Poverty

The roots of violence against children

Following the shocking murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, Michael Lavalette explains how the system lets down vulnerable children
The Last Witches of England. A Tragedy of Sorcery and Superstition - book review

A study of the last witchcraft executions in England is very revealing about the roots of witch-panics in conflicts fuelled by capitalism and the state, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Notes from the countryside: the fantasy and reality of rural England

The English countryside conceals poverty, poor infrastructure and broken promises. Sean Coote reports from Glastonbury in Somerset.
Redistribution, rent strikes and revolt – the Poplar rebellion 100 years on

The commemoration of the heroic stance taken by Poplar council and the workers 100 years ago has many lessons for activists today, writes John Westmoreland
Code red for the climate: how should the left respond?

The left must force the government into taking the climate crisis seriously, argues Feyzi Ismail
A world in crisis and G7 leaders aren't going to do anything to solve it

All the talk of solving the world's problems at the G7 summit is just that - all talk, says Lindsey German
Haiti general strike: no more US-backed dictators

The general strike gripping Haiti is the latest chapter in a struggle against dictatorship, corruption and the bloody history of US intervention, argues Unjum Mirza
Free School Meals: profiting from hungry children

Profiting from underfeeding children living in poverty is the latest example of Tory contempt for the working class, argues Helen Rutherford-Gregory
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
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
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
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
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
We can win, with or without Labour's help - CounterBlast 16 June

Marcus Rashford's intervention tipped the balance and pushed the government into concessions on free meals showing movements can win without the Labour machine, argues Shabbir Lakha
The Levellers, the labouring classes, and the poor

In an essay soon appearing in the Bunyan Studies journal, John Rees looks at the Leveller programme in relation to the social structure of 17th century England
The Lie of Global Prosperity - book review

Donnelly’s The Lie of Global Prosperity shows how global institutions use bad data to promote the idea that poverty has declined due to neoliberal globalisation, finds Orlando Hill
Universal Credit: a coronavirus catch-22

People could lose money if they claim UC under the new proposals, reports Jim Scott
Decade of austerity: 10 reasons to get the Tories out

Tory PM Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to pretend that ten years of Tory rule are nothing to do with him, argues Alex Snowdon
Suicide rates at 20 year high: an indictment of Tory austerity

Rising suicide rates show the monumental human cost of Tory austerity and why we urgently need to get them out of power, argues Mona Kamal
The social cost of austerity is detrimental to us all

A new report shows austerity is strangling the UK economy and impoverishing working people, writes John Rees
Peabody: moral lepers in Charityland

Join the workers' alternative to the Housing Association Awards gala dinner on May Day, urges Richard Allday
Knife crime and youth violence: poverty, powerlessness and a way ahead

A commission has found that austerity has played a central role in creating the conditions for the spike in knife crime around the country, reports Kiri Tunks
12 reasons to protest on Saturday for a General Election Now

The Tories have fashioned a Britain of destitution and booming social injustice. We need to mobilise to force a general election, writes William Hendy
France's streets flooded with protest three days before Christmas

The Yellow Vests outwitted Macron's repressive state forces to stage a surprise mobilisation in Paris and storm towns and roundabouts across France, reports Susan Ram
Counterfire's books of the year - part one

We asked a few leading campaigners and performers from the left what books have inspired them over the last twelve months
The People's Assembly launch the Britain is Broken campaign

Austerity has failed but it continues to wreak havoc for millions of people. Shabbir Lakha reports from the launch of a new campaign to end austerity
Food banks gone, rough sleeping gone: this is what the end of austerity should look like

Austerity has fundamentally reshaped our society and continues to intensify inequality. It must be ended and those responsible must be held to account, insists Counterfire
Universal Credit: the cruellest cut

The Tory government's welfare reform programme ruins lives and must be scrapped, argues Steph Pike
We must stop Universal Credit now: it's already wrecking lives

The government has pushed the full roll-out of Universal Credit further down the road, but we must stop it altogether, argues John Rees
The Palestinians deserve better than this – weekly briefing

Any concessions on anti-imperialism will not only weaken Jeremy Corbyn but the whole of the radical left, argues Lindsey German
Why summer holidays are a time of dread and not joy for many families

We are not a poor society, and should not be failing our children like this, argues Kelly Grahan
Don’t look here, look there: the one percent, inequality and Jeremy Corbyn - weekly briefing

The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer isn’t a fact of life; it’s a set of politics that we can change, argues Lindsey German
We’ve seen the largest rise in poverty since Thatcher: resistance is a necessity

The latest figures on living standards tell us austerity’s class warfare is more dangerous than ever. Mass struggle is an urgent requirement, argues John Clarke
The rise of president ‘AMLO’: Mexico’s left turn?

The landslide triumph of anti-establishment figure Andrés Manuel López Obrador has emerged from a disastrous social and economic crisis for Mexico’s ruling order and traditional party, opening up a new era of possibility for the left, argues Sean Ledwith
Why was Marielle Franco assassinated?

The campaigner became a target after standing up for the rights of Rio’s poor communities
Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation - book review

A new collection of writing about poverty in the US shows that America is broken, but the answer is to join in the struggles on the streets, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh.
Kensington and Chelsea: a tale of two boroughs

Doctor, activist and local resident Mona Kamal describes the genesis of a tragedy
Can neuroscience change our minds?

