Capitalism

Capitalism

• 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

• No business as usual: Trump’s trade wars

  

  Trump’s trade war is another phase of capitalist crisis that could lead to a harsher world, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

• Learnt nothing and forgotten everything: the next crash is coming - weekly briefing

  

  Finance capital is a game for the rich and when it goes wrong it's our side who are expected to pay the price, argues Lindsey German

• Taking back the city: direct action amid the Dublin housing emergency

  

  Homelessness is on the rise and the state is siding with the landlords. Josh Newman reports from Dublin

• UK wage stagnation is not a puzzle to solve, but an injustice to fight

  

  Wealth redistribution has to become the key priority in our fight against austerity, insists Susan Newman

• Dead-End Lives: Drugs and Violence in the City Shadows - book review

  

  A study of poverty and drug addiction in the slums outside Madrid reveals the callous and destructive nature of the neoliberal city, argues Chris Bambery

• The summer of climate chaos

  

  The heatwave seems to be over, but with floods in Kerala to wildfires in California making history, capitalism still can’t fix climate change, writes Elaine Graham-Leigh

• The dynamics of disaster

  

  Capitalism will destroy humanity. Only working class mass mobilisation and struggle can stop this, argues John Westmoreland

• The Cynical Educator - book review

  

  Today’s education system may be making professionals into Cynics, but the answer is collective struggle, not ancient philosophy, argues Dominic Alexander

• Interest rates, wages and the UK economy

  

  As he analyses the state of the economy, Michael Roberts finds that the capitalist sector of the British economy has failed to deliver for the needs of the people

• Bullshit Jobs: A Theory - book review

  

  David Graeber’s new book raises many questions about the function and worth of work, but doesn’t entirely explain why useless work persists, finds Clare Solomon

• Marxism and human nature

  

  Mainstream conceptions of human nature are rooted in the historical development of capitalism.  Elaine Graham-Leigh argues that we can only understand nature through the dialectic method

• The collapse of everything, and what to do about it - weekly briefing

  

  Two major demos in the next four weeks is a fantastic opportunity to hardwire our politics to the street, argues Lindsey German 

• The Storm Clouds Gather: Is there a future for the European Union?

  

  The gathering crisis in European Union should make it clear the EU provides no haven from racism or austerity

• Karl Marx: before all else a revolutionist

  

  200 years since Marx’s birth and 170 years after the 1848 revolutions, Katherine Connelly reflects on Marx’s revolutionary contribution

• Grenfell one year on - the Tories still don't care

  

  As we approach the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, the Tories have learnt no lessons and show only disregard and contempt argues Steph Pike

• Too rich to fail - weekly briefing

  

  “One rule for them and one rule for us” is a key mantra for neoliberalism and it has to be destroyed, argues Lindsey German 

• Two sides of a city: homelessness and the royal wedding

  

  We cannot turn a blind eye to the class cleansing where homeless people are moved on whilst royal wedding fans camp out unhindered

• The limits of Keynesianism part 4: the Keynesian attack on the labour theory of value

  

  In the fourth part of our series, Dominic Alexander looks at the problems with Keynesian critiques of Marx's labour theory of value 

• After Windrush: this racist government must go - Counterfire Freesheet May 2018

  

  Windrush, May 68, Palestine, UCU strike, Marx and more - Counterfire freesheet edition 025, May 2018

• Was Marx an economist? What was his contribution to economics?

  

  In her speech at 'Why Marx Was Right', Susan Newman argues that Marx's analysis of capitalism goes against everything modern economics stands for

• The limits of Keynesianism part three: Marx, Keynes and the analysis of the trade cycle

  

  In the third part of our series on Keynesianism, Dominic Alexander looks at cycles, crisis, and why Keynesianism always looks to fix capitalism 

• Marxism in 800 words

  

  As we approach Karl Marx's 200th birthday, Alex Snowdon summarises Marx's key ideas in as few words as possible

• Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Marx on his 200th birthday

  

  On 5 May, leading Marxists are getting together to celebrate Marx’s 200^th birthday. Chris Nineham argues why the event matters so much.

