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Covid19

Covid19

Articles related to the global Coronavirus pandemic 2019-2020

Global capitalism and the disaster facing poor countries

After decades of neoliberalism and a devastating pandemic, conditions of acute global crisis are emerging and poor countries will be hit hardest, writes John Clarke
Fines won't cut it: Johnson and Sunak have got to go - CounterBlast

Johnson and Sunak's lies are finally catching up to them, but a slap on the wrist isn't good enough, writes Terina Hine
The many crises of capitalism and how we can overcome them

Understanding the nature of the contradictions and crises of capitalism is central to the question of building a socialist alternative, writes John Clarke
Living with Covid? - CounterBlast

Based on what we’re hearing from the government, you would think Covid doesn’t exist anymore, argues Terina Hine
Long Covid: the elephant in the room?

While it might seem that we are coming out the other side of the pandemic, for many people, the effects are here to stay, argues Adriana Cooley
10 reasons to join the cost of living protests this Saturday

The upcoming People’s Assembly protests are a crucial opportunity to remind the Tories about the crisis at home, writes Sean Ledwith
'Living with Covid': The Tories just don't care about public health

The government's scrapping of all Covid measures and dumping the costs of testing onto individuals is a political choice to sacrifice public health for profit, argues Terina Hine
Living with the virus: The worst instincts of capitalism

The reworked herd immunity strategy of governments telling us to live with the virus is once again driven by their need to protect profits, writes John Clarke
We can't afford the Tories

John Rees looks at the battles ahead
Freedom Convoy: the right driving legitimate concerns away from real solutions

Canada's far right are capitalising on the government's botched Covid response that is impacting millions of workers, but an active and campaigning left can build unity and action on the real issues, argues David Bush
The police, the Prime Minister and the birthday party - CounterBlast

The walls are closing in on Boris Johnson, writes Terina Hine
Illegal "VIP lane" contracts: Tory corruption is the other pandemic - CounterBlast

This Prime Minister personifies the arrogance, sleaze and inability to empathise of the ruling class, writes Sean Ledwith
Boris bottles it: is the party over? - CounterBlast

The lies are catching up to BYOB Boris and his position is becomes increasingly untenable, writes Terina Hine
Australia, Covid and the Djoković affair

The Australian government is to blame, not a tennis player, says Dragan Plavšić
New year, same problems - CounterBlast

The Tories' mishandling of the pandemic has once again left us starting the year with the NHS and schools in crisis, writes Terina Hine
Johnson is on the ropes: North Shropshire result could finish him off - CounterBlast

This morning’s electoral earthquake could be the beginning of the end for the Prime Minister, writes Sean Ledwith
The party's over for Johnson - CounterBlast

Johnson’s authority is diminishing among both the public and his own MPs faster than Omicron is spreading, writes Terina Hine
Is BoJo about to go-go? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Tory leader’s ninth life and the quagmire of Cressida Dick’s cops
Vaccine imperialism: A global threat

Leaving a vast section of the world’s population unvaccinated can only create the basis for the virus to spread and mutate, argues John Clarke
Government guilty of gross negligence finds The People’s Covid Inquiry

The People's Covid Inquiry has released a scathing report which finds Boris Johnson's government responsible for tens of thousands of avoidable deaths, reports Tom Griffiths
Johnson: who is that unmasked man? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on our benighted prime minister, the politics of migration and university strikes
The Tories have brought the NHS to the brink of collapse – CounterBlast

Severe staff shortages and people dying in ambulances outside hospitals is the state the Tories have put the NHS in, writes Terina Hine
Build back better? A post-pandemic attack on social benefits

The empty rhetoric of ‘building back better’ and ‘levelling up’ are thinly veiled attacks on welfare for working-class people, argues John Clarke
Capitalism will cost us the earth - Counterfire Freesheet November 2021

Climate briefing for activists, more Tory Covid failure, Clarks strikers fight fire-and-rehire, Scotland's wider crisis, socialism explained and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
It's not Brexit, it's a broken system: The inside story of the supply chain meltdown

Supply-chain worker Chris Neville gives us his view on shortages, supply chains and a changing balance of power
Never forget: the pain and the politics of Covid

