Austerity

Austerity

• There is something happening here but you don’t know what it is, do you Mr Centrist?

  

  It’s the failure of centrist politics that fuels the rise of the populist right, but the centrists just don’t get it, argues John Rees

• Dump Trump: Protest the State Visit, June 3/4/5 - Counterfire freesheet May 2019

  

  Protest against Trump's state visit, austerity and record levels of inequality, Algeria in revolt, Marxism made easy, Palestine, eco-demands and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet

• UK inequality: the facts speak for themselves

  

  Getting rid of the Tories will only be step one for our side, argues Sean Ledwith

• The social cost of austerity is detrimental to us all

  

  A new report shows austerity is strangling the UK economy and impoverishing working people, writes John Rees

• Local elections: a clear rejection of the Tories and austerity

  

  The local election results have been devastating for the Tories, and the lesson for Labour is that it must be bolder and more radical, argues Shabbir Lakha

• No thanks for nuclear weapons - protest outside Westminster Abbey

  

  The Royal Navy's bizarre #nukes4jesus thanksgiving service was met with the disgust it deserves, reports Thomas Gibbs

• What's to blame for knife crime?

  

  As more young lives are being tragically lost to knife crime, we must demand an end to austerity and investment in our communities, the very opposite of the Tories response of racism and repression, argues Julie Al-Hinai

• The Picture of Dorian Trudeau

  

  The neoliberal centre's cover boy cannot protect Canadians from hard edged austerity or the racist right, argues John Clarke

• Knife crime and youth violence: poverty, powerlessness and a way ahead

  

  A commission has found that austerity has played a central role in creating the conditions for the spike in knife crime around the country, reports Kiri Tunks

• Brexit crisis continued: Theresa May's inept authoritarianism

  

  Theresa May blaming Parliament for her failures reveals her distaste for democracy and inability to keep her ship afloat, argues Morgan Daniels

• Don’t criminalise and scapegoat our homeless rough sleepers with PSPOs: blame Tory austerity

  

  PSPOs are another heartless and poorly conceived reaction to problems caused by austerity, argues Karen Buckley

• Tony Benn: socialist, comrade, friend

  

  An obituary written at the time of Tony Benn's passing by John Rees on a life well lived

• May's Brexit deal is dead: we need a general election now

  

  Theresa May's second catastrophic defeat in Parliament is a masterclass in Tory failure. The only way out is a general election, argues Shabbir Lakha

• Theresa - the powerful new song from Cabinet of Millionaires

  

  Unlike the Prime Minister, Cabinet of Millionaires' Theresa is reliably good, with a catchy tune and a powerful message, writes Graham Lockwood

• When Watson and Hodge represent Labour we know we’re in trouble - weekly briefing

  

  Grassroots Momentum needs to re-assert itself to fend off this coup against Jeremy Corbyn, argues Lindsey German

• Manchester's new councillors and the fight against austerity

  

  How has the first year been for the new wave of Left Labour Councillors? Ben Clay, Councillor for Burnage in Manchester, spoke to Penny Hicks, Convenor of Manchester People’s Assembly

• Peak inequality: Britain's ticking time bomb - review

  

  Danny Dorling’s Peak Inequality provides powerful evidence of the damage that rising inequality has had across housing, education, health and demography, finds Sean Ledwith

• Red light for Amber

  

  As the effects of austerity make Hastings look more like a warzone than a seaside town, Amber Rudd looks on idly, reports Chrissy Brand

• Chuka's core values: privatisation, austerity and war

  

  What the 7 MPs who quit Labour have in common is their voting records supporting welfare cuts, privatisation and foreign intervention, writes Mona Kamal

• Austerity and the damage done: the crisis in mental health care

  

  Funding cuts are creating a problem that is spiralling out of control, with the young and poor hit hardest, argues Mona Kamal

• The problems in the automotive industry go deeper than Brexit

  

  The announcement of lay-offs in the automotive industry demands an effective response from Britain’s labour movement, writes Richard Allday in the first of his monthly series on industrial and trade union issues

• Essex got SOLE: library campaigners launch 'book raids' and protests against closures

  

  A vibrant campaign to save Essex libraries is gaining traction. Jean Quinn, teacher and National Education Union member, reports on how they are organising to stop the mass closures

• Marxism and the Brexit crisis

  

  The Brexit crisis is best understood through a strong methodological framework, argues John Rees

• Lambeth says 'keep our NHS public!'

