Big Tech’s Mission to Replace the Banks Will End in Tears
James Meadway
As long as profit is allowed to drive developments in fintech, the risks of catastrophic overreach remains, writes James Meadway.
Can Big Oil Be Trusted Now?
Joe Sandler Clarke
In recent months, BP, Shell, Eni, Total and Equinor have all committed to achieving ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050. Joe Sandler Clarke takes a look at what’s really going on behind these new green pledges.
The Rest of the World is Having a Trade Deal Party and Brexit Britain Isn’t Invited
James Meadway
The signing last week of a trade deal between 15 Asia-Pacific nations, led by China, signals a move away from US-led globalisation towards a brave new world, one in which “Global Britain” will struggle to situate itself, writes James Meadway.
The Covid-19 Vaccine Won’t Work If Everything Else Stays the Same
James Meadway
From massive investment in health infrastructure to immediate action against climate breakdown, there’s a great deal the still to do if this medical breakthrough is to fulfil its potential, writes James Meadway.
Here’s How the Left Builds on Biden’s Victory
Max Berger
Amidst the rubble of the Trump era, the American left has a historic opportunity to redefine what’s politically possible. The neoliberal establishment governs, but does not convince. The left must step into the void of leadership, and translate the popularity of our ideas into power.
What Next for Lebanon’s Left?
Matthew Kynaston
A year after mass unrest forced Lebanon's prime minister Saad Hariri to resign, he has been reappointed, in a major blow to the million people who took to the streets to demand he step down. But despite major obstacles to organising, the country's progressive movement will not be defeated. Matthew Kynaston reports from Beirut.
How Protesters in Thailand Are Leading the Struggle Against Authoritarianism
Andrew MacGregor Marshall
With tens of thousands of protestors taking to the streets every day in Thailand, Andrew MacGregor Marshall traces how the country has become a new front line in a global struggle challenging authoritarianism, inequality and restrictions of freedom of speech.
‘Spycops’ Are a Quintessentially British Institution – As the Empire Well Knows
Eleanor Penny
Liberal commentators have been dismayed at the breezy waving of the 'spycops' bill through parliament, in what they claim is a rupture with the British democratic tradition. Yet as Eleanor Penny points out, the blades of state power now trained on domestic dissent were first sharpened in the empire.
Austerity Might Be Over, But Everything is Still Terrible
James Meadway
In the wake of Covid-19, governments worldwide are spending at levels unprecedented outside of wartime. But ending austerity on the Tories’ terms will not herald a new era of public munificence in the UK, argues James Meadway.
What Will the Outcome of the US Election Mean for the American Left?
Micah Uetricht
With the US election looming, Micah Uetricht considers how a Biden or Trump presidency would impact the American left.
What Would Jesus Do? Cancel the Rent
Francis Brewer
The UK is facing a massive, and avoidable, debt crisis. Throughout history, the cancellation of debts has been used as a safety valve against social and economic collapse - and now's the time to reopen it. If it’s good enough for Christ, argues writer and activist Francis Brewer, it’s good enough for us.
Greece’s Golden Dawn Has Been Crushed – But Its Agenda Lives On
Yannis-Orestis Papadimitriou
Leaders of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn have today been convicted of running a criminal gang masquerading as a political party. It marks the conclusion of a years-long inquiry by Greek courts, said to be the largest trial of Nazis since Nuremberg. But, Yannis-Orestis Papadimitriou explains, its agenda lives on elsewhere.
Automation Will Create More Jobs, But Most Will Be Shit
Matthew Cole
The much-prophesied “jobs apocalypse” of the fourth industrial revolution will likely never materialise. Yet that isn't to say new technologies aren't degrading work, warns Matthew Cole.
The Frontline of the Struggle Against Platform Capitalism Lies in São Paulo
Callum Cant
Angry food delivery workers in São Paulo are at the heart of new intra-continental solidarity networks in Latin America. But despite pulling off one of the biggest ever strikes against platform capitalism, familiar barriers to organising still need to be overcome, writes Callum Cant.
Pseudoscience, Think Tanks and ‘Intellectual Landscaping’: Exposing the Wilful Ignorance of the Right
Rob Faure Walker
Since the 1950s, dozens of think tanks, quangos and commissions have sprung up to lend intellectual weight to government policies, from counter-extremism to coronavirus. These institutions, often government-funded and pseudo-intellectual, seek to undermine the role of academia as an impartial and rigorous advisor to ministers. Never has such advice been more needed - it’s time for universities to reassert themselves.
A Regime of ‘Flexible Despotism’ Reigns Over Retail Work – Can It Last?
Alex Wood
Ever had to beg your boss for suitable shifts? Alex Wood explains how 'flexible discipline' - whereby managers discipline workers by altering their schedule - has become prevalent in retail work, and how it may yet fuel workers' sense of injustice.
Money Alone Won’t Fix the Care Crisis – We Need a Radical Rethink
Emma Dowling
Perma-austerity and the persistent devaluation of care work have left social care in a deficit of millions. But throwing money at the problem won’t make it go away. What we need is a radical rethink, writes Emma Dowling - one that puts care workers and the communities they serve at the helm.
Organising in Supermarkets Means Overcoming Barriers in the Sector – and in the Trade Unions
Max O'Donnell Savage
The future of supermarkets is both the future of a socially necessary service and the future of around 1m workers in the UK today. But overcoming the barriers to organising in the sector means getting to grips with its complexities - and accounting for the failures of unions like Usdaw. Max O'Donnell Savage writes.