National

If I hear the term ‘hardworking families’ once more I think I am going to scream, says Micheline Mason. They apparently are the only people worthy of our respect and support.  All the rest of us scrounging idle unmarried pretenders who contribute nothing and absorb huge proportions of the national income getting old and fat […] Read more »

The national meeting of supporters of the Left Unity project on Saturday 11 May 2013 was a significant step towards the formation of a new party, says Nick Wrack. Exactly what sort of party it will be still has to be decided. Will it be an explicit socialist party, as Ken Loach clearly wants it […] Read more »

Bianca Todd from Northampton Left Unity reports on the Nottingham People’s Assembly We are talking about actions, not words. People don’t want any more debates, for the sake of talking, they want action, an opportunity to roll their sleeves up and get dirty in the fight against the austerity measures; which is why the People’s […] Read more »

Haringey Left Unity supporter Joe Lo looks at what we can learn from the King Blues. Last year I went to a gig in Sheffield with two artists performing who I think represent the two paths Left Unity can go down. Headlining was Billy Bragg who’s been barking earnestly away for 30 years whilst society’s […] Read more »

Felicity Dowling was recently elected to Left Unity’s National Co-ordinating Group. Here she sets out her assessment of the political context in which we are working. In May 2013 we can see real and concrete gains for the very rich. Austerity is working for them. It is transferring wealth from the workers and their communities […] Read more »

Bob Williams-Findlay is a disabled activist with experience inside the public and third sectors. He argues that there is more to the Big Society than meets the eye. “The writer’s mission is not to report but to struggle; not to  play the spectator but to intervene actively” Walter Benjamin Introduction Over the past eighteen months […] Read more »

Sophie Katz discusses the rise and significance of Nigel Farage, drawing on an analysis of the the historical role of charismatic leaders in political movements. Like a character out of an Evelyn Waugh novel appears Nigel Farage; a public school boy son of a Home Counties banker, in the book you would expect him to […] Read more »

  Since his appointment as Education Secretary in 2010, Michael Gove has been intent on ‘reforming’ the school history curriculum, managing to alienate even some of his right-wing advisors in the attempt. Gove has argued that Britain’s status as an island is core to our history. Keith Flett thinks that he might have a point […] Read more »

Left Unity supporter Salman Shaheen argues the case for a new party on the Red Pepper blog.  When Ken Loach launched an appeal to discuss founding a new party to the left of Labour in March, it sparked a wave of enthusiasm. Within a few weeks, more than 8,000 people signed up and around 100 […] Read more »

David Smith, the campaigns officer for the Leeds Green party and a member of the Green left offers some personal views on the state of left politics. UKIP 192 councillors (but there are ongoing defections) 11 MEPs (but again possible defections) Parish councillors?   Green Party 141 principle authority Councillors 14 Scottish Councillors 2 MSP […] Read more »