war – weekly briefing

It’s a mistake to allow ruling class divisions on the EU to be refracted onto our side, argues Lindsey German
The antidote to a very weak but very nasty government - weekly briefing

Now is not the time for wait-and-see, even a small victory could break the back of this wretched regime, writes Lindsey German
Draining People's Rights

The Fens are a special case, and the Middle Level Commission must listen to the people, argues Jacqueline Mulhallen
Sex, power, and money: parliament and politics - weekly briefing

How far will this challenge to male privilege be allowed to go, asks Lindsey German
Crisis in France: the view from the left

As her organisation mobilised a huge anti-government demonstration, deputy Danièle Obono spoke to Chris Nineham about Macron's meltdown, the far right's problems, and the movement
Into battle: Manchester prepares for the upcoming Tory Party Conference

Mancunian activists are already laying the groundwork for October’s crucial demonstration, reports Martin Hall
This was the result they said we could never see - Post-Election briefing

Blairism is dead and the left are back, now the real work begins, argues Lindsey German
The Result: a very good night for Labour - and for the left - Election briefing #34

A victory for Jeremy Corbyn that’s also a real advance for the working class, writes Lindsey German
The election which only one party deserves to win - Election briefing #33

The tumult of the last few weeks is an indicator of far deeper and persistent divisions, argues Lindsey German
Theresa May doesn't seem to have any answers, and her scapegoating of Corbyn isn't working - election briefing #31

The tories are flapping: they have underestimated Corbyn and the class he represents, observes Lindsey German
This wasn't supposed to happen - Election briefing #29

The mainstream media's "facts" about this election are rapidly revealing themselves to be self-serving prejudices, notes Lindsey German
Apoplexy at Daily Mail about biased audience: bias is their job, after all – Election briefing #28

The disarray of the so-called “natural party of government” is clear for all to see, writes Lindsey German
It's the Empress who has no clothes, not Jeremy Corbyn - Election briefing #27

The Tories’ threadbare campaign has their jitters rising swiftly to the surface, observes Lindsey German
On balance, the Tories don't deserve to win – Election briefing #26

As the Tories flounder towards Plan B, Corbyn strides into the mainstream, notes Lindsey German
The war party has a lot to answer for - Election briefing #25

We should demand honest accounting when it comes to links between domestic terrorism and overseas military intervention, writes Lindsey German
Something is happening here, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr Jones? – Election briefing #21

Jeremy Corbyn is defying the media and chiming with the working class, writes Lindsey German
Property owning democracy, anyone? – Election briefing #20

Theresa May’s Poundland Thatcher isn’t convincing anyone, argues Lindsey German
Tory manifesto isn't greater fairness between generations, it's an attack on every generation – Election briefing #19

This cruel and regressive Tory manifesto gives another spur to the left, argues Lindsey German
What exactly is wrong with taxing the rich and the corporations? - Election briefing #17

Let’s start challenging inequality in the here-and-now, argues Lindsey German
This is a manifesto worth fighting for - Election briefing #15

There is every opportunity for the class to move forward with this clarion call, writes Lindsey German
French election tells of a divided France

Macron beat Le Pen to the presidency, but there is a parliamentary election still to come
Theresa May knows all about the Nasty Party: she's leading it – Election briefing #13

War, fraud and feather-nesting: business as usual for the Tories, notes Lindsey German
Is Theresa May a secret Marxist? - Election briefing #12

What’s behind Tory claims that privatisation cannot deliver fair energy prices, asks Lindsey German
Four weeks to turn this around - Election briefing #11

Fighting to win and shifting the terrain on to our issues are the left’s urgent tasks, writes Lindsey German
The good news, the bad news, and five weeks is a long time in politics - Election briefing #09

Ukip’s demise is nurturing the Tories for now but this should not diminish Labour’s fight, argues Lindsey German
Even the Lords knows May's foreign policy is a shambles

As the Lords international relations select committee attacks May's foreign policy, there is clearly far reaching opposition to her approach, writes Chris Nineham
Does Empress Theresa realise this is an election, not a coronation? - Election briefing #08

