Austerity

Don’t be fooled, Boris Johnson isn’t going to spend foreign aid money on the NHS

The cut to the foreign aid budget is symptomatic of Tory racism and a disdain for working class people at home and abroad, argues Lucy Nichols
Fighting for the NHS: Voices from the frontline in Wandsworth

Health activists in Wandsworth celebrate the NHS and call for patient safety, pay justice and an end to privatisation, reports Peter Bird
Resisting ‘rank and yank’: UCU fights job cuts at Liverpool University

Ahead of a rally on Monday, UCU’s battle to save jobs at Liverpool University is a critical fight for the whole sector
Why health workers are marching for the NHS at the People's Assembly demonstration

Health workers are sick of the government's betrayals and attacks, and this Saturday they'll be demanding a new normal writes, Caitlin Southern
Grenfell four years on: the fight for justice continues

Grenfell tower remains a haunting symbol of how little working class lives matter to this corrupt Tory government, writes Mona Kamal
Misdirection: The driverless trains illusion

Transport for London cuts represent a general assault on all transport workers and should be met with resistance from all transport unions, argues Unjum Mirza
The Queen's speech and what's in store: more austerity, less democracy - CounterBlast

The Tory agenda revealed in the Queen's Speech sets out a road to cuts and a clampdown on democratic rights, writes Terina Hine
'Global Britain': Boris Johnson's vision for more war

The Tory Integrated Review sets out a plan to spend money on nukes instead of nurses and expand Britain's imperialist role in the world, argues Terina Hine
Pitiful pay rise speaks volumes: 1% is beyond an insult

Health worker Alia Butt calls upon the labour movement to fight for fair pay for NHS staff
Sunak’s budget: austerity hasn’t gone away – CounterBlast

A few increases in state spending shouldn’t disguise a budget which offers nothing for working class people, argues Alex Snowdon
People’s Covid Inquiry: How Well Prepared was the NHS? – Report

The first session of the People’s Covid Inquiry shines a light on a decade of austerity which has stripped down the NHS and increased health inequalities, reports Karen McDougall
Are the Tories really ending privatisation in the NHS?

Despite the rhetoric of ‘taking back control’ of our NHS, the government’s leaked White Paper does not spell an end to profiteering, argues Caitlin Southern
Ecuador election: neoliberalism on its way out

Left candidate Arauz is in the lead after the first round of Ecuador’s election in a clear rejection of neoliberalism, reports Jonathan Maunders
We can and must stop the cuts to Universal Credit, let’s bang our pots

We cannot let the Tories get away with their wholesale attacks on the poorest in society, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg
Universal Credit uplift: Tories lose vote, now they must be forced to u-turn

The government’s defeat in Parliament is to be welcomed, but only pressure from below can save the £20 Universal Credit uplift – and go further, writes Steph Pike
Save Tower Hamlets libraries: council workers take a stand

Tower Hamlets Council workers and residents are taking action against plans to severely cut library services, reports Kridos Pavlou, Assistant Branch Secretary of Tower Hamlets Unison
Keep schools closed: the rush to return is deadly

With record case numbers and hospitalisations, and increasing deaths, returning to school next week would be catastrophic, writes a secondary school teacher
A teacher speaks out: they want to make us pay for the crisis - video

There is no justification for the public sector pay freeze, it's a slap in the face for teachers and key workers that have kept society running, says David McAllister
Why is there £21.5bn more for the military but no money for key workers?

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

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

The Tory spending review shows the government’s priority is to protect profits and making working class people pay, argues Shabbir Lakha
NHS worker: public sector pay freeze is an absolute injustice

The public sector pay freeze is a slap in the face for NHS workers and we need to push back against the government, says Alia Butt from NHS Staff Voices
Bombs and bosses’ bailouts while workers get pay freeze – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on second wave austerity, Starmer’s Labour party and Friedrich Engels
Croydon Council has gone bust because of austerity, and the most vulnerable will be made to pay

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
The Tory TfL stitch-up

The government’s eleventh-hour bailout has only deferred the TfL crisis, explains Unjum Mirza
We need a Zero-Covid strategy: our demands

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

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Austerity

Austerity

The cut to the foreign aid budget is symptomatic of Tory racism and a disdain for working class people at home and abroad, argues Lucy Nichols

Health activists in Wandsworth celebrate the NHS and call for patient safety, pay justice and an end to privatisation, reports Peter Bird

Ahead of a rally on Monday, UCU’s battle to save jobs at Liverpool University is a critical fight for the whole sector

Health workers are sick of the government's betrayals and attacks, and this Saturday they'll be demanding a new normal writes, Caitlin Southern

Grenfell tower remains a haunting symbol of how little working class lives matter to this corrupt Tory government, writes Mona Kamal

Transport for London cuts represent a general assault on all transport workers and should be met with resistance from all transport unions, argues Unjum Mirza

The Tory agenda revealed in the Queen's Speech sets out a road to cuts and a clampdown on democratic rights, writes Terina Hine

The Tory Integrated Review sets out a plan to spend money on nukes instead of nurses and expand Britain's imperialist role in the world, argues Terina Hine

Health worker Alia Butt calls upon the labour movement to fight for fair pay for NHS staff

A few increases in state spending shouldn’t disguise a budget which offers nothing for working class people, argues Alex Snowdon

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

Despite the rhetoric of ‘taking back control’ of our NHS, the government’s leaked White Paper does not spell an end to profiteering, argues Caitlin Southern

Left candidate Arauz is in the lead after the first round of Ecuador’s election in a clear rejection of neoliberalism, reports Jonathan Maunders

We cannot let the Tories get away with their wholesale attacks on the poorest in society, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg

The government’s defeat in Parliament is to be welcomed, but only pressure from below can save the £20 Universal Credit uplift – and go further, writes Steph Pike

Tower Hamlets Council workers and residents are taking action against plans to severely cut library services, reports Kridos Pavlou, Assistant Branch Secretary of Tower Hamlets Unison

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

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

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

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

Alex Snowdon on second wave austerity, Starmer’s Labour party and Friedrich Engels

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

The government’s eleventh-hour bailout has only deferred the TfL crisis, explains Unjum Mirza

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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'

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

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

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

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 Rhyming Guide to Covid-19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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