Capitalism

False hopes: the crisis will not be solved by slightly nicer capitalism

Promises of enlightened policies by the likes of Trudeau and Biden fly in the face of the harsh reality of a system in deep crisis, argues John Clarke
Dead Epidemiologists. On the origins of COVID-19 - book review

Rob Wallace in Dead Epidemiologists shows that the Covid pandemic is not random, but a product of recent change in industrialised agribusiness, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Covid crisis: 10 demands unions should be making now

As the Covid death toll crosses 100,000, these are some of the urgent demands the labour movement should be making on the government:
Marxism, the family and women's oppression - video

Lindsey German discusses where women's oppression comes from in capitalist society
The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century - book review

Horne’s history of early colonialism in the Americas reveals how structures of racism were constructed to support the development of capitalism, finds Jamal Elaheebocus
Where does sexism come from? - Marxism and Women's Liberation excerpt

Elaine Graham-Leigh traces the roots of women's oppression in this excerpt from Marxism and Women's Liberation
2020: the year the mask fell off

Shabbir Lakha reflects on a tumultuous year and what we must remember for the fight ahead
The perfect storm: Covid and Brexit merge in Kent - CounterBlast

Terina Hine looks at the growing crisis around sky-rocketing Covid transmissions and the miles of backed up lorries on the M20 ahead of the Brexit deadline
When Liz Truss speaks a truth, beware

Mike Wayne unpicks Liz Truss’s recent speech on inequality and finds that it scores some hits against parts of the left
Workers fighting back: the new mood continues unabated - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's fortnightly digest rounding up the stories of working people getting organised and fighting back
The spy who never came in from the cold

John Rees looks back at the literary achievement of John Le Carré, who died at the weekend
India: Insurrection at the gates of Delhi

As India’s farmers continue their fight against Modi government ‘reforms’, Susan Ram analyses the issues behind their epic uprising
Philip Green: greed and profit personified - CounterBlast

As Arcadia collapses, Phillip Green will continue to live the high life while the burden falls on the workers who put him there, argues Lucy Nichols
The problem with the Shock Doctrine: Socialists and Crisis - video

Crises are inherently moments of weakness for the ruling class and an organised left can play a role in shaping the outcome, argues Chris Nineham
The China question

Dragan Plavšić replies to criticisms of his recent article ‘China: a socialist force for good or an imperial superpower in the making? An historical evaluation’
Rosa Luxemburg: an interview with Dana Mills

Katherine Connelly interviews Dana Mills, author of a new biography on Rosa Luxemburg, on her crucial contribution to revolutionary thought
Why does the Labour Party fail? - explainer

Alex Snowdon dissects the root of Labour's failures as a party that's meant to represent working people
Covid disparities: race is a factor but so is class

Structural racism is why ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to the virus, and it's a feature of class society not separate from it, argues Yonas Makoni
How Amazon workers are taking on billionaire Bezos - video

Speaking at a recent Counterfire meeting, Chris Smalls describes the conditions at Amazon and how he's a part of organising workers against a rigged system
No country for old men? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on systemic inequality and Labour’s identity problem
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
Capitalism costs lives: the Boeing disasters

The coronavirus pandemic has shone a blinding light on how capitalism measures and values our social priorities, argues Tony Dowling
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
'Greatness' In A Time Of Covid

A poem by Tayo Aluko
China: a socialist force for good or an imperial superpower in the making? An historical evaluation - long read

Dragan Plavšić considers what China’s modern history tells us about the nature of the Chinese state today
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 London Dream: Migration and the Mythology of the City - book review

Chris McMillan knows the London Dream all too well, and his book shows how the city exploits labour whatever the form of capitalism it has hosted, finds Morgan Daniels
What is imperialism? - explainer

In the tenth part of a series of explainers, Dragan Plavšić examines the roots of imperialism and how to oppose it
Where does racism come from? - video

As part of a series on Marxism in the Modern World, Shabbir Lakha looks at the roots of racism and what that means for the struggle against it
Is revolution possible in the twenty-first century? – explainer

In the ninth part of our explainer series, Katherine Connelly looks at the continuing possibility of revolution for transforming society today
Why does capitalism go into crisis? - video

As part of a series on Marxism in the Modern World, Susan Newman explains the regular crises faced by capitalism
The beautiful game?

