Covid19

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

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 took stock of a challenging and momentous year, but also addressed major current issues and plotted a way ahead, reports Tony Dowling 

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

Boris Johnson’s vaccine passport strategy is a bad idea which won’t stop a third wave, argues Terina Hine

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

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

Counterfire's Lucy Nichols speaks to student rent strikers who have occupied a building at the University of Edinburgh about their action and demands

The success of the vaccine rollout has been despite capitalism, not because of it, argues Shabbir Lakha

On the anniversary of the first national lockdown, Terina Hine details the government's consistent failings over the last year

As the government seeks to restrict our right to protest, Bristol makes its feelings clear, reports Jeni Van Heerden

Lindsey German on Labour travails and the power of protest

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

The biggest threat to the freedoms and safety of the British people is our own government, not someone else’s, argues Sean Ledwith

Counterfire spoke to striking security workers at Royal Berkshire Hospital about the conditions they're facing and why they're taking action

Increases in public spending do not automatically equate to a progressive redistribution of wealth, argues Susan Newman

The Chancellor would like us to forget he is personally responsible for some terrible decisions made during the pandemic, writes Sean Ledwith

By opposing an increase in corporation tax, Kier Starmer’s failure to offer an alternative to the Tories has become farcical, writes Terina Hine

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

Williamson’s Covid catch-up plan will not address the real fault lines in our schooling system, says Sean Ledwith

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

Despite the bluster over 'data not dates' there are big holes in the prime minister’s 'irreversible' plan argues Terina Hine

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

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

David McAllister responds to Boris Johnson's "big bang" school reopening plans for 8 March

Dominic Alexander looks at the limits of Keynesian economics in the context of the current crisis and questions of state spending

Fully re-opening schools on March 8 is dangerous and risks another increase in infections and deaths, argues David McAllister

Chris Nineham argues Starmer's poor polling can't be blamed on vaccine success

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

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

Tory spin can create the false impression that vaccination allows us to exit lockdown within a few weeks, writes Alex Snowdon

Terina Hine assesses the hard-right libertarian Tories influencing the government to put safety last

The government is using fake concern about lockdown learning as a smokescreen to justify another risky reopening of schools, argues Sean Ledwith

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

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

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

The last refuge of a scoundrel will never be fertile territory for the left, writes Sean Ledwith

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

Branch Solidarity Network's February 2021 bulletin on the fightback at Goldsmiths University and the demands around workloads

The progress of producing good vaccines in record time is at risk from systemic capitalist and nationalist rivalries, writes Kevin Ovenden

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

The Prime Minister is not fit for office and is directly responsible for the Covid catastrophe, argues Sean Ledwith

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 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

As UK deaths from Covid approach 100,000, we must never forget the political failures which led us here, argues Alex Snowdon

The Fire Brigades Union is facing a political attack for defending its members' health and safety, reports Luke Porter, a firefighter in south Yorkshire

Workers at British Gas have begun a second round of strikes against the company's fire and rehire plan, reports Chris Neville

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

Positive vaccine news cannot absolve the government of tens of thousands of avoidable deaths it's responsible for, argues Terina Hine

Alex Snowdon on the Tory game of Covid-shaming and the persistence of the Palestinian cause   

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

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

The moralising tone of ministers is a transparent attempt to deflect attention from their catastrophic incompetence, argues Sean Ledwith

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

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

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

Alex Snowdon on Johnson's ceaseless governmental crisis and the fight for Zero Covid   

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

The schools revolt forced more Tory U-turns, but it can also herald a renewal of union strength, argues Tom Whittaker

The government is effectively continuing to pursue herd immunity. The movement must fight for a zero-Covid strategy, argues Chris Nineham

The National Education Union has shown what a fighting union can achieve, says Tony Dowling

Simon Duckett, a school worker and NEU rep in South West England describes how collective action pushed back against the government

The government is refusing to house homeless people at risk from Covid and subzero temperatures, writes Norbert Lawrie

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

Alex Snowdon assesses the first government crisis of 2021

Health workers and patients are suffering from the government’s disastrous handling of the pandemic and their contempt for the NHS, argues Caitlin Southern.

The stand-off between education unions and the government is a battle for us all, argues David Hamet.