• The limits of Keynesianism part two: the assumptions Keynes makes

  

  In the second part of our series on Keynesianism, Dominic Alexander outlines the economic and philosophical underpinnings of Keynesian thought

• The limits of Keynesianism part one: John Maynard Keynes and orthodox economics

  

  In the first part of our series considering the merits and pitfalls of Keynesian economics, Dominic Alexander looks at the history of Keynes' contribution

• Basic Income: progressive cloak and neoliberal dagger

  

  BI is not an answer to inequality under neoliberalism. Social transformation will come through collective struggle, argues John Clarke

• A Redder Shade of Green - book review

  

  Ian Angus’ essays range across many issues at the intersection of politics and environmental science, illuminating the meaning of ecosocialism, finds Kevin Crane

• Paris and London: A Tale of Two Radical Cities

  

  Chris Bambery on the history of two great capital cities, and the architecture of power.

• Why we’re heading for another economic crash

  

  Our economy continues to be tied to the vagaries of speculative finance

• Environmental entropy is inescapable in capitalism

  

  No truly effective green politics can do without a coherent argument against the capitalist mode of production, argues Nathan Street

• You don't hate snow, you hate capitalism

  

  As a blast of cold Siberian air has frozen the UK over, Tim Hinson explains how increasing temperatures in the Arctic is to blame

• Studies in Pre-Capitalist Modes of Production - book review

  

  This collection of studies on pre-capitalist societies develops vital debates on the application of the Marxist method to history in general, argues Dominic Alexander

• Brexit: the need for independent working-class, anti-capitalist politics

  

  We build on the schism in capitalist politics resulting from Brexit divisions by putting anti-racism grounded in working class politics front and centre argues Kevin Ovenden

• Unco-operative capitalism - weekly briefing

  

  The showdown between public need and private greed will mean taking on the banks and the City from the get-go, argues Lindsey German

• Automation: the future, but what future?

  

  We cannot consider automation without taking into account the mode of production in which it's operating, argues Nathan Street 

• Carillion, Capita and the death of a dogma

  

  Private companies cannot be allowed to continue running public services. The consensus around this practice is thankfully crumbling, argues Sean Ledwith

• The Economic Struggle for Power in Tito's Yugoslavia - book review

  

  Vladimir Unkovski-Korica locates the roots of Yugoslavia’s bloody collapse in the ‘market socialism’ of the Tito years

• We need real solutions, not tickboxing and tokenism

  

  Jeremy Hunt saying that the NHS doesn't need more funding suggests his idea of a solution is more unpaid labour for working class women argues Kevin Ovenden

• Creating an Ecological Society: Towards a Revolutionary Transformation - book review

  

  Magdoff and Williams provide a powerful case that ecological disaster can be overcome by a revolutionary transformation of social relations

• Frankenstein at 200

  

  Frankenstein was published 200 years ago. It's a horror story but the horrors it described are rooted in capitalism as well as the imagination

• Capitalism and technology: are robots going to take over - video

  

  At a London meeting, Marxist economist Michael Roberts discusses whether or not the robot takeover is inevitable, and would advancement lead to living standards improving or further exploitation

• Marxism, Social Reproduction and Women’s Liberation with Lindsey German and Kate Connelly - video

  

  At an important Counterfire discussion, Lindsey German and Kate Connelly speak on women's oppression and how gender roles are played out within the structure of capitalism

• Trump - Year One

  

  Making sense of the Trump presidency is impossible without a systematic understanding of the forces of reaction and capitalism which paved his way, argues David Bush

• Istvan Meszaros and Marx's theory of alienation

  

  The late Hungarian philosopher explained how alienation can only be overcome by collective action which challenges capitalist relations of production

• On Marx’s account of the commodity

  

  Understanding Marx's Capital requires a clear grasp of his analysis of the commodity, writes Matthew McManus

• Post-modern Trumpism and loneliness: the rise of vulgar authoritarianism

  

  What is at the root of Trump's appeal?

• The Paradise Papers show us the true nature of the monarchy

  

  The Paradise Papers have exposed once more the deep inequalities that plight our country but they also show us a glimpse of the secretive and devious workings of the Crown argues Patricia Pino

• The return of the S-word in the US

  

  As market fundamentalism is falling out of favour, especially among the young, socialist ideas are gaining traction, writes Des Freedman

• Marx, Capital and the Madness of Economic Reason - book review

  

  David Harvey’s latest book, using all three volumes of Marx’s Capital, demonstrates the social irrationality of modern capitalism, finds Dominic Alexander

• The hype machine: employers and threats of automation

  

  The reality of automation and its impact on the labour market is a lot less dire for workers than it seems

• Robots and AI: utopia or dystopia? - part 3

  