  

  Despite the adverse weather conditions, local activists are giving their all to defend our NHS, reports Ellen Graubart

• The Yellow Vests movement and its implications - Counterfire Media Podcast

  

  Tom Lock Griffiths talks to Susan Ram, an activist based in France, about the Gilet Jaunes movement in France, its different elements, key demands and the implications for the British left in this episode of Counterfire Media's Podcast

• Yellow Vests join unions to agitate for a general strike in France

  

  Repudiating Macron’s ‘great national debate’, Yellow Vests join hands with trade unions and the radical left to build for a general strike, reports Susan Ram

• Workers from the MoJ and BEIS go on strike and take to the streets

  

  Despite the cold, picket lines outside the Ministry of Justice and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were vibrant and defiant, reports Shabbir Lakha

• It’s austerity, stupid

  

  Eyes on the prize that matters most, an end to both the Tory government and austerity, argues John Rees

• The meaning of the Yellow Vests

  

  Out on the streets of France, hard-hit working people are furiously repudiating austerity, sham democracy, and the neoliberal programme of President Emmanuel Macron, reports Susan Ram

• There's no refugee crisis in Britain, only a hostile environment and racist scapegoating

  

  The current Tory-manufactured “refugee crisis” is part of the same hostile environment that this government has created for its own citizens, argues Cathy Augustine

• No confidence in May, and no confidence in this failing government: a general election is the only option

  

  This government is sustained by class hatred alone.  But they are weak and we must keep up the pressure for a general election

• Movement gears up for fightback against austerity

  

  The Britain is Broken campaign is striking hard at the heart of austerity, writes Kevin Vickers

• They've got to go! General election now - Counterfire freesheet January 2019

  

  Tory Brexit crisis, the fightback against austerity, Eurovision boycott campaign, Trump and Syria, remembering Rosa Luxemburg, Yellow Vests and protests across Europe in this month's Counterfire Freesheet

• France 2019: Macron, Yellow Vests and class struggle

  

  Saturday saw the Gilets Jaunes revolt continue on a grand scale, as the President scrambles to repress the movement and cajole the public. John Mullen reports from Paris

• As the UK economy stalls, it's not Brexit we should blame

  

  Slowing productivity and neoliberal attacks on the public sector are prime causes for industrial slump and a debt crunch - not Brexit uncertainty, writes Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

• Yellow Vests against austerity march through London - photos

  

  Thousands of people marched through London wearing yellow vests and demanding a General Election, reports Shabbir Lakha

• New wave of protests in Serbia – opening new horizons?

  

  In the face of austerity and exploitation, the left must act as a counterweight to the established political order, argues Anja Ilic

• 12 reasons to protest on Saturday for a General Election Now

  

  The Tories have fashioned a Britain of destitution and booming social injustice. We need to mobilise to force a general election, writes William Hendy

• A tale of two austerities

  

  The UK’s brutal austerity regime is acting as a template for similar programmes across the Atlantic in Canada, reports John Clarke

• Our ten most popular articles of 2018

  

  The most popular articles on Counterfire this year

• ‘No Christmas for the bourgeoisie’: Protests erupt across Europe at the close of 2018

  

  Mass protests across Europe show that a new politics is on the horizon, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

• France's streets flooded with protest three days before Christmas

  

  The Yellow Vests outwitted Macron's repressive state forces to stage a surprise mobilisation in Paris and storm towns and roundabouts across France, reports Susan Ram

• Why the Yellow Vests revolt will haunt Macron's Christmas

  

  The movement has put poverty among workers at the centre of public debate and remains defiant amidst the slapdash handouts of an ailing neoliberal President, reports John Mullen

• There's only one way out of this mess, and that’s a general election – weekly briefing

  