The vicarious passion for football highlights the contradictions of life under capitalism, argues Roy Wilkes
What went wrong in Russia? - explainer

In the eighth part of a series of socialist explainers, Vladimir Unkovski-Korica analyses what went wrong in post-revolution Russia
What is the working class today? - video

As part of a series on Marxism in the Modern World, Lindsey German discusses what the working class is today and what that means for socialists
Sunak’s ‘hard times’ – choice not necessity

The chancellor’s plans work for his class, not ours, writes Chris Nineham
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
The pandemic profit bonanza

Big pharma profits from disaster, as capitalism shows its inability to act in the public interest, argues John Clarke
Why class matters - explainer

In the fifth part of a series of socialist explainers, David McAllister explains what the working class is and why it's central to transforming society
BLM and the labour movement come together - Chris Smalls interview

Shabbir Lakha speaks to Chris Smalls in the US about the Strike for Black Lives, his organisation The Congress of Essential Workers and the possibilities for fundamental change
'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
The great stay at home and why it is entirely rational - CounterBlast

Michael Gove and Boris Johnson are desperate to get us back to work. 'Work from home if you can' has morphed into 'get to work unless you really can't', says Chris Nineham
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
Can economic planning work? - explainer

In the third of a series of socialist explainers, Dominic Alexander takes on the idea that a planned economy cannot work
The global picture: Covid cases and deaths continue to rise sharply

World leaders like Trump and Johnson trying to get back to business as usual while the virus continues to spread are deliberately sacrificing public health, writes John Clarke
Ten reasons Roosevelt’s New Deal was more myth than reality

FDR’s reputation as a workers’ President should be rejected along with Boris Johnson’s attempt to channel his legacy, argues Sean Ledwith
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
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
Does human nature make socialism impossible? - explainer

In the second of a series of socialist explainers, Lucy Nichols dissects the idea that humans are inherently selfish
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
Far-right nationalism in Poland: persecution and resistance

Poland's right-wing populists owe their success to liberal capitalism's failure, writes Reece Goscinski
Garment workers in South India rise up against Covid-linked retrenchment

Hundreds of unionised women workers are combating efforts by the fashion industry to pass the costs of Covid-19 onto the world’s most vulnerable, reports Susan Ram
The South Sea Bubble: England's first stock market crisis 300 years ago

The South Sea Bubble was not an exceptional event but the first of many crises produced by the inescapable tendencies of capitalism, argues Dominic Alexander
What is socialism? - explainer

In the first of a series of socialist explainers, Chris Nineham looks at the concept of socialism itself
Essential workers today; garbage tomorrow.

As the economic turmoil starts to bite, Goldstar Transport workers show how to organise to fight back, reports Richard Allday
Five films on the black struggle

As Black Lives Matter continues to make gains, Counterfire writers discuss a personal selection of films concerning race and class in the US and UK
Liberalism At Large: The World According to the Economist - book review

Zevin’s history of the Economist magazine opens up a rich angle from which to observe the nature and development of liberalism across 180 years, finds Dominic Alexander
Racism is systemic, so why are we still talking about privilege?

Locating racism as rooted in capitalism is key to building the kind of movement that can end it, argues Shabbir Lakha
Black history you can’t be without: Nine books on the struggle

A reading list of nine essential books on black history and the struggle against racism
Limits: Why Malthus Was Wrong and Why Environmentalists Should Care - book review

Giorgos Kallis criticises Malthus’ ideas and their modern influence, but sustainability requires structural change to move beyond capitalism, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
How Bolsonaro can be beaten - a Brazilian socialist speaks out

Thousands have taken to the streets in Brazil against Bolsonaro's misgovernment. Orlando Hill introduces an assessment from Leonardo Pericles of Unidade Populare
'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
Invisible Leviathan: Marx’s Law of Value in the Twilight of Capitalism - book review

Marx’s labour theory of value and the analysis of the falling rate of profit receive a robust defence in Murray Smith’s Invisible Leviathan, finds Dominic Alexander
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
Brazil: crises, crises and more crises

Covid-19 is yet another crisis to haunt Bolsonaro argues Orlando Hill (in London) and Lilian Hill (in Rio de Janeiro)
It’s a big deal that the outrage expressed over George Floyd’s death was massive and multiracial

Class struggle doesn’t go away in a pandemic, writes August Nimtz
The Equal Pay Act at 50: a bittersweet celebration

That women workers’ pay in the UK continues to lag significantly behind that of men underlines the limits of legal change under capitalism, argues Susan Ram
The Monster Enters: Covid-19, Avian Flu and the Plagues of Capitalism - book review

Mike Davis’ The Monster Entersupdates his earlier book on capitalism and pandemic disease to reflect on the current failure of the neoliberal state, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
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
Neither a rigged market nor Vera Lynn will pick the crops