A model resolution to put to your trade union branch or other organisation to build support for teachers and support staff

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

It’s an outrage that health workers are still not getting the PPE they need to keep themselves safe, writes Richard Allday

With record case numbers and hospitalisations, and increasing deaths, returning to school next week would be catastrophic, writes a secondary school teacher

Detrimental conditions for Palestinians have worsened because of Covid, but they're caused by the Israeli occupation, argues Shabbir Lakha

Despite soaring infection rates, students in Tier 4 areas are expected to return to classrooms in January and are demanding safety first

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 has the productive capacity and experience to carry out a vaccination programme. Its main obstacle is Bolsonaro’s government, argues Orlando Hill

Alex Snowdon on the black hole of Johnson’s governmental crisis 

The Coronavirus Crisis navigated by Mark Perryman’s reading guide to cause, effect and afters

A catalogue of mismanagement exposes an incapable government that must be removed, observes Alex Snowdon

Boris Johnson is ending the year with the same clueless and inept style of leadership he started it, writes Sean Ledwith  

By refusing to seriously address infection rates in schools. the Tories have guaranteed a difficult and dangerous Christmas for many, argues Terina Hine

Without serious change, the black hole at the heart of London will continue to devour the livelihoods of its citizens, writes Alistair Cartwright

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

The government’s jingoism has no bearing on reality, argues Terina Hine

Alex Snowdon on Starmer’s offensive on the left and the fight for zero Covid

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

In response to severe pay cuts, maintenance workers employed by the Royal Borough of Greenwich have overwhelmingly voted to strike, reports Isabel Carr

Car rally shows the huge support for workers in Barnoldswick who continue to fight for their jobs, reports Ian Johnston

Students in Manchester marched in their hundreds to send a clear message to the university management: they're not backing down

Frederick Engels, born 200 years, ago identified the type of disastrous policy pursued by the Johnson government during the pandemic, argues Sean Ledwith

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

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

In our continuing series on left strategy, Chris Nineham from Counterfire responds to Laura Smith and John McInally

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

Thousands of frontline workers at Heathrow Airport have begun strike action against the company's fire and rehire tactics, reports Yonas Makoni

Government plans to deport another 50 black people on 2 December in a continuation of the racist hostile environment must be opposed urgently

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

Lindsey German on the idiocy of Tory pandemic policy and Starmer’s witch-hunt on the march

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

Members of UCU at Northumbria University have voted to strike over health and safety amid a growing number of branches escalating disputes and balloting

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

Local councils should be standing up to the Tories, not making their workers and most vulnerable constituents pay, writes Jamal Elaheebocus

The Tory spending review shows the government’s priority is to protect profits and making working class people pay, argues Shabbir Lakha

Boris Johnson wants to return to an ineffective tier system to save profits for shops instead of people’s lives, writes Caitlin Southern

As part of our series on the future of the left in and out of Labour, Laura Smith outlines a path forward

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

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

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

An appeal to Counterfire's supporters

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

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

The University of Manchester's offer for a 5% rent reduction is an insult and students will continue their occupation and renew the rent strike for the January term, writes Lucy Nichols

By continuing to keep schools open, the government is forcing teachers, children and parents into an unforgivable level of danger, argues Kara Bryan

Lucy Nichols tells us why she's part of the occupation at the University of Manchester, what are the demands and how the university has responded

As Glasgow students take action against mistreatment by university management, resistance must continue to spread, argues Sophie Johnson

The sacking of Boris Johnson’s chief of staff has deeper roots than mere office tensions in Downing Street, argues Alex Snowdon

Students at the University of Manchester are fighting back against the way they've been treated and have occupied a building until their demands are met

The return of Evo Morales to Bolivia symbolises the defeat of the Washington-driven coup following the election last month, writes John Clarke

For the Australian labour movement, the government's failures present an opportunity to organise to save lives and for an alternative to neoliberalism

We must fight for the government to increase local spending instead of letting councils like Croydon go bust, fire their workers and cut essential services

We need to stop the transmission of the virus now to prevent more deaths before a vaccine is ready, argues Caitlin Southern

The government has handed more than £17bn of lucrative Covid contracts to their mates who aren't delivering

As the infection rate, and deaths, continue to rise, the government’s poor excuse for a lockdown offers no solution, argues Alex Snowdon

Parents around the country took boycott action on Nov 5th, demanding protection for teachers, children and families, reports BRTUS: Parents United