  The Tories shan’t topple on their own, we need to build and maintain the pressure against them, argues Lindsey German

• France: unsubmissive and on the streets

  

  Feyzi Ismail reports from Paris, where the Gilets Jaunes have been demonstrating for the fourth weekend consecutively, and with more protests planned

• West Wales' warning to the Tories

  

  In one of the most deprived areas in northern Europe people have had enough, writes Jim Scott

• Austerity Britain is destroying our mental health

  

  As those most affected by austerity Britain blame themselves, we must turn attention to the real culprits, argues Karen Buckley

• Why you should be on the protest that could bring down the government

  

  John Rees on why the coming demonstration on the night of the Brexit vote could be the beginning of the end for the Tory government

• The far right can be stopped

  

  The UK far right, complete with distinct Nazi elements, is a clear and present danger, asserts Sofie Mason

• Class questions are the way to defeat austerity, not a rerun of the referendum - weekly briefing

  

  The Brexit blizzard is there to blind us; it's time to take out the Tories and that means a general election, argues Lindsey German

• The People's Assembly launch the Britain is Broken campaign

  

  Austerity has failed but it continues to wreak havoc for millions of people. Shabbir Lakha reports from the launch of a new campaign to end austerity

• 5 things a Corbyn government can't do if we stay in the EU

  

  If a Corbyn-led government is bound by the EU's framework, then it will face big obstacles in delivering its socialist policies, argues Tom Gibbs

• Beyond austerity: what should a radical economic policy look like?

  

  Let’s insist that future Labour policies confront inequality and material deprivation head on, argues Alex Snowdon

• About time to kick the Tories out

  

  This campaign by the People's Assembly will tour the country to unite those compaigning against the devastating effects of Austerity

• Food banks gone, rough sleeping gone: this is what the end of austerity should look like

  

  Austerity has fundamentally reshaped our society and continues to intensify inequality.  It must be ended and those responsible must be held to account, insists Counterfire

• The homelessness crisis deepens across North America

  

  Homelessness is spiralling out of control across the US and Canada as laws are enacted to criminalise rough sleepers, reports John Clarke

• Jeremy Corbyn joins teachers to demand an end to education cuts

  

  The National Education Union organised a march and rally in Westminster on Tuesday, declaring "enough is enough" and launched an indicative strike ballot

• End Foodbank Britain: General Election Now - Counterfire Freesheet December 2018

  

  Brexit crisis, arms sales to Yemen, the devastation caused by austerity, tackling the far right, Palestine, books of the year and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

• All hands on deck to save Theresa May’s ship from sinking – but what we need is a change of government - weekly briefing

  

  The establishment's operation to save May's Brexit deal is in full swing. We have to make sure they can't find a way out of this crisis, argues Lindsey German

• The Unity demo: towards a united front against fascism

  

  Today saw the biggest response yet to the emergent far right. Jack Hazeldine reports on a hopeful day of protest and the tasks ahead for the left

• Is austerity over? The picture from the North East shows it isn't

  

  Theresa May recently said that austerity was coming to an end. Tony Dowling from the People's Assembly North East explains why this isn't true

• Excising its credibility: Labour’s dilemma over top rate tax - weekly briefing

  

  Dealing with inequality should be central to a radical socialist project, not something to be sidestepped, argues Cameron Panting

• Britain is broken: we can't afford the Tories

  

  Campaigners are preparing for a new wave of activity to match the mood on the streets, reports Steph Pike

• Stop Tommy Robinson, All out for 17 November - Counterfire Freesheet November 2018

  

  Opposing the far right, people's vote, police racism, precarious workers, climate chaos, universal credit and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

• Doncaster says no to cuts

  

  Doncaster wants an end to austerity. The People's Assembly is working to achieve that

• Universal Credit: the cruellest cut

  

  The Tory government's welfare reform programme ruins lives and must be scrapped, argues Steph Pike

• We must stop Universal Credit now: it's already wrecking lives

  

  The government has pushed the full roll-out of Universal Credit further down the road, but we must stop it altogether, argues John Rees