  Michael Roberts suggests that robots will not be taking over the world of work any time soon

• May Day, May Day! The Tory ship is sinking

  

  John Rees on the reasons for the Tory debacle and what comes next

• Automation and Basic Income: beyond the hype

  

  Basic Income is not a beyond left and right answer to automation, argues David Bush

• Robots and AI: utopia or dystopia? – part two

  

  Michael Roberts explains why we would never get to a robotic society under capitalism

• Robots and AI: utopia or dystopia? part one

  

  Robots will not end the contradictions within capitalist accumulation, argues Michael Roberts

• Uber: not fit, not proper

  

  Unfettered capitalism begins to feel the leash, writes Lindsey German

• Night Thoughts - book review

  

  Night Thoughts is the subversive musings that Wallace Shawn cannot admit during the day; witty and involving, the book should be spread widely, finds Dominic Alexander

• It's capitalism that has flooded Houston

  

  Storm Harvey was as severe as it was because of climate change, but it is capitalism that made it a disaster, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System - review

  

  The Anthropocene is the result of post-1945 capitalism, according to Ian Angus, in a vital contribution to the ecosocialist argument, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• Lukács, alienation and class consciousness - video

  

  The work of Hungarian Marxist Georg Lukács, who developed one of the most powerful critiques of capitalist ideology, is introduced by Chris Nineham

• Trump sends for the Marines: what could possibly go wrong? - weekly briefing

  

  The Trump administration is like a cross between the declining Roman Empire and a reality show that has gone wrong

• What is Marxism Part 1 - video

  

  In the first of a series of meetings on Marxist theory Lindsey German introduces Marx's critique of capitalism

• Brexit: division and unity on the Left

  

  Brexit gives us a unique opportunity. Let's take it

• Sound System: The Political Power of Music

  

  Dave Randall’s Sound System is a wide ranging and highly engaging discussion of politics and music that you just can’t put down, finds Sofie Mason

• Multiracial, working class unity in the fight to get justice for Grenfell Tower residents

  

  The emergence of a united, multiracial working class has the power to deliver justice for Grenfell and get rid of the Tories, writes Tom Whittaker

• Grenfell Tower fire: anger rising

  

  With the death toll slowly rising but information still largely considered inaccurate, anger is growing. Julie Al-Hinai reports from the ground.

• Capitalism in the Web of Life: Ecology and the Accumulation of Capital

  

  Jason Moore shows that capitalism is innately destructive of its environment, but the solution is revolutionary socialist organisation, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• The Tory crisis is the crisis of neoliberalism

  

  The roots of their problem go deep, argues Dragan Plavšić

• A People’s History of Modern Europe

  

  Pelz’s People’s History of Modern Europe gives an illuminating history of the class struggles and revolts which accompanied the modernisation of Europe, finds Tom Whittaker

• The coming war in Labour

  

  A Corbyn-led government will provoke a determined backlash from the British establishment, including the Labour right. Radical social movements must be ready

• Trump: war on the climate, war on the working class

  

  Trump's attacks on environmental protection prove once again that he's only on the side of the capitalists, never the working class

• Excitement in the French elections: the meaning of Jean-Luc Mélenchon

  

  The leftwinger's inspiring campaign raises crucial questions about the potential and limits of state action in favour of the working class, writes John Mullen

• The Highland Clearances: a capitalist tragedy

  

  The history of the Highlands is steeped in the suffering of capitalism's victims, writes Chris Bambery

• Epidemics, multinationals and capitalism

  

  From Ebola to swine flu, multinationals and their capitalist production systems are the real causes of new epidemic diseases, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• Fake news: capitalism and ideology - video

  

  How can we tell fact from fiction? In this talk, Milly Williamson takes a look at how 'fake news' has always been a function of capitalism

• Marxism and Women's Liberation

  

  Judy Cox welcomes Marxism and Women’s Liberation as a timely and valuable discussion of the causes and consequences of women’s oppression

• Revolution 1917: then and now

  

  Society today may seem to be far from revolution, but the discontent because of inequality and war are bubbling under the surface argues Lindsey German

• Last Stand at Standing Rock

  

  Indigenous people and 'water protectors' were cleared out of the Oceti camp this week following Trump's go ahead to the DAPL reports Kara Bryan

• Five days to revolution

  

  This Saturday some of the world's greatest experts on the Russian Revolution are coming to London to discuss its significance today

• The Capitalist University: The Transformation of Higher Education in the United States since 1945

