Articles

Bring on Labour’s National Education Service, Ending Ofsted Means Ending a System That Fails Children
Until recently Labour’s flagship education policy was as vague as it was exciting. This changed at last month's Labour Conference when a full picture of the party's proposed National Education Service emerged for the first time: it will be a full throttled attack on neoliberalism in education, argues teacher James McAsh, including the scrapping of Ofsted. 
Western Governments May Have Abandoned the Kurds but Let’s Not Abandon Hope and Solidarity
Abandoned by the West, Kurdish-led democratic forces in Syria have been left with a choice between ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Turkish state or compromising their independence by reaching an agreement with Damascus. Chris Strafford argues this is not the time for allies in the UK to abandon hope or solidarity.
John McDonnell’s Triangulation Risks Endangering the Corbyn Project
Few Labour Party figures generate as much enthusiasm as John McDonnell, whose department has been both crucible and inspiration for some of the most exciting new economic thinking on the Left for a generation. But his controversial GQ interview with Alastair Campbell is difficult to either rationalise or defend, argues Holly Rigby. 
Who’s Laughing Now? Joker, Violence and Sad White Men
Part origin story, part rock opera of ultraviolence, Joker been called an unflinching masterpiece by some critics and derided as a shallow handbook for incels by others. Eleanor Penny argues it's neither - but it does tell us something about a society which can simultaneously decry and forgive the violence of white men.
Polish Election: A United Left Is Confronting Bigotry
In an election season otherwise blighted by homophobia, a new left alliance is set to take an unapologetic social programme into parliament in Poland's upcoming election. Despite the likelihood of the ruling Law and Justice party securing another victory, Ana Oppenheim argues the campaign trail has at least firmly put the left back on the political map.
Dead on Arrival: Why Johnson’s Irish Border Proposals Don’t Offer a Way Around the Backstop
Today Boris Johnson will attempt to persuade Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar of his 'alternative' border proposals. But with Ireland owing the British government nothing, Patrick Geddis argues there's no way out of the backstop if the Johnson is to get a Brexit deal.
What to Expect in Canada’s Election Where Populism Isn’t on the Ballot Paper
Like it or not, the upcoming federal (general) election in Canada is all about Justin Trudeau and whether he can hold on as prime minister. Joe Ryle considers his chances of winning on 21 October.
Sex Education in the UK Must Be Transformed
With the government issuing new legislation to change sex education in schools, Natalie Fiennes argues that this new curriculum must be a radical one. 
It’s Time to Celebrate a Black British History Month in Our Schools
This month, children across the UK will learn about the lives of popular figures from Black history. But with Black Britons generally overlooked in favour of more familiar figures like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela, Darell J Philips argues it is time to make sure Black British history is taught in schools too.
The World Transformed Showed How Much the Labour Party Has to Learn About Feminism
Political festival The World Transformed put feminism front and centre, showing how it is essential to a meaningful left politics. But the Labour Party failed to listen to activists by not showing solidarity with trans people or sex workers.
Brexit has catalysed a push for Irish reunification, but a deeper crisis lay the foundations

Brexit has acted as a catalyst towards a border poll in Northern Ireland, escalating existing tensions and exposing political fault lines. 
Can Anarchism Offer a Solution to Brexit Paralysis and Chaos in Parliament?
Brexit paralysis bears out anarchists' long-standing critique of representative government and majoritarianism. Meanwhile the prime minister's failed attempt to prorogue parliament and other recent abuses of executive power have reignited a debate about the need for a written constitution in the UK. In this context, what can we learn from the long history of anarchist constitutionalising, which rejects the idea of 'the will of the people' in any guise and proposes an organisational alternative based on horizontalism and decentralised federation?
The Imagined Genius of Dominic Cummings
While there seems to be no stopping the obsession with Dominic Cummings we must not join the establishment media in embracing the mythology of his genius, writes Joe Duffy.  
Johnson’s Nigerian Prison Has Been Scrapped, but His Law and Order Agenda Is Still Racist
Boris Johnson’s plan to pay for the expansion of a Nigerian prison has fallen through, according to information obtained by FOI request. While the project's cancellation exemplifies Johnson’s habit of making ill-conceived promises he can't keep, the proposal itself offers important insight into our new prime minister's wider carceral colonial vision of “law and order” - a vision he is currently trying to implement in the UK.
Labour Conference Belongs to Members, so Why Are Police Allowed to Shut Activists Out?
Police have attempted to ban activists from Labour Party conference again this year, despite being sued for doing so in 2017. Chris Saltmarsh was targeted for his climate activism and argues the system must change to stop cops being able to veto party members.
Why the Environmental Crisis Requires a Green New Deal for Nature
Confronted with climate change, a biodiversity crisis and the degradation of rural land, Simon Lewis proposes it's time to put rewilding back on the agenda as part of a Green New Deal for Nature.
Climate Strike: ‘I Don’t Want to Have Acid Rain Because I Hate Dying’
We asked protesters, from six to 60 plus, why they were striking for the planet.
How a Green New Deal Would Reignite Corbynism
Beyond its policy ambitions, the momentum gathered by the Labour for a Green New Deal campaign shows the way forward in injecting Corbynism with a new lease of life ahead of an election, argues Chris Saltmarsh.