• The Tories are destroying our schools, we need a socialist education policy

  

  The campaign against school funding cuts has attracted a lot of attention, but a socialist education policy can do much more than solve the funding crisis argues Judy Cox

• Another World Mental Health Day, another hollow Tory proposal

  

  Theresa May announcing a Suicide Prevention Minister to tackle the growing mental health problems that are a product of the austerity is empty rhetoric argues Mona Kamal

• Uber strike: precarious workers fight back

  

  Uber drivers organised a 24 hour strike and rallied at Uber offices against precarious working conditions and unfair pay, Shabbir Lakha reports

• Tories out! Birmingham marches against austerity

  

  The response to the Tory conference in Birmingham was suitably angry and clear in its demands, reports Ellen Graubert

• Fast food, pub and delivery workers strike across the country

  

  The Fast Food Shutdown - #FFS410 - sees TGI Fridays, McDonalds and Wetherspoons workers strike in nine workplaces, joined by UberEats couriers in at least six cities

• The Tories have no idea how to fix a broken Britain

  

  We can't afford the Tories, we need to get them out of office before any more damage is done, argues John Rees

• Austerity has broken Britain but the Tories are still committed to it

  

  The Tories are still wedded to austerity. Looking at the real-life consequences of the cuts, Jim Scott argues that we need to get the Tories out now

• Ontario becomes a testing ground for hyper austerity

  

  Creative organising and resistance are urgently needed as a rampant, austerity-bent Tory government carves its way through Ontario, reports John Clarke

• Bristol residents join the battle to save Hamilton House

  

  Opposing landlords’ plans to turn a community hub into luxury flats, workers and local residents held a vibrant protest in the streets and marched on City Hall, reports Ross Maidment

• The rhyming guide to austerity

  

  Fit to work assessments take money away from people who need it. Read Potent Whisper's story, and send us your own

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

  

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

• The limits of Keynesianism

  

  A Marxist critique of Keynesian economics and what that means post-financial crisis

• Why summer holidays are a time of dread and not joy for many families

  

  We are not a poor society, and should not be failing our children like this, argues Kelly Grahan

• Rural activism: tales from the sticks – part two

  

  In the second part of tales from the sticks, Jim Scott explains the birth and growth of a movement in rural Wales over the last 5 years

• Inequality and the City: CEO salaries soar while we still pay for the crash

  

  Falling wages in a growing economy and ever increasing pay for bosses show a system undeterred by crisis in consolidating wealth at the top of society, argues Josh Newman

• We’ve seen the largest rise in poverty since Thatcher: resistance is a necessity

  

  The latest figures on living standards tell us austerity’s class warfare is more dangerous than ever. Mass struggle is an urgent requirement, argues John Clarke

• Unclear and divisive: not the deal our NHS workers deserve

  

  NHS workers have been pressured into accepting a deliberately misleading deal, explains a health worker and union representative 

• Interest rates, wages and the UK economy

  

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

• Dear Amber Rudd, we're not left behind, we're being held back

  

  The former Home Secretary's desperate attempt to defend Tory policies in Hastings only shows how clueless she is, reports Chrissy Brand

• The Greek fires: a catastrophe fuelled by austerity

  

  The deadly toll of Attica's wildfires arises not just from climate change but years of austerity and neoliberal policies, writes Kevin Ovenden in Athens

• Grenfell: First the injury, now the insults

  

  With survivors and FBU firefighters now in the firing line, Julie Al-Hinai detects echoes of Hillsborough 

• To celebrate, but also to defend: be on the streets for our NHS this Saturday

  

  Join us in wishing the NHS a happy 70th Birthday and in standing up to defend it tomorrow in London

• Homelessness is rapidly rising - it's the product of a failed system

  

  The Tories are responsible for the huge growth in homelessness and rough sleeping, it'll take systemic change pushed from below to solve it argues Daryl Peach

• You’ll never edit Grenfell

  

  A spoken word response to Andrew O’Hagan’s ‘The Tower’ by Potent Whisper

• Justice for Grenfell: breaking the silence

  

  A year on from the Grenfell disaster, Julie Al-Hinai reminds us that whilst our grief can be silent, our anger must be clearly audible

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

  

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

• What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell?

