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Covid19

Covid19

Articles related to the global Coronavirus pandemic 2019-2020

Resurgent virus exposes Johnson’s terrible failures – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on a persistent Covid-19, feckless Tories and campaigning for carers
Obesity: a class issue

The Tories are scapegoating ordinary people for obesity to deflect the blame from a system which fails to protect people’s health, argues Caitlin Southern
Regional lockdown puts wealth before health

New lockdown measures introduced in Great Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire are an incoherent farce, argues Chris Neville.
Summer Brexit report: Britain drowns beneath the waves

As the UK reels under the double impact of the pandemic and recession, the Brexit deadline is coming over the horizon, argues Martin Hall
The virus is still spreading and the most neoliberal countries are the hardest hit

The first wave of the pandemic isn’t yet over and in a growing number of places, the second wave is already here, writes Jamal Elaheebocus
Prepare for the coming jobs massacre – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on the impending economic crisis and Blairism’s place in history
The Starmer supremacy: Labour is now on the wrong side of the struggles that matter

Starmer's stampede to the right means that socialists will need to reach beyond the Labour Party to build a fighting left, argues Chris Nineham
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
Hoping for a vaccine is not a policy - CounterBlast

Johnson’s government is gambling that reports of a vaccine will distract us from their disastrous handling of the pandemic, argues Sean Ledwith
Tory logic: clap for nurses but deny them a pay rise

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

As competition increases for defence funding, Cummings' involvement has reignited concerns over the UK’s defence strategy, argues Terina Hine
It’s working people’s good sense versus the government’s nonsense – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Covid and the distortions of the Tory spin machine
Black Lives Matter in a time of pandemic

Nearly two months on from George Floyd’s brutal killing, the struggle against racist police violence is contending with a catastrophic resurgence of Covid-19, writes Susan Ram
If we all fight together, then we can win - video

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

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

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

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

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

Despite scientists warning of the danger of a second wave, the government continues to leave the NHS unequipped and underfunded, writes Alia Butt
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
The scandal in Tower Hamlets and what you can do about it

The betrayal of workers in Tower Hamlets cuts deeper as it is brought about by Labour council and Mayor, reports Lucy Nichols
Authoritarian neoliberalism shows its ugly police face in Serbia

Police brutality shows shallow support for Serbia’s government, reports Vladimir Unkovski-Korica
Solidarity with the Tower Hamlets Strikers

If Tower Hamlets council get away with slashing their workers' pay and conditions, councils across the country could follow suit, argues 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
Organise. Agitate. Strike! - Tunnel Vision July 2020

The third issue of the Rank & File bulletin Tunnel Vision covering the fight ahead on the London Underground, the jobs slaughter, funding cuts, Black Lives Matter and more
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
Protest for Yemen: The UK has blood on their hands

The opposition to Britain’s role in facilitating the destruction of Yemen spilled onto the streets of London for a second week, reports Maddalena Dunscombe
People are desperate for change, why isn't Labour fighting the Tories? - CounterBlast

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

Boris Johnson’s attempt to shift the blame for the impact of Covid-19 in care homes on to workers is a gross denial of responsibility, argues Victor Davis
Save lives and jobs: distance yourself from neoliberalism - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on post-Covid reconstruction and the politics of free speech
Calling all NHS staff: it's time to get organised

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

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

Focused on boosting profits for their mates, health is just not on the Tories’ agenda, argues Penny Hicks
‘We became a vector for spreading the virus’: an ambulance worker speaks out

Counterfire spoke to an ambulance worker about the serious failures of management in response to coronavirus
Sunak's 'big statement' proved the Tories just don't have a plan - Counterblast

Today Rishi Sunak released a budget full of platitudes that make a huge effort to avoid the major economic issues facing society, argues Chris Nineham
Johnson colludes with Trump to strangle Venezuela

The decision to deny the return of Venezuela’s $1bn gold deposit is deliberately risking lives in a pandemic for the sake of regime change, argues Sean Ledwith
Sunak’s summer budget statement: short-cuts to business as usual - CounterBlast