  

  Henry Heller’s The Capitalist University shows how higher education has served capitalism for over a hundred years, finds Orlando Hill

• Trump's new Horsemen of the Apocalypse

  

  As President-elect becomes President, Sean Ledwith takes a look at the Trump administration

• 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

• The British state and The City - part 3

  

  The third in a three-part series, in which Chris Bambery takes a look at the intertwined history of the state and the City of London

• Their Brexit and ours

  

  The din of ruling class squabbling should not distract socialists from their own agendas, contends Lindsey German

• The British state and The City - part 2

  

  The second in a three-part series, in which Chris Bambery takes a look at the intertwined history of the state and the City of London

• The British state and The City - part 1

  

  The first in a three-part series, in which Chris Bambery takes a look at the intertwined history of the state and the City of London

• Standing Rock: the struggle continues

  

  The struggle at Standing Rock can only be overcome by challenging the system as a whole, argues George Mueller Waite

• A festival of re-distribution: the real spirit of Christmas

  

  In purging Christmas of any social meaning, capitalism creates its own gravediggers, argues Dominic Alexander

• Art, Literature and Culture from a Marxist Perspective

  

  Tony McKenna’s cultural essays show the rich possibilities of Marxist analysis for a range of art and literature, argues Sean Ledwith

• The centre cannot win

  

  Donald Trump should have been the dream opponent. A narcissistic blowhard opposed by his own party. He should have been a walk over

• Beneath the bonnet: capitalism and cars

  

  A clash of new and old forms of capitalism exposes the anarchy and wastefulness within our rotten system, writes Chris Bambery

• 'Brexit: what should the left be fighting for?' with Lindsey German - video

  

  What does Brexit mean? What should we be demanding? Lindsey German takes on these questions in the second talk of our new series, tackling the big issues of the day

• A dagger pointed at the heart of the Euro

  

  Italy is set to vote in a constitutional referendum, but this is about much more than Renzi's reforms, argues Alastair Stephens

• Royal Bank of Scotland: socialism for the rich

  

  The final reckoning of the 2007/8 crash will be played out in the realm of politics not economics, argues Chris Bambery  

• Unionising university workers - extract

  

  In the third extract from The Capitalist University, Henry Heller writes about growing resistance to the corporate university

• Universities and the Cold War - extract

  

  The second extract from Heller's The Capitalist University describes intellectual and political conformity that dominated academia during the Cold War

• The hidden spaces of struggle

  

  Space and place in the cityscape are battlegrounds, and we have to fight to hold them, argues Chris Bambery

• Universities, corporations and class - extract

  

  We republish the first of three extracts from Henry Heller's new book The Capitalist University, which resonates with the marketisation of HE in Britain

• Uber drivers win employment case

  

  Uber drivers win the right to be classed as workers as opposed to self-employed, in a huge step forward for the labour movement, reports Lindsey German

• 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

• Defend the Kinsley School cleaners

  

  The small disputes, which appear separate, are coming together to form a movement, argues says John Westmoreland

• Bubbles always go pop: capitalism and the Hanjin bankruptcy

  

  Chris Bambery takes a look at what happened to Hanjin shipping company and what it tells us about comptemporary capitalism

• Tupac Shakur: Rap Revolution

  

  A look at the political life of Tupac Shakur, and the implications for today's black movement, from Sean Ledwith

• Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century: Globalization, Super-Exploitation and Capitalism's Final Crisis

  

  John Smith’s Imperialism shows how neoliberalism has deepened inequality and exploitation worldwide, while the working class has expanded, finds Alex Snowdon

• Things you need to know about the British economy

  

  Tony Norfield’s The City explains British finance capital and its global role, and also has important political implications, argues Chris Nineham

• Modern slavery finds its roots in capitalism

  

  As Theresa May declares her intention to stamp out slavery, John Westmoreland delves into the roots of its modern form

• BHS collapse: Not just a case of a bad apple

  

  Vladimir Unkovski-Korica looks at the context behind BHS' collapse

• China on Strike: Narratives of Workers' Resistance

  

  China on Strike gives in insights into Chinese workers’ struggles and the nature of capitalism in China, writes Orlando Hill

• The Secure and the Dispossessed: How the Military and Corporations Are Shaping a Climate-Changed World

  

  Climate change is driven by the demand for profits, but the ruling class is recasting it as a security issue, finds William Alderson

• Food, free markets and capitalist philanthropy

  

  Free markets cause food shortages, and philanthrocapitalism does nothing to solve the problem, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• In or out: what is the future for British capitalism?