Tory imperial pretension cannot conceal their damage and weakness, notes Lindsey German
Bad press day? Headlines when it’s a black leftwing woman - Election briefing #07

Is the interview with Diane Abbott really such big news, asks Lindsey German
The Blair Rich Project - Election briefing #06

What can possibly be motivating Tony Blair in this election campaign, asks Lindsey German
Tories in a double bind over triple locks and taxes – Election briefing #05

What are the Tories going to do about taxes, asks Lindsey German
Right, left and centre: how the battle will shape up – Election briefing #04

As parliament rises until after the election, it's worth looking at where we are, writes Lindsey German
Is there a Tory revival in Scotland?

An analysis of what is going on across the border, from Chris Bambery
When the lying has to stop - Election briefing #03

Labour's promises on the NHS will be popular, writes Lindsey German
The vilification of a peacemonger - Election briefing #02

The desire to skewer Jeremy Corbyn over questions of war and peace seemingly knows no bounds, notes Lindsey German
Corbyn attacked for not wanting to start a nuclear war - Election briefing #01

The deranged reaction to Jeremy Corbyn's pledge of no nuclear genocide is discussed by Lindsey German in the first of our daily election briefings
Bring it on

We need to make Theresa May's election gamble her last, argues John Rees
Something rotten in the State of Stormont

As voters go to the polls in Northern Ireland, Sean Ledwith looks at the current state of affairs
The Nandy gang: fake pretenders unite around racism

Beneath the ambition lurks the murky waters of reaction, notes Kevin Ovenden
What PMQs told us about Brexit and the NHS

In this week's Prime Minister's Questions, Corbyn and May battled on Brexit and the NHS. Cameron Panting takes a look at the reality behind the rhetoric
Goodbye Tristram Hunt, you won't be missed

As the Labour MP announces his resignation, Cameron Panting takes a look at the man and what he stood for
Christmas 1641: 'the maddest Christmas that I ever saw'

John Rees depicts one of the great popular mobilisations of the English Revolution, described by one eye-witness as ‘the maddest Christmas that ever I saw’
Next stop… the People’s Brexit

The missteps of the ruling class can create space for our side, notes Lindsey German
The argument for a new foreign policy

We republish a chapter by Lindsey German from a new Verso report Corbyn and the Future of Labour
Internationalism can’t be sacrificed to keep the Labour right happy

Retreating over foreign policy will allow the right to regroup, argues John Rees
Chilcot, parliament and Tony Blair’s lies

The state is still using pro-war rhetoric to cloud the truth behind the War on Terror, argues Lindsey German
Brazil: the movement strikes back

The lower house of Brazil's parliament has moved to annul Rousseff's impeachment, but only the movements can stop the coup. Orlando Hill introduces and translates an official statement from CUT
Election results: Corbyn defies his critics

Jeremy Corbyn has defied his many critics - whether Labour's right wing, the Tories or the media. Alex Snowdon analyses the election results
Parliament and people power: the left and the movements after the demonstration

As the Tories' trauma continues, Chris Nineham sketches out a strategy for radical change
Students block Westminster Bridge

Hundreds of students took to the streets on Tuesday, blocking traffic and causing severe disruption over Westminster Bridge
Podemos comeback has broken the Spanish deadlock

The result of the Spanish election is a major breakthrough for the left in Spain and beyond
MPs complaints of bullying show contempt for democracy

Many of those complaining fear greater accountability and the wave of anti-war feeling evident from Corbyn's election as Labour leader
Why would you back this war? Its promoters voted for Iraq and Libya

Advocates for the bombing of Syria led us into disaster in Iraq and Libya. Their judgement should not be trusted, argues Chris Nineham
Tony Blair's ghost riders in action

The crisis in Labour illustrates a modern fact of life: the old political structures are unable to contain the new political forces at work, writes Brian Heron
Percy Bysshe Shelley: The Necessity of Atheism

The second extract from Percy Bysshe Shelley: Poet and Revolutionary, sees the ferocious reaction produced by Shelley's pioneering advocacy of atheism
Percy Bysshe Shelley: A Philosophical Review of Reform