We have to keep up the pressure for action over the pandemic, argues Covid patient Kevin Potter.
Tories: the Covid mask slips – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the pandemic’s persistence and the idiocy of our rulers
The billionaires and the race to the bottom: why Sage care workers are fighting on

The fight for fair pay at the Sage Nursing Home in North London continues. Cici Washburn reports from the picket line
Déjà vu: more Tory failure as Covid cases soar - CounterBlast

The government has once again allowed Covid to run rampant with their criminal inaction, argues Terina Hine
A fatal policy: the Covid Report and deliberate deaths

A parliamentary report exposes the deliberately cruel nature of the government's disastrous pandemic response, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
A dangerous opening for the right in Canada

The racist, anti-vaxx People's Party of Canada being the only party to have made significant gains in the recent election is a warning for the left, argues John Clarke
An unfriendly welcome: Tory party conference, Manchester 2021

As the Tories usher in more austerity, thousands march through Manchester in united opposition, reports Sam Colclough
Liverpool University: a benchmark victory for HE and beyond - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles
Canadian election deepens Trudeau's crisis of legitimacy

John Clarke analyses Justin Trudeau's cynical election gamble in which he fell short of securing a parliamentary majority
Gas shortages ignite Tory crisis - CounterBlast

The UK's gas crisis is one part of what looks like a major political storm for the Tories, writes Terina Hine
NHS strikes on the table as health workers decisively reject pathetic Tory pay deal

GMB organiser Helen O'Connor explains why NHS workers have voted overwhelmingly to reject the 3% pay offer and are determined to fight back
Oak Park school strike: teachers stand defiant against bullying

Teachers at Oak Park school continue to strike for safety and against bullying from management, reports Carole Vincent
Tory care plan punishes the poor and rewards the rich - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson is deluded if he thinks his legacy will be anything apart from the Covid catastrophe, argues Sean Ledwith
It's them or us: we can beat them if we fight - Counterfire Freesheet September 2021

Taking on the Tories, victory for Bexley strikers, interview with a Staff Nurse and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Why NHS workers will be taking the fight to the Tories in Manchester

Ian Johnston explains why NHS staff will be joining the People's Assembly demonstration outside the Tory Party conference on 3 October
NHS workers step up the fight for 15%

Unite members working in hospitals took a stand against the effective pay cut they are facing, Carole Vincent and Lucy Nichols report
Trudeau’s ‘fourth wave’ election gamble

The Canadian federal election is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cynical attempt to delay a crisis of legitimacy for the neoliberal centre, argues John Clarke.
'What we need is decent pay': NHS workers protest and prepare for industrial action

NHS workers rallied outside hospitals on Tuesday as unions hold ballots for possible industrial action against the government's derisory pay offer, reports Yonas Makoni
Time to teach the Tories a lesson: why I'll be marching in Manchester

David McAllister explains why teachers will be joining the People's Assembly demonstration outside the Tory Party conference on 3 October
When the clapping stops: NHS workers prepare for this autumn’s key pay battle

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles
Capitalism vs life: Alberta’s ‘just give up’ approach to the pandemic

Alberta’s provincial government abandoning all mitigating policies while infections soar is criminally reckless, argues John Clarke
The post-pandemic writing on the wall

The signs point towards a sustained crisis after the pandemic, not an equitable recovery, argues John Clarke
France: Vaccination, Health Pass Protests, and the Left

The French left should be taking a firmer stance against vaccine scepticism, argues John Mullen
Don't be fooled by the pingdemic - CounterBlast

The government’s mixed messaging on self-isolation puts all workers at risk and unions should be leading the fight for safe workplaces, argues Terina Hine
Fighting Covid in France: tricky times for the Left?