  

  Thousands of people marched in silence on the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire in a powerful show of solidarity, reports Shabbir Lakha

• World Cup 2018: thirty two nations under a groove

  

  Will the World Cup which opens today be an orgy of petty-minded nationalism? Philosophy Football’s Mark Perryman doesn’t seem to think so

• Our NHS: Keep the fight on the streets - Counterfire Freesheet June 2018

  

  Fighting for our NHS, Ireland's abortion rights victory, Grenfell one year on, Dump Trump and more - Counterfire freesheet edition 026, June 2018

• The far right threat is real and we can't be complacent

  

  After the big Free Tommy Robinson rally in London, the entire left need to get serious about organising against the far right argues Shabbir Lakha

• They shall not pass: all out on 9th June

  

  The Democratic Football Lads Alliance is a plainly racist organisation; anti-racists need to make sure they stop them marching on 9th June argues Josh Newman

• The Italian coup and the growing crisis in the EU

  

  The unelected Italian President has carried out a soft coup which is highly undemocratic and which has thrown the country and the EU into mounting chaos, argues Chris Bambery

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

  

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

• Change is coming: be a part of it

  

  The upcoming National People’s Assembly, is a necessary step towards refreshing and refocusing the anti-austerity movement

• Rural activism: tales from the sticks – part one

  

  The Tories' ‘scatter-shot’ strategy has finally backfired on them and will eventually send them running for the hills argues Jim Scott

• University workers' statement on UCU ballot result

  

  The strike is over: our fight is not

• Basic Income: progressive cloak and neoliberal dagger

  

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

• Reject the UUK deal: we need to fight now

  

  In this open letter, university workers from across the country argue that we cannot accept the deal as it stands, and must fight for a No vote

• University strikes: employers’ retreat needs to be nailed down

  

  As UUK returns with a further offer, Des Freedman takes a look at the immediate options facing university staff involved in the dispute

• Newham says no to academisation

  

  The fight against academisation in the East End is on, with three schools taking strike action

• Bristol marches to demand justice for Grenfell 9 months on

  

  Ahead of the anniversary of the disaster the establishment will seek to depoliticise events, but we must mobilise in solidarity now more than ever, writes Tom Whittaker

• Spring budget: Business, as usual

  

  The Tories have no answers to the problems facing British society

• Lecturers' strike: the rank and file have spoken, now we have to take the lead

  

  Feyzi Ismail reports from outside UCU headquarters as the union’s Higher Education Committee votes to reject the employers’ derisory offer

• Time's up Theresa

  

  With the country in chaos, we need change now - keep up the pressure!

• On the Australian equal marriage plebiscite: beyond defeatism, moralism and the politics of scarcity

  

  Progressives have lessons to learn from the campaign, not least that when opportunities arise, the public debate ground must be seized

• Austerity: Osborne’s sickening complacency

  

  The real purpose of austerity is to clobber working people to benefit big business and the rich

• Lecturers' strike: Deepen the action, spread the support

  

  As the strike continues, we must up the ante, argues Des Freedman

• Theresa May tries to unite party with vacuous Brexit speech

  

  Theresa May has attempted to trump Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit speech but she still has no credibility

• Brexit and change

  

  As the next phase of Brexit kicks in, Brian Heron discusses what the arguments are and what underpins them

• What you can do to support the lecturers' strike

  

  As the strike continues we must keep the pressure on, argues Chris Nineham

• Economic murder: homeless man dies outside Parliament

  

  For seven years the Tory government has been waging economic terrorism against its own citizens - we must fight to kick them out, argues Steph Pike

• Biggest ever strike in higher education? UCU members prepare to defend pensions

  

  As education workers get ready to strike, Des Freedman, a professor at Goldsmiths University, tells us what we can do to support them

• Blood on their hands: NHS marchers call time on Tories

  

  The scale of the weekend’s emergency protest shows a movement that won’t wait for 2022, reports Jack Hazeldine

• Fund our NHS: Tens of thousands of people march through London - photos

  