In this first extract from Percy Bysshe Shelley: Poet and Revolutionary, Jacqueline Mulhallen discusses Shelley’s radical politics in the wake of the Peterloo massacre
Magna Carta: a tradition of rebellion

Foundation of British democracy or historical relic? Dominic Alexander looks at how the meaning of Magna Carta has always been shaped by class struggle and rebellion
How Labour lost

With both main parties retrenching their commitment to austerity, the crisis of representation will be met, for now, outside of Parliament argues James Meadway
Politics just got interesting - come and discuss what needs to be done

Counterfire is organising a series of meetings around the country to discuss the election, the implications of the new situation and to prepare for action after May
Eyes on the prize: the election and beyond

The consensus at the centre of British politics is being prised open - and with this comes an opportunity to build a mass, radical left across this island
Parliamentary change

There is a deep political crisis going on in Britain. New politics, institutions and forms of organisation are required to defeat austerity and secure its alternative writes Brian Heron
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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Parliament

Parliament

Lindsey German on the black hole of parliamentary decay and revolts in Iran

Protesters form a human chain around Parliament in support of Julian Assange

We print some thoughts from socialists past and present on why democracy and monarchy don’t mix

Terina Hine on the growing Tory corruption crisis

Lindsey German on the unfit-to-govern Conservatives and how we square up to them

Until such time as a new parliamentary vehicle for the working class emerges, socialists should continue to vote Labour, argues Martin Hall

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

Preoccupied with burying the politics of the Corbyn era, Starmer’s vacuous leadership is failing to offer a coherent alternative to the Tories, argues Alex Snowdon.

Terina Hine assesses the hard-right libertarian Tories influencing the government to put safety last

The government’s defeat in Parliament is to be welcomed, but only pressure from below can save the £20 Universal Credit uplift – and go further, writes Steph Pike

As far as historical parallels can be made, we must draw the lessons from the past in the fight against fascism, writes John Westmoreland

The Labour Leader is jeopardising civil liberties in his pursuit of approval from the establishment, argues Sean Ledwith

Morgan Daniels looks at the prospect of achieving socialism through Parliament

Counterfire asked six socialists and activists what they think the next steps are for the left

The political arena where we must operate is larger than Westminster alone, and we must move into it now, argues Tom Griffiths

Jacqueline Mulhallen recounts the radical support for Queen Caroline and Shelley's play Swelfoot the Tyrant which highlighted the distrust of the monarchy

What the annexation would mean to Palestinians and Israelis and why we should oppose it, explains Sybil Cock

John Westmoreland conducted a series of interviews with workers on the front line struggling for health and safety in the 1970s

How can we explain what has happened in the Labour Party? We asked eight Counterfire authors to tell us about the books that have helped them to understand what the Labour Party is and how socialists should engage with it

This grave result is at loggerheads with the dictates of our present reality, observes Alex Snowdon

Keir Starmer's failure to stand up for working class people during this crisis is a glimpse of what we can expect if he becomes Labour leader, writes Alyssa Cassata

Policy, however good, isn’t enough to win a general election, argues John Rees

Dragan Plavšić assesses the wider political significance of the Supreme Court’s decision against Boris Johnson

The way out of this crisis is to keep left, fight for Corbyn and stay on the streets, argues Chris Nineham

John Rees on the next step to elect a socialist government

There is still hope for Labour to take power but they must take advantage of flagrant weaknesses in the Tory party, argues Alex Snowden

Labour needs to champion democracy to counter Boris Johnson and put forward a class-based approach to overthrow the government, argues Alex Snowdon

The hard right have seized government and are now launching an attack on democracy, we have to fight back, argues Chris Nineham

Boris Johnson's undemocratic manoeuvres must be stopped by mass opposition on the streets, argues Lindsey German

The threat of recession will mean more attacks on the working class and the further demonisation of socialist ideas, argues Lindsey German

Recent climate activism has shifted the debate but unless the system of profit-seeking is addressed then the ecological danger will remain, argues Bill Perry