Libertarian, far-right backed protests against government efforts to curb a wildfire fourth wave of covid are creating serious dilemmas for the left, writes Susan Ram
Punished for speaking truth to power: Dawn Butler is right about Johnson’s lies

Instead of punishing Dawn Butler for her honesty, Boris Johnson should be held to account for his lies, argues Caitlin Southern
Tokyo Olympics: Lighting the flame of a Covid disaster – CounterBlast

Faster, higher and stronger infections are imminent in Japan due to profit-driven officials and politicians, argues Sean Ledwith
Tory cruelty and incompetence vs public good sense and caution - CounterBlast

People are once again showing more sense than those who govern them, argues Terina Hine.
‘Freedom Day’ is really Groundhog Day

Freedom Day shows every sign of being anything but free, argues Dragan Plavšić
Covid, crisis and the fight for a new normal - video

The opening rally of Counterfire's Revolution! Festival of Marxist Ideas featuring Tariq Ali, Danièle Obono and Lindsey German
'Our motto is: strength in unity': how Hovis workers won

Chris Nineham spoke to Laura Graham, a regional organiser of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union about their recent victory at the Hovis factory in Belfast
Calls grow for an end to the US blockade on Cuba

As Cubans take to the streets to protest the escalating health and economic crisis, the key demand must be for an end to the US’s crippling sanctions, argues Raoul Walawalker
Cuba crisis: made in Washington

Cuba's economic and health crisis is a result of crippling US sanctions - the only solution is an end to the blockade, writes Jonathan Maunders
Flying blind: the Tories‘ dangerous unlocking experiment

Against the advice of scientists, the government is once again gambling with our lives with a strategy of herd immunity, writes Terina Hine
Better safe than sorry you believed Boris – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on lockdown easing, the Unite election and the tragedy of Sarah Everard
Fighting for the NHS: Voices from the frontline in Wandsworth

Health activists in Wandsworth celebrate the NHS and call for patient safety, pay justice and an end to privatisation, reports Peter Bird
Don’t believe the hype: Tories love talking about freedoms while actually taking them away - CounterBlast

Johnson is using libertarian rhetoric about Covid to hide an increasingly authoritarian reality about everything else, writes Sean Ledwith
Now or never? The phoney logic of 'Freedom Day'

The government's reckless abdondonment of any measures to mitigate against the still-rising third wave of Covid is a dangerous continuation of herd immunity logic, writes Terina Hine
Resisting ‘rank and yank’: UCU fights job cuts at Liverpool University

Ahead of a rally on Monday, UCU’s battle to save jobs at Liverpool University is a critical fight for the whole sector
Wins on the bins: an organiser on the secrets of successful struggle - video

Chris Nineham speaks to Unite organiser Willie Howard about the recent victory in Thurrock, how the fightback is spreading and what industrial strategy should look like
We are the opposition: hope on the streets at the People's Assembly demonstration

Blogger and activist Rachael Swindon explains the significance of thousands of people mobilising in unity for the recent People's Assembly demonstration
Do as I say, not as I do (again): hopeless Hancock must go – CounterBlast

Not for the first time, a senior Tory has trashed guidelines expected from everyone else, writes Sean Ledwith
The anger's everywhere... Join the fightback - Counterfire Freesheet June 2021

United against the Tories, why solidarity with Palestine is critical, a socialist guide to combating climate change and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
If we want a new normal, we have to fight for it

The pandemic has exposed just how corrupt and incompetent the Tories are, as well as the importance of protecting the NHS, writes Alia Butt
Why health workers are marching for the NHS at the People's Assembly demonstration

Health workers are sick of the government's betrayals and attacks, and this Saturday they'll be demanding a new normal writes, Caitlin Southern
Why I’m joining the People’s Assembly demonstration for Palestine

Boris Johnson’s government must be held to account for its mishandling of Covid and its complicity in Israel’s war crimes, argues Fatimah Ahmed
The predictable and preventable failure of 'Freedom Day' - CounterBlast

The government's inaction is responsible for the delay in lifting lockdown restrictions which could have been prevented, argues Terina Hine
The crisis isn't going away and the G7 have no solutions

The G7 fantasy of returning to the pre-pandemic 'normal' isn't going to solve the economic crisis or the breakdown of the climate, argues Michael Roberts
Misdirection: The driverless trains illusion

Transport for London cuts represent a general assault on all transport workers and should be met with resistance from all transport unions, argues Unjum Mirza
Tory education catch-up plan explodes on launchpad - CounterBlast