Sunak’s budget is nothing but an attempt to get the economy back to business as usual, writes Susan Newman
Scottish independence and class politics

In the context of polling showing historic levels of support for independence, Jonathon Shafi looks at the class politics driving the surge, and the consequences
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
Macron switches prime minister as his Thatcherite plan flounders

As pressure from a number of fronts increases, Macron's position weakens, argues John Mullen
Tory policy: eat, drink, be merry because tomorrow… well you know the rest – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on government idiocy, Black Lives Matter and Starmer’s Thermidor
Protesters march against the UK enabling the war on Yemen

Protesters demanded an end to Britain's role of facilitating the war on Yemen that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, reports Lucy Nichols
Clap for us then sack us: Tower Hamlets workers fight back

Tower Hamlets workers went on strike to oppose the Council's plans to sack them and rehire them on worse contracts, reports Sybil Cock
‘Super Saturday’ reopening is reckless and dangerous - CounterBlast

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

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

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

The new haphazard approach of leaving local areas to impose their own small lockdowns shows callous disregard for lives, argues Lucy Nichols
We have everything to fear from Johnson’s spin and incompetence - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson’s pathetic attempt to compare himself to Roosevelt will fool nobody as the gap grows between his rhetoric and reality, argues Sean Ledwith
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
The battle is on: and the left can’t win in Labour - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Labour, the left and taking on the Tories
Goldsmiths marking boycott: casualised staff fight back

We repost Branch Solidarity Network's interview with two Goldsmiths staff members involved in the dispute and the BSN June 2020 bulletin
Starmer’s ruthless at rooting out the left, not antisemitism - CounterBlast

In a week where the Tories are covering for corruption and risking working people’s lives, Keir Starmer is attacking the left instead of the government says Penny Hicks
Starmer plays to the right: where now for the left?

Starmer has signalled war on Labour's left with the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey. It is a deliberate attempt to root out Corbynism from positions of influence
British Airways' betrayal - a fight for all of us

British Airways has cynically taken money to keep their workers' jobs secure but has used the opportunity to attack them instead, reports John Westmoreland
Johnson is gambling with our lives. Why is Starmer backing the bet? - CounterBlast 24 June

Boris Johnson is lifting the lockdown when it is patently unsafe to do so, and the opposition's going along with it, writes Shabbir Lakha
Is this the end for Trump?

Donald Trump's approval ratings are low, but can that be converted into an election defeat? Kate O'Neil looks in more detail
Serbia’s quagmire: 7 conclusions from Europe’s first Covid-19-era election

The ruling party wins a landslide, but it faced an opposition boycott, reports Vladimir Unkovski-Korica
For a national fight to defend higher education

UCU members report on the fightback at universities under attack by management and have put forward a model motion to show solidarity
Are the Tories just making it up as they go? - CounterBlast 19 June

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

Michael Roberts takes a look at economic implications of the government's failures
From fighting pandemic to fighting police brutality

Jillian Primiano, a registered nurse, speaks to Spring Magazine about fighting COVID-19, racism and health, and the movement for police abolition
Black footballers shame Tory ignorance on poverty and racism - CounterBlast 17 June

Boris Johnson’s hope that the return of the Premier League will distract us from his criminal incompetence is likely to be misplaced as a new generation of politicised black footballers emerges, writes Sean Ledwith
The Coronavirus debt: why we shouldn't pay it back

The ruling class will use the same tricks as in 2010 to justify more austerity. Susan Newman argues that nothing less than total economic transformation will do.
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
Back to school - what we should do differently in education

The closing of schools to the majority of children has given us pause for thought. We can't go back to doing things the same way, argues Karen Parkin
The looming danger of a US-China military confrontation

The coronavirus and deepening economic crisis is being used as a pretext by Trump to scale up tensions with China, writes Lindsey German
The Tories are at each other's throats, why isn't Labour seizing its chance? - CounterBlast 11 June