The school strikes and Extinction Rebellion protests changed the political agenda, leading to Parliament declaring a climate emergency, reports Ellen Graubart

John Rees tries to distil some sense from recent tabloid exchanges, and looks at the real relationship between Marxism, parliament and Jeremy Corbyn

Brexit is a crisis that cuts deep into the ruling class and Theresa May's failures have brought to the fore the cracks in Britain's political system, argues Sean Ledwith

Theresa May blaming Parliament for her failures reveals her distaste for democracy and inability to keep her ship afloat, argues Morgan Daniels

This week’s parliamentary back-and-forth shows the Tories cannot deliver Brexit and a general election is the only sensible outcome, argues Martin Hall

What the 7 MPs who quit Labour have in common is their voting records supporting welfare cuts, privatisation and foreign intervention, writes Mona Kamal

Good that the splitters have gone, but this is a dangerous moment for the left, argues John Rees

Labour’s failure to oppose the Tory Immigration Bill shows that appeasing the right is always a mistake, argues Shabbir Lakha

Theresa May temporarily unites her party by appeasing the hard right Tories and DUP. Whether or not it lasts, we need an alternative plan for Brexit, argues Chris Nineham

This government is sustained by class hatred alone. But they are weak and we must keep up the pressure for a general election

After the catastrophic loss in Parliament, it's clear the Tories are unable to govern and Theresa May should already have resigned, argues Chris Nineham

We must demand a general election to resolve this crisis, argues Chris Nineham

Theresa May clinching the confidence vote solves nothing for her or the country, argues John Rees

John Rees counts the days left for the Prime Minister

The Brexit blizzard is there to blind us; it's time to take out the Tories and that means a general election, argues Lindsey German

A People’s Brexit that unites the left is the only way to confront an increasingly bold neoliberal mafia, argues Lindsey German

It’s up to us to make sure the nasty party pays for its crimes, argues Lindsey German

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in over 40 towns and cities across the country to voice their opposition to Theresa May's bombing of Syria

The establishment is losing control, but there is a way out for them, if the left lets its guard down, warns John Rees

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

It’s a mistake to allow ruling class divisions on the EU to be refracted onto our side, argues Lindsey German

Now is not the time for wait-and-see, even a small victory could break the back of this wretched regime, writes Lindsey German

The Fens are a special case, and the Middle Level Commission must listen to the people, argues Jacqueline Mulhallen

How far will this challenge to male privilege be allowed to go, asks Lindsey German

As her organisation mobilised a huge anti-government demonstration, deputy Danièle Obono spoke to Chris Nineham about Macron's meltdown, the far right's problems, and the movement

Mancunian activists are already laying the groundwork for October’s crucial demonstration, reports Martin Hall

Blairism is dead and the left are back, now the real work begins, argues Lindsey German

A victory for Jeremy Corbyn that’s also a real advance for the working class, writes Lindsey German

The tumult of the last few weeks is an indicator of far deeper and persistent divisions, argues Lindsey German

The tories are flapping: they have underestimated Corbyn and the class he represents, observes Lindsey German

The mainstream media's "facts" about this election are rapidly revealing themselves to be self-serving prejudices, notes Lindsey German

The disarray of the so-called “natural party of government” is clear for all to see, writes Lindsey German

The Tories’ threadbare campaign has their jitters rising swiftly to the surface, observes Lindsey German

As the Tories flounder towards Plan B, Corbyn strides into the mainstream, notes Lindsey German

We should demand honest accounting when it comes to links between domestic terrorism and overseas military intervention, writes Lindsey German

Jeremy Corbyn is defying the media and chiming with the working class, writes Lindsey German

Theresa May’s Poundland Thatcher isn’t convincing anyone, argues Lindsey German

This cruel and regressive Tory manifesto gives another spur to the left, argues Lindsey German

Let’s start challenging inequality in the here-and-now, argues Lindsey German

There is every opportunity for the class to move forward with this clarion call, writes Lindsey German

Macron beat Le Pen to the presidency, but there is a parliamentary election still to come

War, fraud and feather-nesting: business as usual for the Tories, notes Lindsey German