Articles
Sunday, February 4, 2024
This year will see a general election in the UK. At present it looks like a safe bet that the Tories will lose and Labour will win. Is there any more to say? With media pundits taking up airtime and webpages with their endless, repetitious prognostications it will certainly feel like there is not. However, there are real questions about the direction of Labour and the future of the Tories.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
BAE systems manufactures armaments, warships, tanks and war planes. It is raking in huge profits from the war in Ukraine – in 2022 it made £2.5 billion, up 12.5%. The company is critical to the projection of British power. As such it has strong links to politicians, universities and think tanks. These links help it promote its interests and paints a picture of the British military-industrial complex at work.
Thursday, September 21, 2023
More cash is being earmarked for weapons, including for the war in Ukraine, but are the people’s interests best served by sacrificing their living standards to the military build-up or would they be better served by Britain taking a different path? The world is shifting, with new alliances emerging in the global South, resisting western diktats. So shouldn’t we consider abandoning the NATO alliance which only promotes imperialism and war, very different from the people’s interests, and join developments, such as BRICS, which emphasise collaboration and which challenge US dominance.
Monday, September 18, 2023
50 years on from the coup against Salvador Allende's Popular Unity government new research has exposed the role of British governments in undermining Chilean democracy which started even before Allende came to power. Along with the United States it played its part in destablising the country, paving the way for the coup.
Friday, September 15, 2023
The Tory Party still has major problems. It is riven with divisions and is deeply unpopular. Polls are predicting a landslide Labour victory, but that is not set in stone. Keir Starmer's strategy is very weak. He has few actual policies to offer voters and those he has often track those of the Tories. This is not likely to inspire the electorate. His Party management, excluding those who disagree with him will demotivate Party members. This leaves him dependent on the support of the establishment media - something which could change.
Friday, May 19, 2023
The crisis engulfing the Scottish National Party could provide the opportunity to up the level of class struggle in Scotland by focusing on a working-class agenda independent of attitudes to the constitution - whether people are for or against independence or some other option. The all-consuming debate round the future constitutional status of Scotland has not advanced working-class interests. The meltdown in the SNP means that there is no immediate prospect of another independence referendum, so space has opened up for unambiguous class politics to take centre stage in Scotland if that opportunity is taken.
Monday, May 15, 2023
The Windsor Framework, agreed between the UK government and the EU, is supposed to deal with problems caused by Boris Johnson's hastily agreed Protocol which was part of his Brexit deal, but it still leaves many unsatisfactory provision in place. Furthermore it is unlikely to address the concerns of Unionists who opposed the original arrangement. Though violence has subsided Northern Ireland's politics remain deeply divided along sectarian lines. The power-sharing arrangements put in place by the Good Friday agreement have enabled sectional interests to block legislation and currently prevent the Assembly in Stormont from meeting. Although its successes should not be denied, 25 years on it needs to be reviewed
Sunday, May 14, 2023
There is widespread public support for increased taxation of wealth. Politically the demand is helpful because it focuses attention on the small number of very wealthy people in society and the rising level of inequality.