The crop picking crisis is revealing the fundamental failures of free-market capitalism and invoking national spirit won't fix it, argues Kevin Ovenden
Capitalism as a dynamic system: Marx and the Climate Crisis - extract

In the second of two extracts from her new book Marx and the Climate Crisis, Elaine Graham-Leigh explains why climate destruction is a structural feature of capitalism
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
The Unknowers: How Strategic Ignorance Rules the World - book review

The Unknowersis a fascinating exploration of the many ways in which our societies are built on strategic lack of knowledge, writes Joshua Newman
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
A failed government in a failed system – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on capitalism committing to its priorities and how we can fight back
Crisis capitalism: why state intervention is not socialism

Capitalism hasn't been suspended. Change that benefits ordinary people can only come by pressure from below, argues Dominic Alexander
Engels was right, class society and women's oppression aren't inevitable or irreversible

As part of our series on the revolutionary Frederick Engels, on the 200th anniversary of his birth, Elaine Graham-Leigh looks at Engels' The Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State
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
Why are the police racist?

Racism is an indispensable tool in the police’s mission to protect a deliberately exploitative system, argues Lucy Nichols
Marx and the Climate Crisis

Elaine Graham-Leigh shows how Marx's analysis of capitalism explains the climate breakdown and how we fight for system change to protect people and the planet
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
Why are key workers so low paid?

The work of key workers is immensely valuable for a community but not so to a surplus-driven capitalist economy, says Dominic Alexander
The imperialism pandemic

Imperialism is part and parcel of global capitalism and it can be seen very clearly in the coronavirus crisis, writes David Bush in this repost from Spring Magazine
To the slaughter: back to work in a pandemic

The reopening of workplaces with no regard for the safety of workers shows the deadly determination of capitalism to protect profits, argues John Clarke
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
No return to pre-lockdown air pollution

The lockdown is confirming just how damaging air pollution has been, we must demand a Green New Deal to make sure we don't go back, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
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
Corona and the food crisis: how the markets failed us

Corona crisis has exposed how market forces cannot be trusted with our food production, says Kevin Potter
Workers across the US strike on May Day for their lives

Workers from Amazon and other retail companies walked out on May day to demand protective equipment and hazard pay, reports Alyssa Cassata
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
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
Rebel Minds: Class War, Mass Suffering, and the Urgent Need for Socialism - book review

A Marxist critique of psychiatry puts mental-health issues in the context of the social crises created by capitalism, and argues for socialist solutions, finds Adrian Cooley
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
The hidden history of American radicalism: the campaign for the Workers' Unemployment Insurance Bill

The little-known story of working class organising for a Communist-led initiative in 1930s America challenges assumptions about US workers’ conservatism, argues Chris Wright
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism: a short introduction

In the week of the 150th anniversary of Lenin's birth, Morgan Daniels explains the relevance of his 1917 pamphlet, Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism
Lenin and revolutionary organisation

On the 150th anniversary of Lenin's birth, John Westmoreland, in the first of a three-part series, takes on the myths and distortions to reveal the politics at the heart of the Bolshevik party up to 1917
We are not expendable: interview with Chris Smalls

Counterfire's Alyssa Cassata interviews Chris Smalls, who led a walkout at an Amazon warehouse in New York to demand protective gear and hazard pay, for which he was fired
When capitalism turns caring for the vulnerable into a burden

The resurgence of DNACPR should be challenged, the idea that one life is more worthy than another could lead to dangerous consequences, argues Elly Badcock
Value Chains: The New Economic Imperialism - book review

Capitalism remains interlocked with imperialism, and Suwandi’s Value Chains demonstrates a core aspect of international mechanisms of exploitation, argues Dominic Alexander
Coronavirus is exposing the gaping class divide in Britain

Working class people are the worst affected by the health crisis and the government's response is geared toward protecting the rich, writes Richard Allday
New horizons during Covid-19: beyond the limits of capitalist realism

Through the Covid-19 crisis we glimpse the need for change and the possibility of change, argues Mike Wayne
Engels on nature and humanity

In the third of our series on the revolutionary Frederick Engels, on the 200th anniversary of his birth, we repost this excerpt from an upcoming short book on Engels' contribution to Marxian political economy by Michael Roberts
Null and void: sport in a time of Covid-19

The Coronavirus crisis has revealed so much about sport-as-business that is bad, argues Mark Perryman of Philosophy Football
Lockdown crisis in India: a people's perspective of Covid-19