Gavin Williamson is maintaining his record as the worst Education Secretary in living memory, writes Sean Ledwith
Cummings is equally culpable for care homes Covid catastrophe

It was the criminally negligent handling of the pandemic by the Tories, including Cummings, which allowed Covid to tragically rip through care homes, argues Caitlin Southern.
Striking while the oven’s hot: Hovis workers win pay rise

After eleven days of strike action, BFAWU and Unite members at the Hovis factory in Belfast have won their dispute, reports Chris Neville
Cummings’ revelations: Nemesis comes to Number 10 – CounterBlast

The Prime Minister’s former chief advisor has confirmed what most of the country has known for months, writes Sean Ledwith
Confusion, chaos and contempt at No. 10 - CounterBlast

Terina Hine looks at what George Floyd's murder, Cummings' arrogance and the latest confusing Covid regulations tell us about those in power and how the movement can force change
Hovis workers need more bread: all-out strike action is go - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles
Stand with Palestine: Save Sheikh Jarrah, Stop Bombing Gaza - Counterfire Bulletin May 2021

As Israel continues to attack Palestinians in Jerusalem and Gaza, we must stand in solidarity with Palestine
Vaccine imperialism: an indictment of global capitalism

The ongoing debate on waiving vaccine patents so poorer countries can have access tells you everything about capitalism putting profit ahead of lives, argues John Clarke
NEU to teach Pimlico Academy a lesson - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles
India’s Covid apocalypse: ‘Super spreader’ Modi lets the bodies pile high

Narendra Modi and his far right government stand foursquare at the heart of the horror unfolding in India, argues Susan Ram
Johnson’s lies pile up in their thousands - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson alleged comments are in character with his catastrophic policies which have resulted in thousands of deaths, argues Terina Hine
Occupy the University: Manchester students take on the management

Students at the University of Manchester have occupied a building demanding a rent rebate, an end to policing of accommodation and staff redundancies, reports Lucy Nichols
Take it to the streets: Get ready for 26 June

Lucy Nichols on why we need to bring together all the strands of opposition to the Tories onto the streets at the People’s Assembly national demonstration on 26 June
British Gas: a body blow the whole movement has to learn from

British Gas workers put up a heroic fight but the battle against fire and rehire continues, the movement must learn the lessons, writes Chris Neville
Stop the Tory attack: Kill the bill

Counterfire editorial on Tory corruption, a useless opposition and the new normal to be won
Every issue in school is a union issue - Staffroom Voice Bulletin April 2021

This month's Counterfire Schools Bulletin on union organisation in schools, attacks on Early Years, fair pay for frontline workers and defending the right to protest
Stop the Tory attack: Kill the bill - Counterfire freesheet April 2021

Democratic rights and the class struggle, the new normal to be won, resisting Myanmar's military, the latest on workplace struggles across Britain and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
NEU Conference: there's power in a union

NEU conference took stock of a challenging and momentous year, but also addressed major current issues and plotted a way ahead, reports Tony Dowling
'The whole community has come together': Tower Hamlets residents fight back

Residents of one of East London's major housing providers, Tower Hamlets Community Housing, have launched a campaign against service charge increases of up to 100%, reports Alistair Cartwright
Passport to more Tory failure: why Boris Johnson's strategy is wrong - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson’s vaccine passport strategy is a bad idea which won’t stop a third wave, argues Terina Hine
Striking for Safety: DVLA workers walk out after 600 Covid infections on-site

PCS members have launched strike action after DVLA’s refusal to take workplace safety seriously has resulted in the most Covid infections of any UK workplace, reports Yonas Makoni
5 reasons the new racism report is bullshit

The Sewell Report’s denial of institutional racism is really just an exercise in whitewashing the actions of a racist Tory government, argues Yonas Makoni
"The university acted negligently, greedily and dishonestly" - Interview with Edinburgh Uni occupiers

Counterfire's Lucy Nichols speaks to student rent strikers who have occupied a building at the University of Edinburgh about their action and demands
Capitalist greed got us into this mess, it won’t get us out