Rolls Royce workers in Barnoldswick have had huge levels of support for their struggle against offshoring and job cuts, reports Chris Neville

Students are raging at being repeatedly let down by the government and universities. Fences were the last straw for Manchester students - so they brought them down

A Counterfire pamphlet by Richard Allday aimed at providing you with information about the virus and your rights at work

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

Biden's centrist platform has failed to materialise the 'blue wave' in what should have been the easiest election against a failing Trump, writes Shabbir Lakha

Boris Johnson's half-baked lockdown is failing to appease Tory dissenters, and failing to protect the country, now is the time for action from below

We must move teaching online, test students and allow them home argues Dragan Plavšić

The People's Assembly's ten point Zero-Covid Charter

Lindsey German on Tories, Covid and the Jeremy Corbyn open season

The government’s refusal to close schools and universities marks the latest in a string of failures to protect people from the pandemic, argues Caitlin Southern

Lindsey German argues that women and sex inequality should be at the centre of our analysis of social transformation.

The anger against the Tories is growing and activists are developing creative ways of protesting, reports Chris Neville

The Tories are failing in the most basic principle of government, to keep its people safe, and its uniting people against them, writes Terina Hine

As devolved administrations move further from Westminster, now is the time to advance popular demands like rail renationalisation, says Jan Culley

Threatened with redundancies which will effectively close the plant, workers have voted overwhelmingly to fight back with strike action, reports Richard Allday

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

Now in a Tier 3 lockdown, Manchester protesters call out Tory incompetence and demand proper support, reports Lucy Nichols

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

With a government this divided, we can win many more concessions and ones which benefit workers not businesses, argues Chris Nineham

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

The government’s Tier system of local lockdowns is deliberately pitting regions against each other and avoiding an effective national strategy with the necessary financial support

Manchester continues to resist Tory plans for an ineffective local lockdown with inadequate financial support, reports Chris Neville

Staff and students at universities are taking on managements and the government amid sharply rising cases across campuses

Lindsey German on the Tories’ ever-escalating Covid crisis, anti-austerity and Labour’s warped security values

French health and social care workers stage mass protests for better staffing, pay and conditions as a second wave of Covid-19 engulfs the country, writes Susan Ram

Students in Bristol have called a rent strike over conditions of learning and living which the university promised and failed to deliver on, reports Jago Corry

The rift which has opened up between the government and scientific advisors further amplifies Johnson’s negligence, argues Alex Snowdon.

Why we need a zero-Covid strategy, resistance on the frontline, carnage in America and a new direction for the left in this month's Counterfire bulletin

The government’s woefully inadequate handling of the pandemic is expanding the wedge between the nations of the union, argues Dr Stuart Cartland

Protecting people's lives and preventing hardship are not an either/or, what we need is the political will to do both, argues Chris Nineham

Speaking at a recent Counterfire public meeting, David Bush explains the multi-layered crisis facing the US and why the election isn't going to be the end, whatever the outcome

The government should be trying to save jobs instead of its crass attacks on those working in the arts and culture sector, argues Floyd Codlin

The government has simply not prepared the NHS for the second Covid wave combined with a winter crisis, warns Caitlin Southern

Boris Johnson’s briefing on the latest restrictions reveal only that the government is ignoring the science and has no plan, writes Terina Hine

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

As the crisis in universities continues to escalate, these are the key demands students are making of their institutions

As the pandemic enters its inevitable second wave, universities across the country have gone ahead with bringing students back to halls and into face to face teaching, despite warnings from health care professionals and against the better judgement of the UCU. 

This has been a poorly-concealed attempt to justify the extortionate cost of a year’s study, and to appease the landlords who want to make a fortune on the private rents. 

Students are being trapped in isolation in their vastly overpriced accommodation, unable to buy food and struggling to access mental health support. This is unacceptable. The university heads of staff and the government had all summer to plan how best to send students back to University, and were advised of the risks this may bring by the UCU, NUS, Independent SAGE, and the government's own advisors. 

We feel let down, both by the government and university managements. 

We have three demands to make of managements to protect our dedicated lecturers and the whole of the student body, and to stop the spread of the virus more generally. 

1No more in person teaching - protect our lecturers and students 

2 Students should be allowed to return home – no-one should be trapped in halls

3An immediate rent holiday - we should not be paying to be locked down. 

