The board game Monopoly is a useful tool for understanding the transformation of ‘free market’ capitalism into monopoly capitalism. Under socialism, the monopolies can be nationalised and run for the benefit of the whole of society – not a tiny handful of capitalists.
A huge protest against Tory cuts and privatisation was seen in London on Saturday, as over 250,000 healthcare workers, trade unionists, and activists descended on the streets of London in defence of the NHS. This enormous display of anger must now become a platform for a mass political movement against the Tory government and their austerity.
John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor and veteran of the Labour Left, has warned of a “soft coup” being orchestrated to undermine Corbyn’s Labour leadership. Owen Jones, meanwhile, has called on Corbyn to stand down and “do a deal” with the Blairites in order to pass on the baton to a left successor. The only way forward for the Left, however, is to boldly go on the offensive.
Britain’s prisons are at boiling point, with overcrowding, long periods of lockdown, and increasing violence putting staff and inmates at severe risk of harm and even fatality. Vic Dale looks at the crisis developing inside Her Majesty’s Prison Service as a result of Tory cuts. The labour movement must fight back with united and militant action.
We publish here three short letters in which young workers in different sectors explain the conditions they face in the workplace. It is clear that young people across the country are forced to endure enormous exploitation and insecurity. The leaders of the labour movement need to take bold steps to organise young workers and guarantee decent pay and conditions for all.
“We are the lions” is an exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of the Grunwick strike, hosted at the Brent Musuem and Archives until 27th March. Ravi Mistry reviews the exhibition and explains the importance of this inspiring struggle.
Capitalist austerity is here to stay. This is the assessment of the serious commentators of big business and their Tory representatives. Hospitals and care homes are being closed. The health service is at breaking point. Homelessness is at a new high. The only way forward is on the basis of a socialist alternative. This is what Corbyn and the labour movement must fight for.
Campaigning has now begun for elections to the Kings College London Student Union (KCLSU) sabbatical positions. Joe Attard, President of the KCL Marxist Society, is standing for the position of vice president for postgraduate students on an explicitly political and socialist platform. We present here Joe’s manifesto. Postgrads and workers: unite and fight!
One century ago, in February 1917, the Russian masses rose up to overthrow the hated and rotten Tsarist regime. This marked the beginning of the 1917 Russian Revolution. Alan Woods examines the events surrounding the February Revolution, including the establishment of the Provisional Government and the stance of Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
Overworked doctors and nurses. Toddlers sleeping on chairs. A full blown humanitarian crisis. Such headlines of “NHS in crisis” in the mainstream media have become the norm. The truth is that, under the Tories, the National Health Service is crumbling before our very own eyes. The full force of the labour movement needs to be mobilised in defence of the NHS.
To commemorate the centenary of the Russian Revolution, Alan Woods, editor of In Defence of Marxism, provides a timeline analysis of 1917.
The cacophony of calls for Corbyn to fall on his sword has grown louder after Labour’s defeat in the Copeland by-election, with the Labour right wing more determined than ever to stick the knife in. Only by coming out fighting with a bold socialist programme can Corbyn and the Labour Left turn the situation around now.