With no access to state support, healthcare or testing, India's working and poor people have been completely abandoned by the government during the lockdown
The government is prioritising protecting profits - CounterBriefing 28 March

The government should be reorienting production to the urgent needs during this crisis, but instead they’re interested in saving profits, argues Penny Hicks
Dominic Cummings vs the people - podcast

Following his article Coronavirus: the politics of Cummings' cull, Sean Ledwith speaks to Parallax Views
Supply chains: a neoliberal crisis

Alastair Cartwright explains how the current economic system is prone to failure and what needs to be done to change it
The sociopathic calculus of capitalism in a crisis

The ruling class is debating whether or not it's worth saving the lives of those it can no longer exploit; this is barbarism, writes Kevin Ovenden
Pandemic basic income is not the solution

UBI lets the bosses off the hook and does nothing to challenge a system in crisis, argues John Clarke
Coronavirus, the market and the state

The state and the market are opposite sides of the same capitalist coin, writes Dragan Plavšić
Engels' Marxism

In the second of our series on the revolutionary Frederick Engels, on the 200th anniversary of his birth, we are republishing this piece by John Rees which first appeared in the International Socialism Journal in 1994
No more gambles, put people first - CounterBriefing 20 March

Our pressure on the government is working and we must push harder, argues Shabbir Lakha
Put people before profit to fight Coronavirus

The government's response to the Coronavirus puts big business first, but we need real solutions that benefit the public instead, argues Richard Allday
Teachers in New York forced schools to close; we need to do the same

Don't play dice with people's lives. Close schools now, argues Shabbir Lakha
Laugh through the lockdown

Five of the best novels to keep you laughing while you sharpen your critical faculties from John Rees
Branson's pickle

Richard Branson tries to be a poster boy for capitalism's supposed humanity but in truth he respresents its worst depravity, argues Morgan Daniels
Coronavirus is exposing capitalism - video

Kevin Ovenden speaks to Double Down News on how the nature of capitalism is being shown for what it is in this crisis
Coronavirus, climate, and capital: capitalism's destructive irrationality

Capitalism is subjecting itself to great strain and we must be prepared to help it on its way, writes John Clarke
Coronavirus: keep calm and carry on is not a policy but an abdication of responsibility

Government response is a key factor in how the virus is affecting populations and we will all pay for the inertia of our own, argues Kevin Potter
Coronavirus: market failure

In his third note on the Covid-19 outbreak, Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis examines the role of the market in the apparent crisis on our shelves
Coronavirus: 8 demands we should make on the government

Any effective response to the virus outbreak will require radical solutions that put human lives before profits and markets, argues Alistair Cartwright
Coronavirus – the trigger for a slump?

Michael Roberts explains why Coronavirus has destabilised the global economy
Coronavirus: how effective are facemasks?

In his second note on the political economy of the imminent Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Yannis Gourtsoyannis looks at the antinomies of facemasks
A flood of anger

Outrage at government inaction is growing in the country's flood-hit areas, reports John Westmoreland
The socialist argument against the Tory anti-immigrant offensive

The labour movement cannot give any credence to the Tories' arguments and must ferociously oppose this anti-immigration clampdown says Kevin Ovenden
Coronavirus: an effect of global agribusiness

Growing profit first and food second is the reason for the virus. Look to modern industrial farming for the culprit, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
In the Red Corner: the Marxism of José Carlos Mariátegui - book review

Mike Gonzalez, In The Red Corner, recovers José Carlos Mariátegui’s Marxist understanding of Latin America in the context of the development of capitalism, finds Orlando Hill
As Australia burns, climate strikes set for a new phase

Lucy Nichols reports on twelve months of student-led protest
Leaving the EU: this is about what sort of society we want – and it isn’t Johnson’s

As Britain leaves the EU at 11pm tonight, the future is up for grabs, and the fight continues, argues Martin Hall
How America Became Capitalist - book review

James Parisot’s How America Became Capitalist uncovers the contested and contradictory history of capitalist development in the United States, finds Dominic Alexander
Our world is burning

As the wild fires rage, Laura Morales gives a personal view of the situation in Australia
Capitalism and colonialism: hiding the past on stolen land

John Clarke reflects on the legacy of capitalism and the genocidal dispossession of indigenous peoples in Canada
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism - book review

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism raises important questions about the authoritarian use of digital technologies, but the solution needs to be radical, argues Reece Goscinski
The Coming Revolution: Capitalism in the 21st Century - book review

The Coming Revolution is an impressive guide for Marxists looking for a way to approach contemporary capitalism, argues Josh Newman
The Debt System - book review