When the Tories are caught between their donors and the polls, we deserve better than the present docile opposition, argues Chris Nineham
Welsh government's decision on wider school opening goes against its commitment to all

The announcement to wider reopen Welsh schools on 29th June indicates a failure to prioritise the safety of teachers and communities, argues Kevin Potter
Government defeat on schools shows organised resistance can win - CounterBlast 9 June

Teachers and parents have successfully pushed the government back, writes Shabbir Lakha
Black people protesting racism are not thugs - CounterBlast 8 June

Johnson’s attempt to demonise protesters in Bristol reveals his true colours, argues Lucy Nichols
A turning point against racism – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on fighting oppression and the continuing Covid crisis
Don't blame the protesters for the virus

It's the government endangering people's lives, not protesters, argues Shabbir Lakha
Cuts to care worker pay are disgraceful - Counterblast 7 June

The same care workers the Tories have been clapping are now having their pay cut in the middle of a pandemic, says Penny Hicks
On the front line: back to school too soon

Teachers are working hard to support children returning to school in difficult circumstances, writes Alex Snowdon
Why I'm angry: People's Assembly Youth Takeover

Shabbir Lakha speaks on a People's Assembly platform on Black Lives Matter protests, racism and the pandemic in Britain and how we fight back
40,000 deaths but Johnson pushes us back to work - CounterBlast 5 June

The awful milestone of 40,000 officially recorded deaths shows why the government is reckless in lifting the lockdown, writes Alex Snowdon
Coronavirus: death rate higher if you’re poor and BAME

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

After being told to return kids to schools, Parents and Unions had other ideas, finds Tony Dowling
Heroes today, gone tomorrow: the hypocrisy of the immigration bill

Government claps for key workers ring hollow as they force through the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill, writes Alia Butt
This government wants to follow the money, not the science – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Covid-19 lockdown, Tory mendacity and the US revolts
Teachers tell Johnson to follow the science - CounterBlast 31 May

Scientists speaking out against the government put pressure on Boris Johnson to delay school re-opening, writes David McAllister
The schools’ crisis: what can we expect

Children will not be returning to normal schooling this week, explains NEU executive member Philipa Harvey
Not until it's safe: stay away on 1st June

Many primary schools will re-open for large numbers of children on Monday. This is too soon, argues NEU activist Tony Dowling
Confronting the crisis in universities

There is an urgent need for UCU to develop a national strategy over Covid-19, write Counterfire UCU members
Train driver: our goal has to be to fight to protect every life

Unjum Mirza, train driver and ASLEF branch chair speaks at a People's Assembly event on how collective organising has protected workers on the London Underground and why the fight against the reckless lifting of the lockdown is so important
The Coronavirus Trilemma

We must push for the kind of transformative solutions that the government will do everything it can to avoid, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg
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
Strikes, walkouts, and sickouts: how working-class Americans are organising in the time of Covid-19

Counterfire's Katherine Connelly interviews US writer and historian Chris Wright about how workers are organising to protect lives and homes in America today
Herd today, gone tomorrow? – weekly briefing

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

One rule for them, another rule for us
Tories can be beaten over schools reopening

Lockdown has reinvigorated resistance to the Tory plan for education, with a return to school on June 1st being strongly challenged
Coronavirus: a collective problem that needs a collective response

Capitalist competition is arresting the fight against Covid-19, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
We won't send our children back until it's safe

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

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

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

Is there a day that goes by that you don't just groan at something stupid the Tories have done again?
Stop the re-opening of York schools on 1st June

We cannot let our children be exposed to such risk for the sake of convenience, writes Corinne Pearson
Teacher speaks out against government plans for school opening

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

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

Chaotic leadership vs calm public: how reality was different from Contagion's plotlines, says Chris Nineham
Hackney organises against charges and discrimination in migrants' health care