  Tens of thousands of people marched through London yesterday to call for more funding for the NHS and an end to privatisation. Shabbir Lakha reports

• Homelessness: a crisis of epic proportions

  

  The shocking rise in homelessness is caused by a party that governs in the interests of the rich

• Neoliberalism has failed, the left can offer a political alternative

  

  The Carillion and NHS crises lay bare the failures of neoliberalism; we must fight to end this market madness

• Save the NHS - Counterfire Freesheet February 2018

  

  The Tory manufactured crisis in the NHS, Carillion, Labour, Palestine, Grenfell and more...

• We need real solutions, not tickboxing and tokenism

  

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

• Residents told they can't be safe until they pay £2m by multimillionaire landlord

  

  Freeholder forcing residents to pay £2m for their own safety is putting lives at risk by not removing Grenfell-style cladding from Croydon complex argues Shabbir Lakha

• Carillion collapse: why we need to end privatisation of the NHS

  

  The merry go round of rewarding private sector companies for profiting from our NHS must end along with the hand-in-glove approach it has with big business

• The NHS crisis is deliberate

  

  The ongoing crisis is manufactured as a precursor to further privatisation. Don't let the Tories fool you

• Jeremy Hunt should have been sacked, not promoted

  

  As part of her reshuffle, May has added Social Care to Jeremy Hunt's remit. The People's Assembly and Health Campaigns Together respond

• NHS Emergency Demonstration - model resolution

  

  The People's Assembly have drafted a model motion to submit to trade union branches, Trades Councils, CLPs and other campaign groups to support the NHS Emergency demonstration on Saturday 3 February

• Another world is possible: Download new anti-Tory track today

  

  Just one day left to get Captain Ska's "Sons and Daughters" onto the Official Christmas Charts and ensure the anti-austerity message is mainstream

• No one likes neoliberalism: the year that the mask slipped – weekly briefing

  

  The rollercoaster of polarisation was in full flow this year and shows no sign of relenting, writes Lindsey German

• Anti-Theresa May song could be No 1 at Christmas

  

  We don't want the Tories relaxing over the holiday period, so let's get this to number one this Christmas

• Rosa Luxemburg on the politics of poverty and homelessness

  

  This winter people are dying needlessly. Rosa Luxemburg reminds us that politics is about more than negotiations between competing states.

• A life sentence of low wages and public sector cuts - weekly briefing

  

  Despite dire forecasts for the economy and living standards, the Tories are continuing with more austerity. It can't go on argues Lindsey German

• Reactions to Budget 2017: resisting Foodbank Britain

  

  Despite heavy opposition and protests, Philip Hammond's budget continues with austerity. A short round up from Counterfire of some of the reactions.

• Autumn Budget: the misery continues

  

  Another budget, more austerity, argues Steph Pike. This time dressed up with a Christmas bow to keep the Tory dissenters quiet. This is what we expect

• A Scrooge Christmas on the cards - weekly briefing

  

  Now is the time to turn the tables on the Victorian values embedded in our society, argues Lindsey German  

• Not fit to govern - Counterfire freesheet November/December 2017

  

  Tory crisis, Catalonia, Universal credit, foreign policy, and more. Counterfire freesheet, November/December 2017

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

  

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

• Is Jeremy Corbyn ready to be Prime Minister: John Rees on TRT - video

  

  At a roundtable discussion on TRT World, John Rees talks about Jeremy Corbyn, his leadership and performance at the last general election.

