Austerity

Austerity

• This pandemic hit when our NHS was at its very weakest

  

  Dr Mona Kamal speaking at the Arise Festival closing rally on the NHS and the pandemic

• ‘This is a campaign for all of us’: TfL workers rally against job and service cuts

  

  This critical campaign provides a model to the kind of movement that will be needed to protect jobs and win improved public services, says Kate O'Neil

• Calling all NHS staff: it's time to get organised

  

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

• Women, coronavirus and austerity

  

  The coronavirus crisis is disproportionately impacting women who have already been hardest-hit by ten years of Tory austerity, argues Karen Buckley

• The NHS is 72: why we must fight to defend it

  

  As the NHS turns 72, it is under threat from the free-market dogma that has been underfunding and privatising it, writes John Westmoreland

• The Tories have chipped away at the NHS for years and now it's under threat

  

  The NHS isn't failing, its been under attack through austerity and stealth privatisation for years, says Alia Butt

• Three years on from Grenfell and people still aren't safe

  

  Tragedies like Grenfell are an inevitable consequence of placing profit over lives and this week at Ferrier Point was too close, reports Lucy Nichols

• Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways - review

  

  Morgan Daniels reviews 'Rough and Rowdy Ways', the latest studio album from Bob Dylan

• The Coronavirus debt: why we shouldn't pay it back

  

  The ruling class will use the same tricks as in 2010 to justify more austerity. Susan Newman argues that nothing less than total economic transformation will do.

• Back to school - what we should do differently in education

  

  The closing of schools to the majority of children has given us pause for thought. We can't go back to doing things the same way, argues Karen Parkin

• 'Are there no food banks?' The Poor Laws and Charles Dickens at 150

  

  Dickens’s acute observations of social inequality illuminate the cruelty of our government 150 years after his death, says Katherine Connelly

• Coronavirus: death rate higher if you’re poor and BAME

  

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

• Tories can be beaten over schools reopening

  

  Lockdown has reinvigorated resistance to the Tory plan for education, with a return to school on June 1st being strongly challenged

• Crisis capitalism: why state intervention is not socialism

  

  Capitalism hasn't been suspended. Change that benefits ordinary people can only come by pressure from below, argues Dominic Alexander

• Austerity reloaded: Tories want us to pay for crisis

  

  The Tories are talking about more austerity and we need to shut it down, argues Kevin Potter 

• Why does Sadiq Khan say that Transport for London has no money?

  

  Transport for London’s problems go back far further than the virus to Thatcherite spending cuts and austerity, argues Kevin Crane

• After the lockdowns what sort of world economy will emerge?

  

  With the global economy facing the biggest downturn in 150 years, there will be no return to 'normal', argues Michael Roberts

• Coronavirus: a test for Europe

  

  The pandemic is proving to be a test for European solidarity and is adding strain to an already fragile EU, argues Alan McGuire from Madrid

• UK's national scandal: time for accountability and change

  

  In this thorough and damning account of the government's catastrophic failures dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Raisa Ahmed argues we cannot return to 'normal'

• The government must commit to end homelessness for good, not just during COVID-19

  

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

• When capitalism turns caring for the vulnerable into a burden

  

  The resurgence of DNACPR should be challenged, the idea that one life is more worthy than another could lead to dangerous consequences, argues Elly Badcock

• Do not resuscitate: how the Tories are targeting the weak and old

  

  Elderly and disabled people being asked to refuse treatment shows the Tories are sticking with herd immunity and it's unacceptable, argues Lucy Nichols

• Austerity has left the NHS unable to deal with this pandemic effectively - video

  

  Mona Kamal speaks to Double Down News about the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic which has come at a time when the NHS is at its weakest

• The virus makes you ill but it's the government that kills you

  

  The Rhyming Guide to Covid-19

• Millions clapped for our NHS in a show of mass solidarity - video roundup

  

  Millions of people around the country mobilised en masse in from their homes in a moving tribute to the NHS and brave healthcare workers