Marion Macalpine reports from the recent Hackney Keep Our NHS Public meeting on migrant health and welfare during the lockdown
Liverpool defies Johnson's dangerous schools plan

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

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

Teaching unions are right to set tests for the government to meet to protect their members, children, and families, says Laura Smith
Model Letter to your local authority: don't open schools until it is safe

This model letter can be adapted and used to lobby the local authority in your area to put pressure on them not to open the schools until they are safe
The daily deception

It's not the public that wants to end lockdown - it's the government, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Why we should be Matchwomen, not Little Matchgirls

There's nothing new in the ruling class sending working-class people to work in life-threatening conditions, argues Louise Raw
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
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
Conspiracies and capitalism: why we shouldn’t end the lockdown

Responses to the Covid-19 crisis that jeopardise the working class have to be rejected, asserts Shabbir Lakha
Let our ‘heroes’ live - don’t end the lockdown

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

Transport for London’s problems go back far further than the virus to Thatcherite spending cuts and austerity, argues Kevin Crane
Coronavirus statistics lay bare the dire racial inequalities of our society

We don't need another review of evidence, covid-19 has showed we need concrete action to tackle racial health inequality, argues Mona Kamal
Protect yourself: how to join a union

Unions have won us rights in our working place in the past, they can do so again, says Jane Clayton
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
New research shreds Johnson’s 'Covid-secure' workplaces

The evidence regarding indoor work spaces and Covid transmission is clear, and it's not what the government is saying, argues Alistair Cartwright
Doctor speaks out: this isn't freedom, it's a death sentence

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

The National Education Union's joint General Secretary Kevin Courtney spoke to Sky News on why the government's plan to reopen schools is reckless and irresponsible
Know your rights: if it’s not safe, don’t go back to work

If you're being made to go back to work and don't feel safe, know your rights and join a trade union, writes Tony Dowling
France: Fear, mistrust and anger as lockdown is lifted

Macron’s corruption-steeped failure to protect citizens while exhorting them back to work lies at the root of nationwide scepticism and profound anxiety, argues Susan Ram
What the people want: rent controls and job guarantees

Overwhelming support for job guarantees and rent controls demonstrate the government’s failures to support workers during this crisis, argues Alyssa Cassata
Johnson’s gamble will cost thousands more lives – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on Tory recklessness and the workers fighting back
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
Left on our own: a dispatch from the frontline

Counterfire interviewed a care worker from a home in Yorkshire about the Covid-19 issues that are affecting these workplaces across Britain
World War 2: we weren’t all in it together

On VE Day, we repost Lindsey German's article busting the oven-ready myths that are being used to corral the herd during this crisis
VE Day: a struggle for the future

The Government are invoking a blitz spirit to promote their agenda when the reality for working people during WWII was much more radical, argues Chris Bambery
A Manifesto of resistance: to protect higher education during COVID times

Universities are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, this manifesto protects them post lockdown
After the lockdowns what sort of world economy will emerge?

With the global economy facing the biggest downturn in 150 years, there will be no return to 'normal', argues Michael Roberts
Coronavirus: a test for Europe

The pandemic is proving to be a test for European solidarity and is adding strain to an already fragile EU, argues Alan McGuire from Madrid
Teachers: why we won't be rushed back to school

As the government moves towards lifting lockdown, Alex Kenny from the National Education Union executive explains why school staff are not returning until it is safe
Fight for our lives this Thursday: Interview with Ramona McCartney of the People's Assembly

Counterfire's Tom Griffiths interviews People's Assembly Against Austerity's Ramona McCartney about an online rally on Thursday
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
Government and opposition: all in it together? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Covid-19, Labour collusion, the dictates of capital and remembering WW2
Safety first: Tube workers fight for our lives

London Underground workers are ensuring that protecting lives comes first, explains Unjum Mirza, driver and Aslef union branch chair
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
Fight to fund health, not war

With the current crisis increasing military tension, we must argue publicly to avoid increased military spending in the UK, writes Chris Nineham
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
Capitalism: do not resuscitate

