Austerity

The Tory horsemen of the inflation apocalypse

Work harder and longer, get a better job or learn to cook. This is the empty advice of the people in charge of the policies driving people into poverty, writes Terina Hine
PCS President Fran Heathcote calls for united resistance to stop 91,000 civil service job cuts

We won’t accept more cuts, says Fran Heathcote, National President of the Public and Communication Services Union, and calls on the whole trade union movement to step up the fight against the Tories
Workers’ uprising topples Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister

A cosmetic change of leadership will do nothing to address the deep-rooted crisis on the South Asian island, writes Sean Ledwith
We can defeat the Tories, collectively

The scale and intertwined nature of the crises we face show that the problems are systemic and so the solutions must be collective, writes Karen Buckley
The war abroad, the war at home

The opposition to the attack on working people and the drive for more war - which go hand in hand - will come from the streets
We won't pay for their war - Counterfire freesheet May 2022

The Palestinian struggle for liberation, code red for the climate, interview with a Russian anti-war activist, resisting the cost of living crisis and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Confronting connected crises: cost of living and the war

Resisting the cost of living crisis means opposing the war, writes Feyzi Ismail
General strike shuts down Greece: Collective working-class action has great power

Greek workers shutdown the country in a national 24-hour general strike calling for higher wages in the face of rising costs and in clear opposition to war and militarism, reports Kevin Ovenden
'We won't pay!': Protesters take to the streets against Tory-made cost of living crisis

People's Assembly protests in towns and cities across the country raised opposition to the cost of living crisis and brought solidarity to sacked P&O workers
‘Gritty’ doesn’t cut it. Top Boy is back!

Top Boy is not an open criticism of the Tories but a criticism of the dire effects of austerity, neoliberalism and capitalism on communities like that of the Summerhouse Estate, writes Lucy Nichols
Interview with Alan Gibbons - video

As the rebellion against council cuts grows, Michael Lavalette interviews Liverpool anti-cuts councillor Alan Gibbons
The cost of living crisis is a political choice

As bills rocket and poverty increases, Terina Hine explains why it doesn’t have to be this way
Poverty in the Centres of Wealth

Austerity, the commodification of housing and chronic social inequality lead to death on the streets of Toronto, reports John Clarke
No to imperialism East or West - Counterfire freesheet March 2022

The war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, Nationality and Borders Bill, the emerging global militarism, wins for strikers and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
10 reasons to join the cost of living protests this Saturday

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

The government's scrapping of all Covid measures and dumping the costs of testing onto individuals is a political choice to sacrifice public health for profit, argues Terina Hine
Cost of living and the Tory assault: How we fight back

Terina Hine discusses the impacts of austerity mark-2 and the need to mobilise on 5 March as a united response from below
Mental health: an inhumane lack of care that will hinder all our futures

Tory cuts to mental health services are driving the mental health crisis and failing the very people who need the most support, writes Lucette Davies
We can't afford the Tories

John Rees looks at the battles ahead
Cost of living crisis: We must resist the Tory assault

The Tories want to make us pay to keep the rich profiting. The 12 Feb People's Assembly protests have to be the first step of the fightback, argues Shabbir Lakha
We will not pay for their energy crisis

Reuben Bard-Rosenberg explains why the energy price cap lift will hit the worst off the hardest, and urges everyone to join the People’s Assembly on the streets on 12 February
We can't afford the Tories: It's time to fight - Counterfire Freesheet February 2022

The cost of living crisis, institutionally sexist police, the victories for the working class in 1972, stopping war in Ukraine and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet
Super-rich Sunak says ‘adjust’ to poverty. We say: hit the streets

The government's energy price hike is an outrageous assault on working people that the movement has to fight, argues Chris Nineham
The idiocy of Sajid Javid's 'academy-style' NHS privatisation plan

Private healthcare doesn't plug a gap in the NHS, it's the drain depleting the NHS's resources, writes Alia Butt
Austerity won’t save London’s environment: It’s time for a peoples’ transport policy

Sadiq Khan's "clean air charge" plan is a greenwashing ploy while implementing cuts to London's public transport, argues Kieran Crowe
The roots of violence against children

Following the shocking murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, Michael Lavalette explains how the system lets down vulnerable children
The battle in the NHS isn't over, it's just beginning: Lessons from the GMB strike ballot

GMB organiser Helen O'Connor analyses the state of the NHS and the lessons to be learnt from the GMB ballot for trade unions organising health workers
'We're already strike-ready': London transport workers rally against planned TfL cuts

TfL workers sent a clear message to the Tories and Sadiq Khan that they are prepared to fight against cuts and attacks on their pay and conditions, reports Cici Washburn
Johnson’s Northern Powerhouse comes off the rails - CounterBlast

This government’s addiction to over-promising and under-delivering has now shown itself in transport policy, writes Sean Ledwith
Going down the tube: the threat to London’s transport