Steven and Hilary Rose debunk the ideologically loaded claims of reductionist neuroscience in a short but clear book, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
Hunger Pains: Life inside Foodbank Britain

Austerity policies targeting the benefits system have created enormous suffering, as a study of the rise of foodbanks shows, finds Ellen Graubart
I, Daniel Blake: the tragic ramifications of austerity

Tom Griffiths reviews Ken Loach's new film, which gives viewers a glimpse into the heartbreaking realities of austerity Britain
Latin America: reformism hits the rocks

As the economic downturn hits Latin America, Dan Morgan considers the impact on progressive developments and looks ahead to the role of political organisations
Cutting student bursaries only makes the NHS crisis worse

Danielle Tiplady takes a look at how the Tories' policies are destroying the NHS
Housing for need not for greed

Social housing is no longer an option for all but a handful, writes Alastair Stephens
A Diet of Austerity: the war on weight

How the working class is blamed for the world’s ills: The final extract from Elaine Graham-Leigh's new book, A Diet of Austerity: Class Food and Climate Change
A Diet of Austerity: blaming the poor

In this extract from her new book Elaine Graham-Leigh argues that food production and consumption is now a mainstream explanation for climate change - and part of shifting blame onto the poor

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Poverty

Poverty

Following the shocking murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, Michael Lavalette explains how the system lets down vulnerable children

A study of the last witchcraft executions in England is very revealing about the roots of witch-panics in conflicts fuelled by capitalism and the state, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

The English countryside conceals poverty, poor infrastructure and broken promises. Sean Coote reports from Glastonbury in Somerset.

The commemoration of the heroic stance taken by Poplar council and the workers 100 years ago has many lessons for activists today, writes John Westmoreland

The left must force the government into taking the climate crisis seriously, argues Feyzi Ismail

All the talk of solving the world's problems at the G7 summit is just that - all talk, says Lindsey German

The general strike gripping Haiti is the latest chapter in a struggle against dictatorship, corruption and the bloody history of US intervention, argues Unjum Mirza

Profiting from underfeeding children living in poverty is the latest example of Tory contempt for the working class, argues Helen Rutherford-Gregory

Alex Snowdon on class warfare and the government’s commitment to inequality

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

The Tories are punishing working class children for being poor and we can't let them get away with it, argues Caitlin Southern

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

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

Tragedies like Grenfell are an inevitable consequence of placing profit over lives and this week at Ferrier Point was too close, reports Lucy Nichols

Marcus Rashford's intervention tipped the balance and pushed the government into concessions on free meals showing movements can win without the Labour machine, argues Shabbir Lakha

In an essay soon appearing in the Bunyan Studies journal, John Rees looks at the Leveller programme in relation to the social structure of 17th century England

Donnelly’s The Lie of Global Prosperity shows how global institutions use bad data to promote the idea that poverty has declined due to neoliberal globalisation, finds Orlando Hill

People could lose money if they claim UC under the new proposals, reports Jim Scott

Tory PM Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to pretend that ten years of Tory rule are nothing to do with him, argues Alex Snowdon

Rising suicide rates show the monumental human cost of Tory austerity and why we urgently need to get them out of power, argues Mona Kamal

A new report shows austerity is strangling the UK economy and impoverishing working people, writes John Rees

Join the workers' alternative to the Housing Association Awards gala dinner on May Day, urges Richard Allday

A commission has found that austerity has played a central role in creating the conditions for the spike in knife crime around the country, reports Kiri Tunks

The Tories have fashioned a Britain of destitution and booming social injustice. We need to mobilise to force a general election, writes William Hendy

The Yellow Vests outwitted Macron's repressive state forces to stage a surprise mobilisation in Paris and storm towns and roundabouts across France, reports Susan Ram

We asked a few leading campaigners and performers from the left what books have inspired them over the last twelve months

Austerity has failed but it continues to wreak havoc for millions of people. Shabbir Lakha reports from the launch of a new campaign to end austerity

Austerity has fundamentally reshaped our society and continues to intensify inequality. It must be ended and those responsible must be held to account, insists Counterfire

The Tory government's welfare reform programme ruins lives and must be scrapped, argues Steph Pike

The government has pushed the full roll-out of Universal Credit further down the road, but we must stop it altogether, argues John Rees

Any concessions on anti-imperialism will not only weaken Jeremy Corbyn but the whole of the radical left, argues Lindsey German

We are not a poor society, and should not be failing our children like this, argues Kelly Grahan

The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer isn’t a fact of life; it’s a set of politics that we can change, argues Lindsey German

The latest figures on living standards tell us austerity’s class warfare is more dangerous than ever. Mass struggle is an urgent requirement, argues John Clarke

The landslide triumph of anti-establishment figure Andrés Manuel López Obrador has emerged from a disastrous social and economic crisis for Mexico’s ruling order and traditional party, opening up a new era of possibility for the left, argues Sean Ledwith

The campaigner became a target after standing up for the rights of Rio’s poor communities

A new collection of writing about poverty in the US shows that America is broken, but the answer is to join in the struggles on the streets, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh.

Doctor, activist and local resident Mona Kamal describes the genesis of a tragedy

Steven and Hilary Rose debunk the ideologically loaded claims of reductionist neuroscience in a short but clear book, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh

Austerity policies targeting the benefits system have created enormous suffering, as a study of the rise of foodbanks shows, finds Ellen Graubart

Tom Griffiths reviews Ken Loach's new film, which gives viewers a glimpse into the heartbreaking realities of austerity Britain

As the economic downturn hits Latin America, Dan Morgan considers the impact on progressive developments and looks ahead to the role of political organisations

Danielle Tiplady takes a look at how the Tories' policies are destroying the NHS

Social housing is no longer an option for all but a handful, writes Alastair Stephens

How the working class is blamed for the world’s ills: The final extract from Elaine Graham-Leigh's new book, A Diet of Austerity: Class Food and Climate Change

In this extract from her new book Elaine Graham-Leigh argues that food production and consumption is now a mainstream explanation for climate change - and part of shifting blame onto the poor