  

  Whichever way the vote goes on 23 June, Chris Bambery argues we all need to come together to resist austerity and racism

• Socialism… Seriously: A Brief Guide to Human Liberation

  

  Danny Katch's Socialism...Seriously is an entertaining and witty introduction to socialism, finds Ralph Graham-Leigh

• Against Capitalist Education

  

  Against Capitalist Education is a striking call for education to be freed of the straightjacket of the capitalist market, finds Phil Armstrong

• Architect or Bee? The Human Price of Technology

  

  Mike Cooley’s Architect or Bee? put the case that a new organisation of technology could provide social good rather than profit. Orlando Hill welcomes the new edition

• Marx’s Shakespeare

  

  Marx was always alert to the dissident potential of a uniquely gifted voice, writes Sean Ledwith

• They took the words right out of our mouth

  

  Mark Perryman of Philosophy Football applauds Dortmund fans’ resistance to a European Superleague

• Austerity Ecology And The Collapse-Porn Addicts

  

  Austerity Ecology provides a valid critique of lifestyle greenism, but its techno-fix approach is no replacement for a mass movement for system change, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• China and the 21st Century Crisis

  

  In his powerful book, Minqi Li argues that China will be the key battleground of the coming global class struggle, finds Sean Ledwith

• Stock markets plunge: there may be trouble ahead

  

  As stock markets tumble again, the recovery Osborne was boasting about rests on shaky foundations

• Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement

  

  Charlotte Cooper’s Fat Activism explores a long-standing social movement, revealing complex relationships with feminism, class and capitalism, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• Hollywood takes on the bankers? Review of The Big Short

  

  Mckay's film exposes the greed at the core of the system, but fails to tell the story of those most affected by the crisis

• Enjoying It: Candy Crush and Capitalism

  

  An extract from Alfie Bown's new book, Enjoying It

• After the Paris climate talks: stay in the streets

  

  A turning point in human history? Elaine Graham-Leigh takes a closer and more critical look at what the Paris talks really mean for our planet

• Disaster capitalism: outsourcing violence in the UK

  

  Corporations bleed what profits they can from disaster. Democracy is replaced by a business plan. An excerpt from Antony Loewenstein’s Disaster Capitalism: Making A Killing Out Of Catastrophe

• Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future

  

  Can technology on its own bring about a better society, as Paul Mason’s PostCapitalism suggests, or do we need revolutionary politics, asks Sean Ledwith

• Pro Bono?

  

  Governments and corporate leaders want us to think that capitalist philanthropy is the way forward, but Mikkel Thorup’s Pro Bono is right to disagree, argues Dulcinea Wilkes

• David Cameron and the rituals of the rich

  

  The rituals and secret-keeping of Britain’s privately educated elites are a cornerstone of Conservative Party unity

• The Mythology of Work: How Capitalism Persists Despite Itself

  

  The mounting burden of work in our lives is what fuels the rise in inequality. We work so they get rich, but the answer is collective resistance, argues Orlando Hill

• Cosmopolitan Fortunes: Imperial Labour and Metropolitan Wealth in Dickens’s Great Expectations | Part 2

  

  In the second extract from Ignoble Displacement, Stephanie Polsky outlines the continuities of racism and imperialism from Dickens’ London to the present

• Pro Bono: Celebrity Philanthropy - part 2

  

  In the second extract from Mikkel Thorup, Pro Bono? the ideological function of celebrity and charity is analysed

• The worker in the 21st century | Dangerous Times 2015

  

  Video of the session 'Hero to Zero (hours)? The worker in the 21st Century' with Susan Newman, Guy Standing and Alex Snowdon from Dangerous Times Festival 2015. Produced by Paul Hanes

• Pro Bono: Celebrity Philanthropy - part 1

  

  The relationship of celebrity philanthropy to capitalism is explored by Mikkel Thorup in the first of two extracts from his book Pro Bono?

• South Africa after Marikana: an interview with Trevor Ngwane

  

  South African socialist and anti-apartheid activist Trevor Ngwane is interviewed by Susan Newman

• How Corrupt is Britain?