As the Tories prepare to inflict new cuts to London’s transport network and Sadiq Khan looks set to transfer the costs onto workers, the unions must get ready to fight
Sunak’s feelgood budget flop

Sunak’s much trailed budget didn’t match the hype argues Chris Nineham
Sunak’s smoke and mirrors - Counterblast

Wednesday’s much trailed budget will offer little of substance for working people argues Terina Hine
NHS worker: why Sunak’s six billion won’t solve our problems

There is no short-term fix, argues NHS worker Caitlin Southern, the NHS needs fundamental change, and staff will have to fight for it
Welfare that makes you ill: the cruelty of the DWP

Lucette Davies condemns the cruelty and inhumanity of Tory welfare policies, and argues that activism can make the difference that will force change
Austerity and law and order: why more police won’t help our communities

The problems of deprived communities cannot be reduced to issues of law and order. John Westmoreland reports from Hexthorpe in South Yorkshire
Now it’s neither heat nor eat – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Tory’s Universal Credit offensive and how our side needs to shift up a gear
Johnson is levelling up on lies - CounterBlast

The Tory leader’s conference speech demonstrated how out of touch he is with most British people’s predicaments, argues Sean Ledwith
The cruelty of the Tory Universal Credit cut

Government talk of ‘levelling up’ is cynical spin, as the £20 UC cut demonstrates a determination to punish the already poor, argues Steph Pike
Pandora's box: the shady world of tax-dodging Tony

At a time of rising costs and more austerity, the Pandora Papers reveal how the rich keep getting richer - by stealing from the rest of us, writes Terina Hine
We won't pay for their crisis - Counterfire Freesheet October 2021

The Tory crisis, an interview with Ken Loach on Starmer and the next steps for the left, urgent demands to stop climate breakdown and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
An unfriendly welcome: Tory party conference, Manchester 2021

As the Tories usher in more austerity, thousands march through Manchester in united opposition, reports Sam Colclough
Stop the Tory attacks on education - Staffroom Voice, Counterfire Schools Bulletin October 2021

This month's Counterfire Schools Bulletin on Tory cuts, climate change and refugees
NHS strikes on the table as health workers decisively reject pathetic Tory pay deal

GMB organiser Helen O'Connor explains why NHS workers have voted overwhelmingly to reject the 3% pay offer and are determined to fight back
Did someone say austerity was over? – weekly briefing

Alex Snowdon on universal credit crimes and building the Cop26 protests
Johnson reshuffle: a cabinet of none of the talents - CounterBlast

Changing faces in the Tory top team is just papering over the cracks of a rotten regime, writes Sean Ledwith
Universal Credit cut: catastrophe in the making

Terina Hine explains why the UC cut will be a disaster for millions of people, including children
“Staying quiet doesn’t work” - interview with a Staff Nurse

After being on the frontlines of the fight against the pandemic, health workers were rewarded with a pay cut by the Tories. Now they’re fighting back and demanding 15%. We spoke to Staff Nurse and activist Stacey Richardson about the conditions in the NHS and the campaign
The Tories' contempt for the working class knows no bounds

With the Tories revamping austerity and Starmer focused on attacking the left in Labour, the real opposition is on the streets
It's them or us: we can beat them if we fight - Counterfire Freesheet September 2021

Taking on the Tories, victory for Bexley strikers, interview with a Staff Nurse and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Resist the attack on higher education pensions

Counterfire UCU members argue that we must have one clear demand for strike action - a rejection of the 2020 pension valuation
'What we need is decent pay': NHS workers protest and prepare for industrial action

NHS workers rallied outside hospitals on Tuesday as unions hold ballots for possible industrial action against the government's derisory pay offer, reports Yonas Makoni
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

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Austerity

Austerity

Work harder and longer, get a better job or learn to cook. This is the empty advice of the people in charge of the policies driving people into poverty, writes Terina Hine

We won’t accept more cuts, says Fran Heathcote, National President of the Public and Communication Services Union, and calls on the whole trade union movement to step up the fight against the Tories

A cosmetic change of leadership will do nothing to address the deep-rooted crisis on the South Asian island, writes Sean Ledwith

The scale and intertwined nature of the crises we face show that the problems are systemic and so the solutions must be collective, writes Karen Buckley

The opposition to the attack on working people and the drive for more war - which go hand in hand - will come from the streets

The Palestinian struggle for liberation, code red for the climate, interview with a Russian anti-war activist, resisting the cost of living crisis and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

Resisting the cost of living crisis means opposing the war, writes Feyzi Ismail

Greek workers shutdown the country in a national 24-hour general strike calling for higher wages in the face of rising costs and in clear opposition to war and militarism, reports Kevin Ovenden

People's Assembly protests in towns and cities across the country raised opposition to the cost of living crisis and brought solidarity to sacked P&O workers