The success of the vaccine rollout has been despite capitalism, not because of it, argues Shabbir Lakha
Lockdown anniversary: a year of Tory failures

On the anniversary of the first national lockdown, Terina Hine details the government's consistent failings over the last year
Bristol Kill the Bill: police, provocation and protest

As the government seeks to restrict our right to protest, Bristol makes its feelings clear, reports Jeni Van Heerden
Vaccine bounce or Starmer slump? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Labour travails and the power of protest
Uber caves in over workers’ rights - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's weekly digest rounding up the stories of working people getting organised and fighting back
Just what we need in the middle of a pandemic: more nukes - CounterBlast

The biggest threat to the freedoms and safety of the British people is our own government, not someone else’s, argues Sean Ledwith
Kingdom come: how striking security workers are making a break for it - interview

Counterfire spoke to striking security workers at Royal Berkshire Hospital about the conditions they're facing and why they're taking action
Budget: are the Tories Keynesians now?

Increases in public spending do not automatically equate to a progressive redistribution of wealth, argues Susan Newman
The strange reinvention of spreader Sunak – CounterBlast

The Chancellor would like us to forget he is personally responsible for some terrible decisions made during the pandemic, writes Sean Ledwith
Why is Starmer to the right of the Tories on corporation tax? - CounterBlast

By opposing an increase in corporation tax, Kier Starmer’s failure to offer an alternative to the Tories has become farcical, writes Terina Hine
People’s Covid Inquiry: How Well Prepared was the NHS? – Report

The first session of the People’s Covid Inquiry shines a light on a decade of austerity which has stripped down the NHS and increased health inequalities, reports Karen McDougall
Our children need less neoliberal education, not more - CounterBlast

Williamson’s Covid catch-up plan will not address the real fault lines in our schooling system, says Sean Ledwith
Myanmar protests: More than a fight for liberal democracy?

Three weeks on from the military coup, Myanmar’s crisis-stricken working class is playing a key role in the escalating popular uprising, writes Susan Ram
Johnson’s not-so-cautious roadmap raises more questions than it answers - CounterBlast

Despite the bluster over 'data not dates' there are big holes in the prime minister’s 'irreversible' plan argues Terina Hine
A school student speaks: 8 March ‘big bang’ reopening just isn’t safe

The government have had a year to make schools safe for students to return, but they keep failing to learn the lesson, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
London bus drivers strike against attack on pay and conditions

Over 2,000 bus drivers began strike action on Monday in response to a new contract that will see a cut in pay and conditions, reports Yonas Makoni
Learning little: Johnson and the great schools gamble

David McAllister responds to Boris Johnson's "big bang" school reopening plans for 8 March
The limits of Keynesianism - video

Dominic Alexander looks at the limits of Keynesian economics in the context of the current crisis and questions of state spending
Schools: 8 March reopening is unsafe

Fully re-opening schools on March 8 is dangerous and risks another increase in infections and deaths, argues David McAllister
It’s not the vaccine, it’s the vacuousness: polling, politics and the Starmer slump

Chris Nineham argues Starmer's poor polling can't be blamed on vaccine success
No wider reopening until it's safe - Staffroom Voice, Counterfire Schools Bulletin February 2021

The first edition of the Counterfire Schools Bulletin, Staffroom Voice, on why it's too early to reopen schools and how school staff and parents are fighting back
The government’s gamble with workers’ lives – CounterBlast

New TUC data shows that the Tories have continually failed to protect workers who have been forced to work in unsafe conditions, writes Terina Hine
The vaccine is essential, but not a magic bullet - CounterBlast

Tory spin can create the false impression that vaccination allows us to exit lockdown within a few weeks, writes Alex Snowdon
Tory CRG: the crazed, the bad and the ugly

Terina Hine assesses the hard-right libertarian Tories influencing the government to put safety last
Tories don’t actually care about your child’s mental health - CounterBlast

The government is using fake concern about lockdown learning as a smokescreen to justify another risky reopening of schools, argues Sean Ledwith
Brazil: escalating covid deaths pile the pressure on Bolsonaro