The Debt System argues that international debt is a system of exploitation of poorer countries, which should be regarded as illegitimate, finds Phil Armstrong
Our NHS is not for sale - all out to tell Trump

With proof that the NHS is ‘on the table’, we need to make next week’s anti-Trump demo massive, argues Tom Lock Griffiths
Gold Digger - TV review

The oppression of family and class unite in this taboo-busting drama, writes Sofie Mason
Neoliberalism, the left and the Crisis of the British State - book extract

In the first of two excerpts from ‘The British State: A Warning’, Chris Nineham examines how neoliberalism has shaped our state institutions
Labour's right, billionaires shouldn't exist

Billionaires are evidence of the grotesque inequality in society and Labour is right to say a fair society wouldn't have them, writes Shabbir Lakha
The British State: A Warning

As the left prepares for the possibility of taking power, Chris Nineham's timely new book analyses the British state and what the left can expect
Labour must be anti-Establishment not pro-Remain

The buccaneer politics of Johnson’s deal has to be fought tooth-and-nail, argues Chris Nineham
Pensions: the system isn't working

We need a radically different system based on needs that works for pensioners and young people alike, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg
William Morris: father of socialist ecology

William Morris is one of the greatest environmentalists of the socialist tradition and his work becomes more relevant by the day, writes Gabriel Polley
Glasgow strikes for climate justice

This is an issue that unites the class, writes UCU activist Vladimir Unkovski-Korica
There are no jobs on a dead planet: we want system change not climate change

The message from Newcastle is clear
The Biofuels Deception: Going Hungry on the Green Carbon Diet - book review

Biofuels turn out not to be a sustainable replacement for fossil-fuels, but just another way for agribusiness to maintain profits, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
Labour: these aren't clever tactics, they are the establishment's tactics

The real trap is in playing the establishment's games, writes John Rees
“Life-long member of the non-pretty working classes” - All Woman review

In All Woman, Kathy Burke has tackled ‘beauty’ and ‘motherhood’ and next up is that big messy hot potato of ‘relationships’, writes Sofie Mason
The Amazon fire: a neoliberal crime scene

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest is no accident, it is the product of Bolsonaro's neoliberal policies, argues Nathan Street
Amazon fire: our lungs are on fire

Chrissy Brand joined the demonstrators outside the Brazilian Embassy in London on August 23rd. She is one of millions who realise that climate change can only be held at bay by a fundamental system change
The caring capitalists of corporate America

When American capitalists pretend to care we know they are afraid, argues John Clarke
A new global recession is coming

Capitalism expands in booms and slumps and we're due a slump, writes Michael Roberts
Where is the love?

An anti-arms trade campaigner explains what the DSEI arms fair is and why it is so important to join the protests against it when it comes to London in September
Can the Working Class Change the World? - book review

If the working class is to change the world, it needs serious strategies to find unity and overcome divisions, not woolly moralism, argues Richard Allday
The Coming of the American Behemoth - book review

Roberto’s The Coming of the American Behemoth argues that fascist-like processes arose from the essential workings of monopoly capitalism in 1930s America, finds Martin Hall
What is Modern Monetary Theory, and can it work?

Modern Monetary Theory will not offer us the full-blooded attack on capitalist economic organisation that we need, argues Susan Newman
From Commune to Capitalism - book review

A valuable analysis of China’s turn to neoliberalism since the late 1970s needs to be put in the longer context of Chinese state capitalism, argues Sean Ledwith
Nasty but vulnerable: why we can get rid of Boris

Boris Johnson is dangerous and it is imperative we build a movement to stop him, argues Katherine Connelly
The problem with citizens’ assemblies

As a citizens' assembly to deal with climate change is announced, Elaine Graham-Leigh looks at the idea’s limitations
Stonewall 50

Marking the half-centenary of the Stonewall riots, Morgan Daniels looks at the history of the Stonewall Inn and what it means for radical queer politics everywhere
A Canadian genocide

Challenging Canadian colonialism means challenging Canadian capitalism, argues John Clarke
The London working class have not forgotten Grenfell

The second demonstration in two days about the horrific disaster at Grenfell Tower shows that the anger and solidarity are still strong, reports Orlando Hill
Grenfell: justice delayed is justice denied

Two years on, the anger and the grief from this urban atrocity is still undimmed, reports Isabel Carr
The Common Wind charts the black resistance movement that won - book review

Scott’s classic The Common Wind shows the world-historic impact of the Haitian Revolution of 1791, the first successful slave revolt in history, finds Dominic Alexander
Alastair Campbell isn’t a victim, he’s trying to destroy Corbyn’s leadership