The global economic crisis rendered by the Covid-19 pandemic considered by Susan Newman
The government keeps moving their own goalposts - CounterBlast 1 May

As the government fails its own tests and scrambles to ‘get the economy going again’, we must demand that people are put before profit, writes Cameron Panting
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
A care worker speaks out on coronavirus and state of care homes

Behind the rising death toll lies a care system hanging by a thread, says care worker Victor Davis
Starmer's Labour: the opposition's gone missing

Kevin Potter explores whether Labour's attempt at constructive opposition is actually opposition at all
Cummings and Sage: 'following the science' was always herd immunity

It should be blatantly obvious that someone who effectively advocates the culling of a vulnerable section of the population should not be allowed anywhere near public health policy, argues Lucy Nichols
Who pays? Socialists and state intervention part 1 – long read

State intervention is back. In part one of a two-part article, Chris Nineham looks at the myths and politics behind state involvement in the economy
The crisis within the crisis: refugees and the pandemic

Already vulnerable refugees living in unsanitary and squalid conditions are now bracing for the worst from the global pandemic, writes Eleftheria Kousta
Workers take a minute's silence as defiance grows - CounterBlast 28 April

International Workers' Memorial Day actions are one more expression of growing workplace anger and popular solidarity with working people, writes Chris Nineham
Lockdown? This government should be locked up – weekly briefing

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

On International Workers' Memorial Day, we will remember the avoidable deaths of thousands caused by government incompetence, writes Chris Nineham
Disproportionate BAME coronavirus deaths highlight Britain's systemic racism

The impact of Covid-19 on BAME groups is magnifying the pre-existing structural inequalities in society, argues Alyssa Cassata
Coronavirus is showing that war has never been about security

While thousands are dying from the pandemic, it is obscene that war machines are still grinding on, argues Lindsey German
The Tories are the real criminals - CounterBlast 25 April

The government is doing everything it can to deflect from its own failures and blame anyone else, writes Lucy Nichols
I don’t mind working but I do mind dying

London tube workers have been fighting to ensure a safe service during the Covid crisis; here’s its timeline, by Unjum Mirza, driver and Aslef branch chair
The Tories' complete disengagement from what is needed - CounterBlast 24 April

The Tories couldn't even keep their own website for testing running for more then a couple of hours, how are they going to deliver 100,000 tests a day by next week?
Workers’ Memorial Day: give our frontline workers the PPE they need

This year’s Workers’ Memorial Day is set to become a demonstration of solidarity with health and care workers fighting coronavirus, writes Richard Allday
Covid-19 testing: too little, too late - CounterBlast 23 April

Matt Hancock's trumpeting of new testing and tracing plans follows massive political failure on this critical issue, writes Alex Snowdon
Republic of hunger: In the time of lockdown

Deaths by hunger will outpace deaths due to novel coronavirus in India, says Shashi Kant Tripathi
How long can the government distort facts - CounterBlast 22 April

While the government continues to distort facts, labour movement outside parliament has started to bear fruits inside, says David McAllister
'Our labour is essential, but our health is negotiable': a tube driver speaks out

A tube driver speaks to Counterfire about why management pressure to impose a new timetable and dangerous conditions threatens workers' lives
Tories fail to meet already inadequate standards - CounterBlast 21 April

The Tories have brought back their election spin team to cover up their hideous failings in this crisis, reports Shabbir Lakha
Tory thieves are falling out over the corona crisis: Counterblast 20 April

Sean Ledwith considers the tensions unfolding at the head of Government.
PPE and testing: not just another Tory scandal

Government failings are putting life-saving NHS staff at risk, and the latest PPE scandal is guaranteed to make matters far worse, argues Alia Butt
The coronavirus crisis: Britain’s ugly moment of truth – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Covid-19, the Tories and the real value of workers
The government's callousness is clear for all to see - CounterBlast 19 April

Boris Johnson's government has blood on its hands, says Tom Griffiths
Shock and awe: Orbán’s corona dictatorship in Hungary