The view is growing that Brazil’s calamitous covid death toll is the result of a deliberate strategy by Bolsonaro, finds Orlando Hill
Why we need a People’s Covid Inquiry

Britain has the worst Covid-19 death rate per capita in the world and the public deserves to know how and why this has happened, argues Tom Lock Griffiths
Covid is a threat to children too, but the government doesn’t care

By pushing school reopening again, the government is deliberately ignoring the detrimental effect the virus is having on an alarming number of children, argues Caitlin Southern
Starmer’s patriot games are a political dead end for Labour - CounterBlast

The last refuge of a scoundrel will never be fertile territory for the left, writes Sean Ledwith
The virus is evolving but the government's policies aren't - CounterBlast

Never mind dealing with the new variants effectively, Johnson's government is still failing to implement measures it should have done a year ago, writes Terina Hine
Goldsmiths UCU: leading the charge with words and action - Branch Solidarity Network bulletin February 2021

Branch Solidarity Network's February 2021 bulletin on the fightback at Goldsmiths University and the demands around workloads
Vaccine nationalism: a plague on all our houses

The progress of producing good vaccines in record time is at risk from systemic capitalist and nationalist rivalries, writes Kevin Ovenden
When the game stops: who's really manipulating the market?

Reddit investors beating Wall Street at their own game shows how hedge funds usually rig markets - the game needs to stop altogether, argues Michael Roberts
100,000 reasons Johnson should resign in disgrace - CounterBlast

The Prime Minister is not fit for office and is directly responsible for the Covid catastrophe, argues Sean Ledwith
Deja vu: Tories push to reopen schools before it's safe...again - CounterBlast

Just three weeks after the government's u-turn on schools, it is again pushing to do the same thing all over again, writes Terina Hine
The people the media's forgotten about: voices from the frontline

The media's attempt to blame the public for the virus has left out the voices of those who are having to work during lockdown, so we asked some of them to tell us about their experiences
Covid19: the struggle to save lives means opposing this criminal government – CounterBlast

As UK deaths from Covid approach 100,000, we must never forget the political failures which led us here, argues Alex Snowdon
Safety first: defend firefighters under attack

The Fire Brigades Union is facing a political attack for defending its members' health and safety, reports Luke Porter, a firefighter in south Yorkshire
British Gas workers turn the heat up: GMB strike update

Workers at British Gas have begun a second round of strikes against the company's fire and rehire plan, reports Chris Neville
Despatches from the frontline: nurse speaks on hospitals crisis

Stacey Richardson, a nurse in north east England, explains how health workers have been impacted by the pandemic and the dire state of hospitals right now
The Tory failures behind Britain's world-beating Covid death rate - CounterBlast

Positive vaccine news cannot absolve the government of tens of thousands of avoidable deaths it's responsible for, argues Terina Hine
Stop blaming people’s behaviour for this catastrophe – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on the Tory game of Covid-shaming and the persistence of the Palestinian cause
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
Workers fire back - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's fortnightly digest rounding up the stories of working people getting organised and fighting back
Tories are trying to blame us for their pandemic failures - CounterBlast

The moralising tone of ministers is a transparent attempt to deflect attention from their catastrophic incompetence, argues Sean Ledwith
Starmer: no leadership, no principles - CounterBlast

Sir Keir Starmer’s lack of opposition and support for the spy cops bill is letting the government get away with murder, writes Terina Hine
Free School Meals: profiting from hungry children

Profiting from underfeeding children living in poverty is the latest example of Tory contempt for the working class, argues Helen Rutherford-Gregory
Emmanuel Macron’s Covid vaccine blues

France’s beleaguered regime is undergoing a fresh battering, this time for the snail-paced roll-out of its Covid vaccination programme, writes Susan Ram
Tories can’t be trusted to save lives and protect the NHS - weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on Johnson's ceaseless governmental crisis and the fight for Zero Covid
This government has nothing to offer but U-turns

After yet another u-turn on schools, it's clear that organisation and popular pressure are the only antidotes to the Tories’ reckless handling of the pandemic, argues Kara Bryan
Unmuting workers: NEU, Covid and the return of workplace militancy

The schools revolt forced more Tory U-turns, but it can also herald a renewal of union strength, argues Tom Whittaker
The government will not deal with the Covid emergency. The labour movement must step up.