Top Boy is not an open criticism of the Tories but a criticism of the dire effects of austerity, neoliberalism and capitalism on communities like that of the Summerhouse Estate, writes Lucy Nichols

As the rebellion against council cuts grows, Michael Lavalette interviews Liverpool anti-cuts councillor Alan Gibbons

As bills rocket and poverty increases, Terina Hine explains why it doesn’t have to be this way

Austerity, the commodification of housing and chronic social inequality lead to death on the streets of Toronto, reports John Clarke

The war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, Nationality and Borders Bill, the emerging global militarism, wins for strikers and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

The upcoming People’s Assembly protests are a crucial opportunity to remind the Tories about the crisis at home, writes Sean Ledwith

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

Terina Hine discusses the impacts of austerity mark-2 and the need to mobilise on 5 March as a united response from below

Tory cuts to mental health services are driving the mental health crisis and failing the very people who need the most support, writes Lucette Davies

John Rees looks at the battles ahead

The Tories want to make us pay to keep the rich profiting. The 12 Feb People's Assembly protests have to be the first step of the fightback, argues Shabbir Lakha

Reuben Bard-Rosenberg explains why the energy price cap lift will hit the worst off the hardest, and urges everyone to join the People’s Assembly on the streets on 12 February

The cost of living crisis, institutionally sexist police, the victories for the working class in 1972, stopping war in Ukraine and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet

The government's energy price hike is an outrageous assault on working people that the movement has to fight, argues Chris Nineham

Private healthcare doesn't plug a gap in the NHS, it's the drain depleting the NHS's resources, writes Alia Butt

Sadiq Khan's "clean air charge" plan is a greenwashing ploy while implementing cuts to London's public transport, argues Kieran Crowe

Following the shocking murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, Michael Lavalette explains how the system lets down vulnerable children

GMB organiser Helen O'Connor analyses the state of the NHS and the lessons to be learnt from the GMB ballot for trade unions organising health workers

TfL workers sent a clear message to the Tories and Sadiq Khan that they are prepared to fight against cuts and attacks on their pay and conditions, reports Cici Washburn

This government’s addiction to over-promising and under-delivering has now shown itself in transport policy, writes Sean Ledwith

As the Tories prepare to inflict new cuts to London’s transport network and Sadiq Khan looks set to transfer the costs onto workers, the unions must get ready to fight

Sunak’s much trailed budget didn’t match the hype argues Chris Nineham

Wednesday’s much trailed budget will offer little of substance for working people argues Terina Hine

There is no short-term fix, argues NHS worker Caitlin Southern, the NHS needs fundamental change, and staff will have to fight for it

Lucette Davies condemns the cruelty and inhumanity of Tory welfare policies, and argues that activism can make the difference that will force change

The problems of deprived communities cannot be reduced to issues of law and order. John Westmoreland reports from Hexthorpe in South Yorkshire

Lindsey German on the Tory’s Universal Credit offensive and how our side needs to shift up a gear

The Tory leader’s conference speech demonstrated how out of touch he is with most British people’s predicaments, argues Sean Ledwith

Government talk of ‘levelling up’ is cynical spin, as the £20 UC cut demonstrates a determination to punish the already poor, argues Steph Pike

At a time of rising costs and more austerity, the Pandora Papers reveal how the rich keep getting richer - by stealing from the rest of us, writes Terina Hine

The Tory crisis, an interview with Ken Loach on Starmer and the next steps for the left, urgent demands to stop climate breakdown and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

As the Tories usher in more austerity, thousands march through Manchester in united opposition, reports Sam Colclough

This month's Counterfire Schools Bulletin on Tory cuts, climate change and refugees

GMB organiser Helen O'Connor explains why NHS workers have voted overwhelmingly to reject the 3% pay offer and are determined to fight back

Alex Snowdon on universal credit crimes and building the Cop26 protests

Changing faces in the Tory top team is just papering over the cracks of a rotten regime, writes Sean Ledwith

Terina Hine explains why the UC cut will be a disaster for millions of people, including children

After being on the frontlines of the fight against the pandemic, health workers were rewarded with a pay cut by the Tories. Now they’re fight­ing back and demanding 15%. We spoke to Staff Nurse and activist Stacey Richardson about the conditions in the NHS and the campaign

With the Tories revamping austerity and Starmer focused on attacking the left in Labour, the real opposition is on the streets

Taking on the Tories, victory for Bexley strikers, interview with a Staff Nurse and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

Counterfire UCU members argue that we must have one clear demand for strike action - a rejection of the 2020 pension valuation

NHS workers rallied outside hospitals on Tuesday as unions hold ballots for possible industrial action against the government's derisory pay offer, reports Yonas Makoni

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

After being on the frontlines of the fight against the pandemic, health workers were rewarded with a pay cut by the Tories. Now they’re fighting back and demanding 15%. We spoke to Staff Nurse and activist Stacey Richardson about the conditions in the NHS and the campaign