Students and lecturers unite to confront government failure to keep universities safe, reports Lucy Nichols

The failures of this government to control the pandemic have pushed schools and communities into an extremely difficult and dangerous situation, writes Sarah Kilpatrick

The lockdown needs to go national, but this needs to come with ramped up testing and other measures the government has failed to deliver, argues Alex Snowdon.

As a second wave of Covid-19 powers through France, a beleaguered president bent on re-election invokes a familiar Islamophobic trope, says Susan Ram

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

In his speech to Tory party conference, Johnson offered no route out of the catastrophe his government is causing, argues Terina Hine

IKEA’s firing of an Usdaw rep for challenging the withdrawal of sick pay during a pandemic was met with protests in Glasgow and other stores, reports Chris Neville

The government’s privatisation of public services is at the heart of the Test and Trace failures and it’s costing lives, argues Lucy Nichols

The financial priorities of the neoliberal university have fuelled the COVID crisis and the antidote is solidarity between lecturers and students, argues Dragan Plavšić

More than a technical glitch, the NHS Test and Trace failure shows how little this government care about protecting lives, argues Adriana Cooley

It’s not just the potential of a repeated exams fiasco next year but the role of exams in education altogether that needs to be challenged, argues John Westmoreland

Lindsey German on POTUS, Johnson’s Tories and the political use of migrant-bashing

With the mounting crisis in universities over rising Covid cases, students and lecturers must agitate together for safe learning, argues Lucy Nichols

The government is still pursuing ‘herd immunity’ when we should be aiming to eliminate the virus to stop its spread, argues Caitlin Southern

The government is once again scapegoating ordinary people to cover its own failures, argues Alex Snowdon

The ruling class is ruthless in trying to exploit crises, but we shouldn’t underestimate the turmoil it's in and the opportunities to advance the struggle, argues Chris Nineham

Workers in the arts and culture sector are facing wholesale job and pay cuts - it's time to fight back, argues Floyd Codlin

At a Bristol Counterfire meeting, Chris Nineham, Kerry-Anne Mendoza and Tom Mills discuss the state of the British media and how the left can challenge the mainstream narrative

Even his own MPs are now losing faith in the Prime Minister’s ability to manage the second wave of the pandemic, writes Sean Ledwith

Boris Johnson's latest measure falls way short of the mark and will do nothing to stop the impending unemployment tsunami, argues Terina Hine

The new term has seen universities plunged into Covid-chaos. John Westmoreland spoke to UCU activists about what’s happening and the action we need

Blaming students is a cynical move to distract from the deeper causes of the recent outbreaks, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

As the number of schools with coronavirus cases continues to rise, a primary school teacher at a London school tells us what it's like on the frontline

Lindsey German on a Tory party that cannot cope and a pitiful pseudo-opposition

British Gas is planning to 'fire and rehire' its employees on worsened terms and conditions and to end union recognition, reports Chris Neville

After the government U-turn on being able to work from home, the PCS Union offers another example of the power of popular pressure, argues Floyd Codlin

A left in thrall to Starmer's Labour risks irrelevance, argues Chris Nineham

Protests and strikes are on the rise across France against deteriorating working conditions, job losses and Macron’s woeful response to the Covid crisis, writes Susan Ram

A rushed ‘return to normal’ is driving up the infection rates and, increasingly, the death rate, writes Alex Snowdon 

Students all over the world took part in the first climate strike since the pandemic broke out, reports Jamal Elaheebocus

The government has failed teachers and students and they have no Plan B as cases continue to rise

Universities are risking student and staff lives by continuing the push to return students to unsafe campuses and maintain some face-to-face teaching

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

Ahead of the US elections, John Clarke considers the balance of forces, the dangers of a second Trump term and the intensifying crisis whatever the outcome

The first of a fortnightly digest rounding up the stories of working people getting organised and fighting back

The government is still committed to putting profit before lives. We need to organise to force adequate safety measures argues Katherine Connelly

The government’s measures to deal with a second wave remain inadequate; it’s crucial the left pushes for serious action that puts safety first, argues Lucy Nichols

Lindsey German on the spiralling Covid crisis and how class remains our compass point

Susan Ram interviews Danièle Obono, an MP with La France Insoumise on the anti-racist movement after she was racially attacked by a French magazine

As part of a discussion on the next steps for the left, Lindsey German looks at the election defeat, the coronavirus crisis and how socialists should organise