The government is effectively continuing to pursue herd immunity. The movement must fight for a zero-Covid strategy, argues Chris Nineham
A lesson from the teachers: how to take on the government and win

The National Education Union has shown what a fighting union can achieve, says Tony Dowling
How school workers successfully organised against unsafe conditions

Simon Duckett, a school worker and NEU rep in South West England describes how collective action pushed back against the government
Homeless deaths are rising but the government refuses to act

The government is refusing to house homeless people at risk from Covid and subzero temperatures, writes Norbert Lawrie
Our teachers were right, the government was wrong

The government’s delay on schools has shown how little they care about pupils and teachers and we’re sick and tired of it, writes Isabella, a secondary school student
Schools: the frontline in stopping the Tories and saving lives – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon assesses the first government crisis of 2021
Hospitals in crisis: The Tories are choosing to fail the NHS

Health workers and patients are suffering from the government’s disastrous handling of the pandemic and their contempt for the NHS, argues Caitlin Southern.
Solidarity with education staff: no return until it is safe!

The stand-off between education unions and the government is a battle for us all, argues David Hamet.
Stand with teachers: keep schools closed - model resolution

A model resolution to put to your trade union branch or other organisation to build support for teachers and support staff
2020: the year the mask fell off

Shabbir Lakha reflects on a tumultuous year and what we must remember for the fight ahead
Why are health workers still not getting the protection they need?

It’s an outrage that health workers are still not getting the PPE they need to keep themselves safe, writes Richard Allday
Keep schools closed: the rush to return is deadly

With record case numbers and hospitalisations, and increasing deaths, returning to school next week would be catastrophic, writes a secondary school teacher
Palestine: a Covid Christmas under occupation

Detrimental conditions for Palestinians have worsened because of Covid, but they're caused by the Israeli occupation, argues Shabbir Lakha
No ifs, no buts: Tier 4 students demand safe schools

Despite soaring infection rates, students in Tier 4 areas are expected to return to classrooms in January and are demanding safety first
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
Brazil: the fight for vaccines for all

Brazil has the productive capacity and experience to carry out a vaccination programme. Its main obstacle is Bolsonaro’s government, argues Orlando Hill
Cancelled Christmas ends a year of Tory disasters - weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on the black hole of Johnson’s governmental crisis
How to read a way out of the crisis

The Coronavirus Crisis navigated by Mark Perryman’s reading guide to cause, effect and afters
Covid Christmas crisis: Johnson’s Tories are a plague on all our houses – CounterBlast

A catalogue of mismanagement exposes an incapable government that must be removed, observes Alex Snowdon
The Tories’ addiction to profit threatens all our lives - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson is ending the year with the same clueless and inept style of leadership he started it, writes Sean Ledwith
Schools’ Covid Christmas Nightmare - CounterBlast

By refusing to seriously address infection rates in schools. the Tories have guaranteed a difficult and dangerous Christmas for many, argues Terina Hine
Living in a Ghost Town: Covid-19 and the crisis of the city centre

Without serious change, the black hole at the heart of London will continue to devour the livelihoods of its citizens, writes Alistair Cartwright
Setting students up to fail: why exams should be cancelled

GCSE and A-level exams going ahead in 2021 shows that the government has learnt nothing from the chaos they caused this year, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Vaccines have no country - CounterBlast

The government’s jingoism has no bearing on reality, argues Terina Hine
Civil war in the Labour Party – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on Starmer’s offensive on the left and the fight for zero Covid
We are in for more Tory shambles with the Covid vaccine rollout

The Tories are depending on the Covid vaccine to bail them out, but they're likely to handle the rollout the same way they have the pandemic - catastrophically
Greenwich maintenance workers vote by 98% to strike over plans to slash wages

In response to severe pay cuts, maintenance workers employed by the Royal Borough of Greenwich have overwhelmingly voted to strike, reports Isabel Carr
Solidarity cavalcade rolls in for striking Barnoldswick Rolls-Royce workers

