Long Read

A Design for Life: How Platforms Are Weaving Their Way Into the Fabric of Capitalism
With platform companies such as Apple and Facebook running up against the limits of their business models, they are turning to new ways to leverage your data for profit. In this week's column, James Meadway examines the measures platforms are taking and asks what it means for the future of capitalism.
Latin American Community ‘Betrayed’ by Council Plans to Let Private Developers Demolish Tottenham Market
Pueblito Paisa Latin market has been fighting demolition for more than a decade. Now the community has just six weeks to push forward with a pioneering, community-orientated redevelopment plan, before Haringey Council acts on a compulsory purchase order.
Can Football Fans Resist the Far Right Surge?
From Tommy Robinson to the National Front to the Football Lads' Alliance, far-right organisers have long been trying to take over the beautiful game. Kieron Monks reports on football fans trying to stop the fascists once and for all.
The Troubled History of the Two-State Solution
We need to think about an end to the Israel/Palestine conflict which means self-determination without colonial domination.
How Labour’s Dreadful Antisemitism Debate Has to Change
The standard of debate around Labour’s antisemitism saga has been dire from the start, and both Corbyn's critics and his supporters on the left have been to blame, argues Barnaby Raine in this Sunday’s Long Read.
Financial Globalisation Has Been a Disaster. Brexit Gives Us a Chance to Resist It
Sunday Long Read: Any attempt to build a socialist government in the UK requires opposing global financial capital. Brexit gives us an opportunity to do just this, argues Grace Blakeley.
Grenfell Was the Result of a Campaign of Racial Terror
Dr Remi Joseph-Salisbury & Dr Laura Connelly unpack the legacies of racism and white supremacy that laid the groundwork for the tragedy at Grenfell Tower.
#OurUCU: The Real Culmination of the UCU’s ‘Turnaround Year’
Attempts to avert any discussion of Sally Hunt's leadership of the University and College Union at its annual congress have exposed a schism between two models of trade unionism.
“These Guys Are Either Incompetent or Dishonest” – Betting Against the Bank of England
When it comes to interest rates, the only thing reliable about the Bank of England’s predictions is that they’re consistently wrong. In this week's long read, Ben Tippet and Jack Browne talk to an ex-Citibank insider who bet against the Bank of England's financial forecasts - with lucrative results.
How Power Hungry Politicians and the Far-right Are Turning Italy Against Refugees
For years, the liberal left has thought of Italy as a humane country where refugees are welcomed. But following a series of attacks on African migrants, this appears to have suddenly changed. Dig a little deeper however, and it quickly becomes clear that far-right violence didn't rise out of nowhere, it was inspired by a toxic politics of race in Italy that has been worsening since the economic crash of 2008. Hsiao-Hung Pai reports from Sicily.
Uber Eats Riders Facing Precarity and Pollution in Mexico City
With no healthcare, no protections and poor pay, Uber Eats drivers in Mexico City are on the receiving end of shoddy treatment, while the company looks to expand its reach. Caterina Morbiato reports.
How a Tiny Colombian Village Beat the World’s Third Largest Gold Mining Company
Activists in Cajamarca struck a blow against the power of fossil fuel capital - and they're not done yet.
The Stansted 15 Follow a Long Tradition of Direct Action in the UK – But They Also Go Beyond It
On Monday 15 people will face trial on terror-related charges for blockading a deportation charter flight last year. Ewa Jasiewicz reflects on the history of radical direct action-orientated solidarity in the UK and how this action was the first of its kind.
Towards a Radical Infrastructure: Counter-Reforming Higher Education
We can't just rely on reforms from Westminster - we need a bold, innovative vision to democratise our universities from the ground up.
For the SPD to Learn From Labour, It Has to Grasp What Kind of World We’re In
Internal divisions over the prospect of another grand coalition with the Christian Democrats, and now the resignation of leader Martin Schulz, are tearing the German Social Democrats apart. Can they learn from Labour's rejuvenation?
How Labour’s Campaigns Attempted to Make the Political Personal
In both Labour and Momentum, since the general election there has been a stronger focus on making political communication personal. In this Long Read, Nathan Akehurst takes a closer look at the practical and ideological aspects of 'mass personalisation'.
Power to the People: Why We Formed a New Political Party in Italy
A coalition of radical leftists has formed the new party Potere al Popolo to launch an electoral challenge to a parliamentary political landscape increasingly dominated by the right.
‘This is the next big battle’: Haringey Labour and the Future of Local Government
Opposition to the Haringey Development Vehicle has continually been met with the old response that ‘there is no alternative’. Local campaigners, however, have radical visions for the future of the borough.