  

  Lindy Syson finds that neoliberal capitalism extends corruption across society and the economy, reviewing the collection of studies, How Corrupt is Britain

• Everyday sexism and capitalism

  

  With the feminist movement on the rise, Elaine Graham-Leigh appraises contrasting approaches to challenging sexism and the place of women in today’s system

• A Diet of Austerity: Class, Food and Climate Change

  

  How and why the working class are being blamed for climate change, and what we can do about it

• Nepal: an unnatural disaster

  

  A rapid response is guaranteed when security or economic interests are threatened, but international donors have yet to honour the pledges made to Nepal writes Feyzi Ismail

• Why one Guardian writer should be heading to Tesco’s this May Day

  

  The Guardian May Day article misrepresents Marx and detracts from the critical lessons learned from his life and work argues Susan Newman

• Blowing the Roof off the Twenty-First Century

  

  The contradiction between capitalism and democracy, and the need for independent media, is well explored in McChesney’s Blowing the Roof off the 21^st Century, finds Peter Stauber

• Stopping climate change: what do we mean by system change?

  

  To address climate change, many people agree we have to change the system. But what does ‘changing the system’ mean, and how can we do it?

• Why We Can’t Afford the Rich

  

  Why We Can’t Afford the Richis a compelling condemnation of the current global elite for its destructive impact upon society and the planet, as well as its obscene wealth, argues Sean Ledwith

• Football’s Minority Movement

  

  In the face of  the Premier League’s conspicuous consumption Mark Perryman wonders where the fans’ fury might end up?

• Economics of the 1%

  

  Economics has been hijacked by ‘econfakers’ and it is up to the true economists to rescue it, argues Orlando Hill

• Homelessness: the scandal that's become part of the Christmas festival

  

  Norbert Lawrie looks at why each Christmas thousands of homeless people - including children - endure things that no one should have to experience in this day and age

• The Establishment: And how they get away with it

  

  Owen Jones’ The Establishmentis a valuable dissection of the networks of power and ideology, but the concept of the ruling class adds a needed dimension, argues Sean Ledwith

• This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate

  

  System change not climate change: ultimately revolutionary change is needed. This is the message of Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• Capitalism: A Ghost Story

  

  Arundhati Roy’s essays depict Indian society in all its extreme inequality, but also show how some of the poorest people in the world have been fighting back, finds Dominic Alexander

• Capitalism and social democracy in crisis: an interview with John Bellamy Foster

  

  Following the fantastic global demonstrations for action on climate change a few weeks ago, which saw hundreds of thousands protest around the world, we republish this interview between Bill Blackwater and Marxist ecologist John Bellamy Foster

• Not if, but when‏ - the next crisis approaches

  

  James Meadway: reports from the last few weeks say that the world economy is on course for another financial crisis - with Britain dangerously exposed

• Green Capitalism: Why It Can’t Work

  

  The urgency of action on climate change is undeniable, but Green Capitalism: Why It Can’t Work, shows clearly why capitalism is the problem, argues Marienna Pope-Weidemann

• The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South

  

  Internationalism is not only possible, it is the necessary answer to the neoliberal assault analysed in Vijay Prashad’s, The Poorer Nations, argues Samir Dathi

• UK undead: 10 reasons democracy is dying

  

  Alastair Stephens looks at how democracy in the UK is dying at the hands of the neoliberal ruling elite

• PolyluxMarx: An Illustrated Workbook for Studying Marx’s Capital

  

  PolyluxMarx is an innovative and valuable introduction to Marx’s Capital, finds Sean Ledwith, despite a few disagreements in method and theory

• Hell’s Kitchen and the Battle for Urban Space: Class Struggles and Progressive Reform in New York City

  

  The history of the working class of Hell’s Kitchen, New York, explored through the prism of subjectivities of space, is a project that promises more than it is able deliver, in Joseph Varga’s Hell’s Kitchen and the Battle for Urban Space

• Stitched up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion

  

  Tansy E. Hoskins' Stitched Up dissects fashion’s vampiric relationship with the planet and with our bodies to uncover what makes it so damaging.

• Corporate Europe: How big business sets policies on food, climate and war

  

  Richard Allday welcomes David Cronin’s devastating critique of the corporate interests driving EU policy, including the new ultra-neoliberal TTIP proposals, in Corporate Europe

• Ten reasons to get active and stop TTIP

  

  Marienna Pope-Weidemann on how TTIP is a direct assault on every legislative victory won by progressive forces since the Second World War

• Britain's economy: one shock away from another crash

  

  James Meadway writes on the growing danger of a new crash facing the debt laden British economy