Car rally shows the huge support for workers in Barnoldswick who continue to fight for their jobs, reports Ian Johnston
#NoMoreNancy: Manchester students march against University management

Students in Manchester marched in their hundreds to send a clear message to the university management: they're not backing down
Johnson hopes vaccines will get him off the hook - CounterBlast

Frederick Engels, born 200 years, ago identified the type of disastrous policy pursued by the Johnson government during the pandemic, argues Sean Ledwith
Workers are not going to pay for the crisis - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's fortnightly digest rounding up the stories of working people getting organised and fighting back
'Worse than prison': shocking treatment of refugees at Napier Barracks exposed

Asylum seekers who have survived horrific journeys are now being held in such inhumane conditions they're committing self harm and attempting suicide
Is there life outside Labour?

In our continuing series on left strategy, Chris Nineham from Counterfire responds to Laura Smith and John McInally
Labour's absent opposition, the CRG and scotch eggs - CounterBlast

Instead of opposing Johnson's shambolic tiers, Starmer's abstention is letting the anti-lockdown Tory rebels and scotch eggs dominate the debate, writes Terina Hine
Heathrow: strike takes off at Europe's largest workplace

Thousands of frontline workers at Heathrow Airport have begun strike action against the company's fire and rehire tactics, reports Yonas Makoni
Windrush continued: the government's mass deportations must be stopped

Government plans to deport another 50 black people on 2 December in a continuation of the racist hostile environment must be opposed urgently
Barnoldswick: Rolls-Royce lockout won't deter striking workers

The strike at Rolls-Royce's Barnoldswick plant continues to go strong despite the vindictive actions of management, reports Chris Neville
Tiers of a clown – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the idiocy of Tory pandemic policy and Starmer’s witch-hunt on the march
A teacher speaks out: they want to make us pay for the crisis - video

There is no justification for the public sector pay freeze, it's a slap in the face for teachers and key workers that have kept society running, says David McAllister
Growing university staff revolt as Northumbria UCU votes to strike

Members of UCU at Northumbria University have voted to strike over health and safety amid a growing number of branches escalating disputes and balloting
Why is there £21.5bn more for the military but no money for key workers?

The credit card is maxed out when it comes to public sector pay but there's always money for war according to the Tories, writes Terina Hine
Croydon Council cuts to jobs and services must be resisted

Local councils should be standing up to the Tories, not making their workers and most vulnerable constituents pay, writes Jamal Elaheebocus
Sunak’s spending priorities: money for the rich, pay freeze for key workers

The Tory spending review shows the government’s priority is to protect profits and making working class people pay, argues Shabbir Lakha
Covid crisis: what are YOU getting for Christmas?

Boris Johnson wants to return to an ineffective tier system to save profits for shops instead of people’s lives, writes Caitlin Southern
Don’t give up! Educate, organise and fight

As part of our series on the future of the left in and out of Labour, Laura Smith outlines a path forward
NHS worker: public sector pay freeze is an absolute injustice

The public sector pay freeze is a slap in the face for NHS workers and we need to push back against the government, says Alia Butt from NHS Staff Voices
Will a Covid vaccine save us?

A safe, effective and accessible vaccine would be a major turning point in the pandemic but we can't just wait, we need a zero-Covid strategy now
Schools crisis sharpens as Tories gamble with children's future

Two and a half months into the first term of the school year and there is chaos, confusion and Covid in every aspect of education, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
We mustn't be passive observers: help build a fighting left

An appeal to Counterfire's supporters
‘Islamo-leftism’: Macron ramps up attacks on Muslims and the left in France

In France, ‘Islamo-gauchisme’ is the watchword of a widening attack on basic freedoms, targeting anti-racists and the left writes Susan Ram
Johnson reset explodes on the launchpad - CounterBlast

The overdue departure of Dominic Cummings will not change the incompetence and corruption at the heart of this Tory government, writes Sean Ledwith
Heathrow workers vote to strike against fire and rehire

Heathrow workers have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action in December against pay cuts for 4,000 staff, reports Yonas Makoni

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