The harsh authoritarianism of Orban’s hard-right regime is a warning to the world, writes Anita Zsurzsan in Hungary
Thick as thieves: coronavirus and the media

Timid, bland, uncritical - British news media have failed in holding the government to account over the coronavirus crisis, explains Des Freedman
PPE: Tories are still failing our frontline workers - CounterBlast 18 April

The government is failing to deliver PPE while trade unions consider strike action to save lives, writes Lucy Nichols
Capital’s dilemma: the conundrum of neoliberalism and Covid-19

Gramsci’s morbid symptoms reassert themselves in the age of coronavirus, writes Shashikant Tripathi
Hang your head in shame, Hancock - CounterBlast 17 April

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

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

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

The government's attitude to the elderly in care homes is unconscionable, argues Shabbir Lakha
UK's national scandal: time for accountability and change

In this thorough and damning account of the government's catastrophic failures dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Raisa Ahmed argues we cannot return to 'normal'
The government must commit to end homelessness for good, not just during COVID-19

COVID-19 has given the government the impetus to house the homeless, but this should not be a temporary solution, argues Norbert Lawrie
Socialists in a time of plague

John Rees provides an overview of a landscape darkened by the establishments’ failure to deal with the coronavirus pandemic
NHS workers without PPE dying isn't just a tragedy, it's indirect murder

Doctors and Hearses by Potent Whisper
Covid-19, lockdown, and civil liberties

As the crisis continues, we need to make sure that our rights are not permanently eroded, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Orbánism on the march: how power is seized

Hungary’s far-right regime is exploiting the pandemic like no other European state, warns Tamás Krausz
Transport workers are frontline workers too

Covid-19 is killing the workers who support London’s infrastructure, reports bus driver and Unite activist Joanne Harris
Inadequate PPE is a national scandal - CounterBlast 10 April

As the death toll rises, the government comes under massive pressure to deliver PPE, reports Alex Snowdon
Covid-19, the state and civil liberties: the case of France

In France Macron is rushing through legislation to give enforcement squads enhanced powers to control individual behaviour, reports Susan Ram
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
It's always us and them - CounterBlast 9 April

The tide is turning, with the public and even the press seeing through the Tory failings over Coronavirus, says Chrissy Brand
In defence of Corbynism

Although a Corbyn-led government would undoubtedly have spared a great deal of tragedy, the gains made in the last five years are undeniable, argues Ben Myers
Locking down rights, ramping up hate: fascism and Covid-19 in India

In Modi's India, coronavirus crisis is just another reason to ramp up Islamophobia, using it to cover his inept handling of the pandemic, says Kalpana Wilson
Centrism’s pyrrhic victory - CounterBlast 8 April

Bernie Sanders has suspended his campaign, but the conditions that gave rise to his popularity haven't gone away, argues Katherine Connelly
How to build your union at your workplace now: a practical guide

As employers exploit and neglect workers during the coronavirus crisis, Dave offers a practical guide to organising in your workplace now
Pandemic hammers the US economy

The coronavirus crisis has triggered a deep and sustained economic downturn in the US that will have lasting effects, writes John Clarke
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
Evidence of the Government's neglect is mounting - CounterBlast 7 April

The death toll soars in Britain through neglect and incompetence as the US spitefully blocks aid to countries all over the world, reports Shabbir Lakha
Victoria Park is the People’s Park: reopen it now

Closing parks is a counterproductive act of petty authoritarianism, argue Alistair Cartwright and Chris Nineham
NHS staff being denied proper PPE and testing is criminal - video

The government is failing NHS frontline workers and costing lives, says Alia Butt
It’ll Be Over By Easter: How Trump Became the Covidiot-in-Chief

Tragically, the events leading up to the Coronavirus outbreak and the manner in which he has bungled the federal response confirms that the Trump Presidency is destined to go down as one of the most disastrous in US history, says Sean Ledwith

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