Alastair Campbell is trying to destroy Corbyn's leadership. The left cannot win by capitulating to him, argues Katherine Connelly
Heineken In Africa: A Multinational Unleashed - book review

Olivier van Beemen’s meticulous exposure of Heineken’s activities in Africa show the damage done by neo-colonial capitalism, argues Ellen Graubart
Marxism in 30 minutes with John Rees - video

John Rees gives a presentation explaining what Marxism is and why it's still relevant at a London Counterfire public meeting
William Godwin: A political life - book review

A new biography lauds William Godwin, but some contemporary radicals of the 1790s offer better inspiration for the modern left, argues Dominic Alexander
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
We need the labour movement to win the fight against climate change

The fight for workers' rights and jobs goes hand in hand with the fight against climate change, so we need the environmental movement and trade unionists to work together, writes Richard Allday
Thank God it's Friday: 300 years of Robinson Crusoe

On the 300 year anniversary of the publishing of Robinson Crusoe, Morgan Daniels analyses what the book really tells us from a Marxist perspective
Capitalism and climate change - can we avert disaster? - video

At a London public meeting, Elaine Graham-Leigh explains why climate change is a product of capitalism and the solution has to be one that confronts the system
World in Crisis: A Global Analysis of Marx’s Law of Profitability - book review

Marx’s law of profitability is shown in World in Crisis to explain today’s long depression, but ending capitalism requires a political strategy, argues Dominic Alexander
Seven demands for stopping climate change

Environmental activist and author, Elaine Graham-Leigh, highlights seven key demands the movement against climate change needs to be making
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
Why the EU is not internationalist

Seeing the EU as internationalist is a fundamental error rooted in a misdiagnosis of its aims and effects, argues Chris Nineham
Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism - book review

Leary’s Keywords insightfully updates a classic critique of the use of language by power, to understand the vocabulary of neoliberal capitalism, finds Oliver Eagleton
A Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank merger spells trouble

The proposed merger of German banks is a disaster waiting to happen and exposes the weaknesses at the heart of European capitalism, argues Chris Bambery
Climate Leviathan and A Foodie's Guide to Capitalism - book reviews

Two books on environmental crisis say that anti-capitalist politics are needed, but mistakenly reject the existing revolutionary tradition, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Old Gods, New Enigmas: Marx’s Lost Theory - book review

Mike Davis punctures many myths about Marx and shows how important the history of working-class struggle remains for today, finds Dominic Alexander
Better to overthrow the system than try to outsmart it: review of ITV's Cleaning Up

What’s not to like about humble cleaners taking advantage of massive corporations and making money from insider trading in Sheridan Smith’s latest series Cleaning Up on ITV?
Marxism and the Brexit crisis

The Brexit crisis is best understood through a strong methodological framework, argues John Rees
On new terrain - book review

Kim Moody’s book on labour, unions and capitalism, is very valuable, but revolutionary organisation is essential, argues Richard Allday
For a left populism - book review

Mouffe’s elaboration of a left populist strategy contains some useful insights but ultimately rests on the centrist ideology that it appears to criticise, argues Josh Newman
Rosa Luxemburg was a revolutionary socialist

Written in 1983, Lindsey German's introduction to Tony Cliff's book on Rosa Luxemburg gives a brief snapshot of her revolutionary life and ideas
Climate chaos is the most political issue of our time, to stop it we need systemic change

Climate breakdown is a political issue, and to stop it we need to tackle it at the root, argues Jim Scott
EastEnders at Christmas

The producers may stop short at liberal individualism, but Sofie Mason argues that the viewers of EastEnders may reach other conclusions as to what is to be done
The Apocolypse of Settler Colonialism - book review

Gerald Horne exposes how the Three Horseman of the Apocalypse - Slavery, Capitalism and White Supremacy gave birth to the rise of the West, finds Adam Tomes
The rise and fall of neoliberalism

The neoliberal order established since the 70s is collapsing and what comes out of it is down to us, argues Chris Bambery
England’s Discontents: Political Cultures and National Identities - book review

Mike Wayne’s England’s Discontentsprovides a valuable analysis of how Britain is ruled and the ideology and culture of its elite, argues Chris Bambery
A Marxist analysis of Eastenders

More than just a sentimentalised view of working class life, Eastenders can often cut through some of the big issues facing working people argues Sofie Mason
Stop Tommy Robinson, All out for 17 November - Counterfire Freesheet November 2018