• Coroneconomy: What is the economy and what should it be

  

  In the first of a three-part series on the economy, Susan Newman examines what Coronavirus has revealed about the economy and what we should be calling for

• Johnson squandered precious time to deal with Covid-19, NHS workers demand urgent action

  

  Austerity has put the NHS in dire straits, and government inaction now is limiting the NHS further in its ability to tackle the outbreak, writes Mona Kamal

• The viral bug that crashed the economy

  

  The seeds for the economic meltdown that we face now were planted a long time ago, says David Bush

• The People vs The Government - People's Assembly statement

  

  The People's Assembly Against Austerity's statement on the coronavirus crisis and the demands we're making

• St Mungo's workers to begin three-day strike action

  

  Workers at St Mungo's are beginning strike action after management continues to prioritise cost-efficiency over services or working conditions, reports Mark Evans

• Austerity isn't over, the movement must bring back the resistance

  

  The People's Assembly's national watch party outlined how Tory austerity is continuing and how the anti-austerity movement must respond, reports Isabel Carr

• Sunak just proved you can spend big but still back the rich

  

  The budget big spend offers nothing to working people argues Chris Nineham

• ‘Don’t mourn, organise!’ - Time to rebuild the resistance

  

  As the People's Assembly hosts a series of events, Tony Dowling discusses the prospects for resistance in the streets and workplaces

• 10 years of Counterfire

  

  Marking ten years since the launch of Counterfire, Alex Snowdon reflects on why the organisation was set up and some of what we have achieved in the last decade

• No Limits. The Disabled People's Movement: A Radical History - book review

  

  A history of the disabled people’s movement highlights its historical successes, as well as showing how and why a new fightback is needed, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh

• Class and the Coronavirus

  

  We have to challenge the government’s response to Coronavirus which threatens to hit the poorest hardest and fails to address the structural problems around public health, argues Katherine Connelly 

• An avoidable disaster: Floods, austerity and the damage done

  

  Kevin Potter reports from Wales on the impact and causes of record flooding

• Windrush all over again: Johnson's racist society takes shape

  

  Boris Johnson's hard-right government have shown their authoritarian hand in defying the courts to deport dozens of British-Jamaicans with spurious justifications, reports Mona Kamal

• The Tories and the directions of travel

  

  Martin Hall assesses which way Boris Johnson's government is heading and the contradictions he faces

• Ten books to shake 2020

  

  Want to turn the world upside down in 2020? Philosophy Football’sMark Perrymanhas found ten books to help us on the way

• Liverpool takes a stand

  

  Jim Lucas looks at what led Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson to head for a collision with the government 

• Retreat is a luxury the left cannot afford

  

  The left must turn to rebuilding dynamic extra-parliamentary resistance to the Tories 

• Enough is enough: Liverpool Mayor stands up to Tory cuts

  

  After the Tories announced a new round of cuts, Liverpool's Mayor Anderson spoke out and refused to implement them, reports Madeline Heneghan

• Johnson’s government is not invincible

  

  Prospects for stopping the Tories can appear bleak following the general election, but Alex Snowdon argues that there are reasons to be hopeful

• Rising up from the streets

  

  The recent election result will mean misery for the most vulnerable, but people with experience living on the street are fighting to resist, reports Norbert Lawrie

• Looking ahead: how the Left can win

  

  Looking at how we got to where we are, Tony Dowling argues that the left must pivot to the streets

• Honouring Iain Duncan Smith is an insult to his victims

  

  The decimator of the welfare system and the architect of Universal Credit who has caused so much death and misery should not be honoured, argues Mona Kamal

• Macron had a bad month, but what will it take to break his pensions bill?