• The current struggle in Brazil and the need to build a left-wing alternative

  

  It is necessary to go beyond electoral politics and build a movement from below that can mobilise all those who intend to combat austerity and the threat of fascism, argues Leonardo Pericles

• Universal Credit: pausing is not enough, abolish it

  

  Universal credit is not about 'reform', it's about the Tories penalising the poor, argues Steph Pike

• Teaching assistants: the results of resistance

  

  As teaching assistants in Durham accept a new pay offer, Megan Charlton debunks the myths about the dispute, and Bridget Yuill explains why she voted for the deal

• Now is the time to fight back - Counterfire Freesheet October 2017

  

  Tories in crisis, Catalonia, German elections and more - Counterfire freesheet edition 21, October 2017

• Why I took on Jacob Rees-Mogg and his despicable views on austerity

  

  Shabbir Lakha explains why the People's Assembly protested Jacob Rees-Mogg and takes on some of the myths around austerity

• A festival of resistance in Manchester as a united movement protests at the Tory conference

  

  As the Tories demonstrated their cluelessness, people from across the country demonstrated that another world is possible

• The most stunning pictures from the protest at the Tory party conference

  

  As the Tories held their conference in Manchester, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in opposition to a government that is hanging on by a thread

• Tories out! May must go

  

  We must build an organised opposition to the Tories

• Counterproductive and unjust: PCS to ballot members for pay cap strike

  

  The trade union is demanding that the limit on wages be scrapped immediately

• Scrap the Cap: Nurses take the fight to the Tories

  

  Thousands of nurses protested outside Parliament against the 1% Pay cap, the fight is very much on reports Shabbir Lakha.

• Are books in schools for reading or for balancing?

  

  Bridget Yuill from the Durham Teaching Assistants campaign looks at some of the wider issues raised by cost cutting in education

• Birmingham bin strike: the dust settles… for now

  

  Striking workers offer further evidence of a shifting industrial terrain, reports the Angry Trucker AKA Richard Allday

• 'May Days' - poem

  

  A poem by William Alderson on the current state of Britian

• Mayor of Bristol to lead protest against austerity

  

  The move by Marvin Rees provides a significant opportunity for the anti-austerity movement

• Carnival against the school cuts

  

  Many gathered over the weekend to oppose education cuts, reports Orlando Hill

• Education spending: austerity continues

  

  Justine Greening's spending announcement provides no comfort for schools, argues Judy Cox

• Kensington and Chelsea: a tale of two boroughs

  

  Doctor, activist and local resident Mona Kamal describes the genesis of a tragedy

• Nurses find 'magic money tree' and deliver it to Department of Health

  

  As the government flip-flops and flounders over the pay cap, nurses get their own back

• We shouldn't wait for the government to fall, we should bring it down

  

  Last weekend's demonstration once again showed that organisation is key in forcing change

• This is our time, but we have to organise - weekly briefing

  

  The left is on the front foot - we can't let this moment pass

• Ken Knight is the last person that should oversee Grenfell response

  

  The retired firefighter that is set to chair the response to the Grenfell disaster has a history of implementing austerity, writes this London firefighter

• Social Attitudes Survey: A major shift to the left

  

  The study's results validate Corbyn's strategy of holding Labour to principled positions and articulating alternatives to the Tories' failed economics

• Labour councils must stop implementing Tory cuts

  

  Times have changed and Labour-run councils need to stop implementing Tory cuts and make the needs of the people their priority, writes Mick Wattam

• Grenfell is not an accident - video

  

  A look at how the problems of class and austerity meant Grenfell could happen, with Judy Cox and Shabbir Lakha

• Kensington and Chelsea: a rotten borough

  

  The super-rich deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council that has been a driving force of social cleansing in the borough. Judy Cox reports.

• We need a new saying: 'safe as houses' just doesn't cut it anymore

  

  Cladding being tested from buildings around the country since Grenfell have all failed so far - housing isn't safe any more.

• Grenfell Tower fire: anger rising

  

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

• The Tories: a wretched apology for a government, clinging on to office - weekly briefing

  

  This is a government whose time is up

• The Grenfell Tower disaster exposes the deep class divide in our society

  

  The tragedy highlights the contempt with which the Tories treat working class people

• The Grenfell Tower fire could have been avoided: this government must be held responsible

  

  The accountability for this tragedy goes all the way up to the government, writes Mona Kamal

• Meanwhile in France, voters stayed away: A tale of two elections

  

  Is this really a surge in support for centrist politics?

• The Violence of Austerity

  

  The Violence of Austerity demonstrates the terrible impact of cuts and austerity. It shows why we must keep fighting for radical change, argues Ian Middlebrook

• Durham Teaching assistants: Behind closed doors? Or out in the open?