Opposing the far right, people's vote, police racism, precarious workers, climate chaos, universal credit and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Philip Green: an embodiment of the system not an anomaly

Philip Green is a particularly odious example of the exploitation endemic to capitalism, and our response needs to confront the system that enables him, argues Mona Kamal
The Cry: capitalism ruins families - TV review

BBC One's drama The Cry paints a picture of shame and guilt associated with the family and specifically parenting under capitalism argues Sofie Mason
Marx and the fight against climate change - Counterfire Media Podcast

Elaine Graham-Leigh and Tom Lock Griffiths discuss the Marxist perspective on ecology and the fight against climate change in the third episode of Counterfire Media's Podcast
Amazon's pay raise is a tactical retreat as workers fight back

Corporate exploiters like the Jeff Bezos giant are feeling the heat as workers organise, but its pay announcement should be treated carefully, writes John Clarke
Banksy: the shredding on the wall

Banksy shredding his painting moments after it sold for over £1m at auction showed up the out-of-touch super-rich and everything wrong with modern art culture
France in 1968: myths, realities and unanswered questions

50 years on from the 1968 crisis, John Mullen gives an overview of events in France, the debates historians are having and the lessons today's anticapitalists should take
Orange is the new black - analysis

Beyond the sly humour and emotive character interactions lies a story of deep institutional repression and desire for radical new approaches to justice, argues Jago Corry
The Battle for Paradise - book review

Naomi Klein gives a stirring account of the struggle against disaster capitalism in Puerto Rico after 2017’s Hurricane Maria, finds Ellen Graubart

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Capitalism

Capitalism

Promises of enlightened policies by the likes of Trudeau and Biden fly in the face of the harsh reality of a system in deep crisis, argues John Clarke

Rob Wallace in Dead Epidemiologists shows that the Covid pandemic is not random, but a product of recent change in industrialised agribusiness, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

As the Covid death toll crosses 100,000, these are some of the urgent demands the labour movement should be making on the government:

Lindsey German discusses where women's oppression comes from in capitalist society

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

Elaine Graham-Leigh traces the roots of women's oppression in this excerpt from Marxism and Women's Liberation

Shabbir Lakha reflects on a tumultuous year and what we must remember for the fight ahead

Terina Hine looks at the growing crisis around sky-rocketing Covid transmissions and the miles of backed up lorries on the M20 ahead of the Brexit deadline

Mike Wayne unpicks Liz Truss’s recent speech on inequality and finds that it scores some hits against parts of the left

Counterfire's fortnightly digest rounding up the stories of working people getting organised and fighting back

John Rees looks back at the literary achievement of John Le Carré, who died at the weekend

As India’s farmers continue their fight against Modi government ‘reforms’, Susan Ram analyses the issues behind their epic uprising

As Arcadia collapses, Phillip Green will continue to live the high life while the burden falls on the workers who put him there, argues Lucy Nichols

Crises are inherently moments of weakness for the ruling class and an organised left can play a role in shaping the outcome, argues Chris Nineham

Dragan Plavšić replies to criticisms of his recent article ‘China: a socialist force for good or an imperial superpower in the making? An historical evaluation’

Katherine Connelly interviews Dana Mills, author of a new biography on Rosa Luxemburg, on her crucial contribution to revolutionary thought

Alex Snowdon dissects the root of Labour's failures as a party that's meant to represent working people

Structural racism is why ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to the virus, and it's a feature of class society not separate from it, argues Yonas Makoni

Speaking at a recent Counterfire meeting, Chris Smalls describes the conditions at Amazon and how he's a part of organising workers against a rigged system

Lindsey German on systemic inequality and Labour’s identity problem

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

The coronavirus pandemic has shone a blinding light on how capitalism measures and values our social priorities, argues Tony Dowling

Sunak’s scheme will mean millions are made jobless and the movement should reject it, argue Susan Newman and Chris Nineham

A poem by Tayo Aluko

Dragan Plavšić considers what China’s modern history tells us about the nature of the Chinese state today

Lindsey German discusses the state of education and what the alternatives could look like

Chris McMillan knows the London Dream all too well, and his book shows how the city exploits labour whatever the form of capitalism it has hosted, finds Morgan Daniels

In the tenth part of a series of explainers, Dragan Plavšić examines the roots of imperialism and how to oppose it

As part of a series on Marxism in the Modern World, Shabbir Lakha looks at the roots of racism and what that means for the struggle against it

In the ninth part of our explainer series, Katherine Connelly looks at the continuing possibility of revolution for transforming society today

As part of a series on Marxism in the Modern World, Susan Newman explains the regular crises faced by capitalism