  

  An update from Paris on the ongoing protests and strike action against Macron's pension reform bill by John Mullen

• Beyond the Labour leadership election: let's not wait until 2024 for change

  

  Strategy is important for the left now and it must go beyond who leads Labour next, argues Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

• Young people didn't vote for Boris and they will stand against him

  

  Young people fought for Corbyn but will now face another Tory government. We need to channel our anger into activism, argues Lucy Nichols

• Hastings and Rye set to turn red - campaign report

  

  Chrissy Brand reports from Hastings and Rye where the tiny Tory majority of 346 votes in 2017 is set to be overturned by Labour

• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism - book review

  

  The Age of Surveillance Capitalism raises important questions about the authoritarian use of digital technologies, but the solution needs to be radical, argues Reece Goscinski

• Junior doctor: The NHS will not survive another 5 years of the Tories

  

  Only a Corbyn government can save the NHS, it's now or never, says junior doctor Raisa Ahmed

• Decade of austerity: 10 reasons to get the Tories out

  

  Tory PM Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to pretend that ten years of Tory rule are nothing to do with him, argues Alex Snowdon 

• Mental health: a very political crisis

  

  A psychologist working in the community speaks out on the mental health crisis

• The Corbyn effect in Scotland - campaign report

  

  Jeremy Corbyn's Labour is offering hope in Scotland, reports Mark Porciani from the campaign trail in Glasgow North East

• It's official: a vote for the Lib Dems is a vote for a Tory government

  

  The Lib Dems admitting they would prop up a Boris Johnson-led Tory government should end all talk of tactical voting, argues Chris Nineham

• Bolton fire: the Tories have learnt nothing from Grenfell

  

  Ignored warnings show working-class lives mean nothing to the Tories, writes Lucy Nichols

• Flooding misery: the consequences of climate change and austerity

  

  The flooding of hundreds of Doncaster homes was probably caused in the first instance by climate change, but the devastation wreaked on families was avoidable, argues local resident John Westmoreland

• Why tactical voting is a bad idea

  

  Tactical voting benefits the Lib Dems and is a block to a people-powered movement for change, argues Dragan Plavšić

• What the government wants us to forget on Remembrance Day

  

  Poppies must not distract us from the Tories' contempt for the working class, writes Mona Kamal 

• A very Chilean uprising: Piñera forced to backtrack neoliberal programme

  

  Chile's uprising began with school pupils protesting and escalated to a general strike. Is this the beginning of the end of neoliberalism in Latin America?

• Boris Johnson should be booed out of every NHS hospital in Britain

  

  We are beyond the hypothetical. We must vote the Tories out or lose our NHS, argues Mona Kamal

• It’s common sense, Jacob Rees-Mogg should be sacked

  

  Jacob Rees-Mogg’s comments blaming Grenfell victims for their own deaths is beyond outrageous, writes Shabbir Lakha

• Sorry We Missed You: essential viewing in a Britain broken by capitalism

  

  Steve Jack reviews the latest film from the self-effacing firebrand and king of social realism, Ken Loach

• How Labour can win the election

  

  Mobilising the labour movement behind a radical anti-austerity programme is Corbyn's best bet to win, writes David McAllister

• It's going to be a tough battle, but Labour can win

  

  There is only one way to get a government which wants to improve working people's lives - and that's by voting for Corbyn, argues Lindsey German

• It's the government not the firefighters who are to blame for Grenfell

  

  The Grenfell inquiry is trying to shift the responsibility for the Grenfell tower fire onto the brave firefighters that risked their lives, reports Lucy Nichols

• The hostile environment and Fortress Europe are responsible for the 39 dead

  

  The shameful Tory and EU policies stopping safe passage for refugees are the cause of the tragic deaths of 39 people in the back of a lorry, argues Mona Kamal

• From protest to revolt in days: a new phase of global resistance

  

  Insurgent protest is spreading across the globe like wildfire as people take to the streets demanding fundamental change, writes Chris Nineham

• Ecuador: victory for the popular protest

  

  Though the fight is far from over, Ecuador's indigenous-led anti-austerity movement has won a major concession from the government, reports Jonathan Maunders

• Ecuador: the people demand change

  

  Ecuador says no to neoliberalism and austerity. Jonathan Maunders suggests why

• Kick out the crooks - Counterfire freesheet October 2019

  

  Tory crisis, Corbynism, drive to war with Iran, austerity, climate strikes and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

• Why join Counterfire?