  

  The Durham Teaching assistants campaign is a lesson in organised resistance

• The genie of radicalism is out of the bottle

  

  Labour's manifesto marks a break from neoliberalism and the establishment's reaction to it shows that they are scared.

• It’s the Left that can beat Le Pen and fascism, not Macron

  

  With the fascist Le Pen winning a place in the the second round of the French election, Cameron Panting takes a look at how the Left should respond

• May the merciless

  

  As shattering arbitrary cuts to bereavement payments come into force this week, Kara Bryan exposes the sheer barbarity of austerity ideology

• Now is the time for nurses to fight back!

  

  As the government insults NHS staff once again, on the ground, a serious fightback is on the cards

• The movement is growing: teaching assistants on the front foot in Durham

  

  Durham teaching assistants brought together people from across the country in a huge show of solidarity

• The great academy rip off

  

  The free market in education is a disaster, and children are paying the price, writes Judy Cox

• Damaging, not dull: why Hammond's budget punishes the poor

  

  The Spring Budget shows that the Tories are still pushing an agenda of austerity that benefits the rich and punishes the poor argues Chris Nineham

• NHS in crisis - interview with Aislinn Macklin-Doherty

  

  “The NHS is the fairest and most efficient health care system that can exist.” Peter Stäuber talks to Aislinn Macklin-Doherty, an activist and Junior Doctor.

• NHS: the fight of our lives is on

  

  The NHS remains our prime battle in the war against austerity, asserts Cameron Panting

• Fantastic march for our NHS

  

  A huge 'Our NHS' demonstration was passionately addressed by Jeremy Corbyn. He must be a part of the movement for change, argues Lindsey German

• NHS: Britain is in a humanitarian crisis

  

  The roots of the precarious state of our welfare system lie in the Tories' austerity policies, writes Ollie Turnbull

• There’s only one minority to blame for the NHS crisis

  

  It’s the tiny minority of the Tory government and their corporate friends, and we must all protest their attempts to destroy this valuable public institution on March 4th, insists William Hendy

• A defence of the free movement of labour

  

  Low wages are not caused by immigration, but by a profoundly anti-working class economic approach, writes Richard Allday

• French Elections 2017: Islamophobia, austerity and the left

  

  A thorough analysis by John Mullen of the role of austerity and Islamophobia in the upcoming French elections and what the prospects for a radical left alternative are.

• Fight to save our NHS

  

  The NHS is in a crisis the Tories created

• Only a People‘s Brexit will bring the change we need

  

  We need to get organised in order to avert the economic and ecological disaster that the Tories' Brexit will cause

• NHS: close to breaking point

  

  There will always be forces that seek to destroy the NHS, so the fight to defend it must be one that every generation takes on, writes junior doctor Mona Kamal

• Jeremy Hunt must go: the fightback can’t wait

  

  The health secretary’s lies are part of a strategy to undermine and destroy the NHS, and we must all take a stand now

• Boiling point: the crises created by neoliberalism

  

  The crises facing the NHS, London Underground and housing are just a few examples of the results of austerity and privatisation argues Lindsey German

• Lindsey German debates Brexit on Sky News - video

  

  Lindsey German debates the issues surrounding Brexit with Michael Gove and others on Sky News

• NHS: a manufactured crisis

  

  We must mobilise against the biggest threat to our healthcare service in history, writes Danielle Tiplady

• Rail rip-off: uniting to campaign for renationalisation

  

  The campaign to renationalise the railways is heating up but the TSSA video is not the way to go argues Mick Wattam

• Brexit and the left: uniting to take control of the debate

  

  John Rees makes the case for the left need to unite around key issues to end the dominance of the right in the Brexit debate

• Pride, solidarity, anger and hope: 2016 for Durham Teaching Assistants

  

  Durham Teaching Assistants' year of resistance is summed up by Megan Charlton

• What happened to the Christmas of discontent?

  

  Despite the media's pre-Christmas strike hysteria the strikes didn't take place - Richard Allday examines why

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

  

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