The vicarious passion for football highlights the contradictions of life under capitalism, argues Roy Wilkes

In the eighth part of a series of socialist explainers, Vladimir Unkovski-Korica analyses what went wrong in post-revolution Russia

As part of a series on Marxism in the Modern World, Lindsey German discusses what the working class is today and what that means for socialists

The chancellor’s plans work for his class, not ours, writes Chris Nineham

The drive to get people back to work is responsible for a rise in infections, not individual behaviour, argues Kevin Potter

Big pharma profits from disaster, as capitalism shows its inability to act in the public interest, argues John Clarke

In the fifth part of a series of socialist explainers, David McAllister explains what the working class is and why it's central to transforming society

Shabbir Lakha speaks to Chris Smalls in the US about the Strike for Black Lives, his organisation The Congress of Essential Workers and the possibilities for fundamental change

The prime minister has recklessly heralded a renewed push back to the workplace for millions of people, writes Alex Snowdon

Michael Gove and Boris Johnson are desperate to get us back to work. 'Work from home if you can' has morphed into 'get to work unless you really can't', says Chris Nineham

The chancellor's plan for recovery is doomed to fail, argues Michael Roberts

In the third of a series of socialist explainers, Dominic Alexander takes on the idea that a planned economy cannot work

World leaders like Trump and Johnson trying to get back to business as usual while the virus continues to spread are deliberately sacrificing public health, writes John Clarke

FDR’s reputation as a workers’ President should be rejected along with Boris Johnson’s attempt to channel his legacy, argues Sean Ledwith

Focused on boosting profits for their mates, health is just not on the Tories’ agenda, argues Penny Hicks

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

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

In the second of a series of socialist explainers, Lucy Nichols dissects the idea that humans are inherently selfish

As the NHS turns 72, it is under threat from the free-market dogma that has been underfunding and privatising it, writes John Westmoreland

Poland's right-wing populists owe their success to liberal capitalism's failure, writes Reece Goscinski

Hundreds of unionised women workers are combating efforts by the fashion industry to pass the costs of Covid-19 onto the world’s most vulnerable, reports Susan Ram

The South Sea Bubble was not an exceptional event but the first of many crises produced by the inescapable tendencies of capitalism, argues Dominic Alexander

In the first of a series of socialist explainers, Chris Nineham looks at the concept of socialism itself

As the economic turmoil starts to bite, Goldstar Transport workers show how to organise to fight back, reports Richard Allday

As Black Lives Matter continues to make gains, Counterfire writers discuss a personal selection of films concerning race and class in the US and UK

Zevin’s history of the Economist magazine opens up a rich angle from which to observe the nature and development of liberalism across 180 years, finds Dominic Alexander

Locating racism as rooted in capitalism is key to building the kind of movement that can end it, argues Shabbir Lakha

A reading list of nine essential books on black history and the struggle against racism

Giorgos Kallis criticises Malthus’ ideas and their modern influence, but sustainability requires structural change to move beyond capitalism, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Thousands have taken to the streets in Brazil against Bolsonaro's misgovernment. Orlando Hill introduces an assessment from Leonardo Pericles of Unidade Populare

Dickens’s acute observations of social inequality illuminate the cruelty of our government 150 years after his death, says Katherine Connelly

Marx’s labour theory of value and the analysis of the falling rate of profit receive a robust defence in Murray Smith’s Invisible Leviathan, finds Dominic Alexander

The report into disproportionate BAME deaths from Covid-19 confirms that structural racism is at the heart of the problem, writes Lucy Nichols

Covid-19 is yet another crisis to haunt Bolsonaro argues Orlando Hill (in London) and Lilian Hill (in Rio de Janeiro)

Class struggle doesn’t go away in a pandemic, writes August Nimtz

That women workers’ pay in the UK continues to lag significantly behind that of men underlines the limits of legal change under capitalism, argues Susan Ram

Mike Davis’ The Monster Entersupdates his earlier book on capitalism and pandemic disease to reflect on the current failure of the neoliberal state, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh

The US policy to counter the growing economic and political strengths of China have taken a dangerous turn, says Chris Nineham

The crop picking crisis is revealing the fundamental failures of free-market capitalism and invoking national spirit won't fix it, argues Kevin Ovenden

In the second of two extracts from her new book Marx and the Climate Crisis, Elaine Graham-Leigh explains why climate destruction is a structural feature of capitalism

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

The Unknowersis a fascinating exploration of the many ways in which our societies are built on strategic lack of knowledge, writes Joshua Newman

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