  

  We need a bigger, stronger extra-parliamentary left.

• Conservative Party Conference: don’t be fooled by the confidence trick

  

  Conservative Party Conference revealed the Tories are weak but are relying on the Labour right to help them out, argues Katherine Connelly

• Stop Boris' Coup - Counterfire Freesheet September 2019

  

  All out for 29 September: Protest the Tory Party Conference, Central Manchester. Plus social care crisis, William Blake: artist and radical, how we won democracy, India's crackdown on Kashmir and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

• Kids in containers: austerity hits new depths

  

  The crisis in UK social care has to be confronted, writes Lucy Nichols

• Suicide rates at 20 year high: an indictment of Tory austerity

  

  Rising suicide rates show the monumental human cost of Tory austerity and why we urgently need to get them out of power, argues Mona Kamal

• Stop Boris Johnson - general election now!

  

  We need the Tories out now to end austerity and transform society: Lindsey German at the People's Assembly Against Austerity demo

• Labour can only expose Johnson if they represent a radical opposition

  

  Labour needs to champion democracy to counter Boris Johnson and put forward a class-based approach to overthrow the government, argues Alex Snowdon

• Don’t overestimate Boris Johnson…

  

  Working class voters will punish any Labour delay in taking down the Tories, argues John Rees

• Johnson's schools revolution? Beware the hype

  

  New promises of more spending in schools reflect enormous popular pressure on the Tories but do not match what is required, argues Alex Snowdon

• The Tories' vision: work until you die

  

  The latest Tory proposal to raise the pension age to 75 is insidious, argues Jacqueline Mulhallen

• DWP deaths make me sick: shrouds on tour 2019

  

  Vince Laws contacted us about his upcoming exhibitions and we are happy to share his press release on Counterfire

• Boris Johnson’s law and order proposals are a scam

  

  As ever, Boris Johnson's gung-ho attitude is designed to distract, writes Eleftheria Kousta

• Peterloo: Manchester is still resisting

  

  Remembering Peterloo means keeping the fight on the streets, writes Penny Hicks

• Britain's Trump: why we must bring down Boris Johnson's alt-right government

  

  Boris Johnson is 'turbo-charging' racism and inequality in Britain with his alt-right cabinet committed to austerity, argues Sean Ledwith

• Boris Johnson is a racist, sexist, warmonger who must be stopped - video

  

  "If you try to have a war with Iran... you will create a mass movement against war in this country of the sort that you haven’t seen in more than a decade"

• Not my Prime Minister - People's Assembly kicks off week of protest

  

  On the eve of Boris Johnson's coronation as Prime Minister, Londoners gathered outside Downing Street to show their opposition, reports Chrissy Brand

• Saving Essex libraries: protest works, so we'll keep campaigning

  

  NEU member Jean Quinn speaks with Katherine Connelly about the successes of the Save Our Libraries Essex campaign

• Miners' Gala shows we can kick back against the right

  

  The Miners' Gala showed how strong a left united against austerity can be, reports David McAllister

• Greece elections: the right is back in government

  

  The conservative right won the Greek election but didn't do as well as predicted, and the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn were wiped out, reports Kevin Ovenden

• Socialists should be trying to unite working people, not divide them - a reply to Paul Mason

  

  Responding to Paul Mason's latest article, Shabbir Lakha argues that the left needs to be trying to unite working people against austerity, not divide them over Brexit

• Boris Johnson as Prime Minister should not be tolerated

  

  Boris cannot be allowed to take control unopposed - we must demand a general election, argues Chris Nineham

• Corbynism wins in Peterborough

  

  Labour's by-election success in Peterborough is a vindication of the Corbyn project, argues Richard Allday

• The Brexit delusion: why you should vote Labour

  

  The only sensible option for the left in the EU elections is to vote for Labour, argues Shabbir Lakha

• 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 Richard Pratt

• 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 Richard Pratt

• 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