Long Read

Long Read: Keir Starmer is a Long-Time Servant of the British Security State
by Oliver Eagleton
Labour under Keir Starmer has taken a troubling flag-waving turn. But while his patriot act may in part be driven by political expediency, Starmer’s loyalty to the British security state has historically been strikingly consistent, writes Oliver Eagleton.
Long Read: Whatever Happened to the UK Youth Climate Strikes?
by Clare Hymer
Two years ago, young people across the UK walked out of school in the first of a wave of 'climate strikes'. But despite its rapid and extraordinary growth, the youth strike movement's future was in jeopardy even prior to the pandemic. Clare Hymer reports.
Analysis: No, Benefit Claimants Still Aren’t Exploiting the System
by Josh Gabert-Doyon
The digitisation of Universal Credit is reinforcing old prejudices about benefit fraud, fuelling a new moral panic. Josh Gabert Doyon explains what's actually going on.
Long Read: Arctic Turbulence: Why Indigenous Communities Are Fighting Wind Farms
by S Reid-Collins
Construction is continuing on the Øyfjellet Wind Park, which is set to become Norway's largest onshore wind farm. But the site runs right through the Jillen-Njaarke reindeer herding district, leading the Indigenous South Saami people to enter a battle for existence.
An Amazon picker between stacks.
Long Read: How Do We Solve a Problem Like Amazon?
by Craig Gent
Amazon isn’t the type of problem that can simply be fixed, writes Craig Gent. In order to take on one of the defining companies of our era, we need to make Amazon's punishing work process our business.
crowd crossing street
Long Read: The West is Dying – of Narcissism
by Arun Kundnani
Conservatives often frame demographic change as western cultures 'committing suicide'. The left must challenge this, writes Arun Kundnani, because as individuals and as peoples, we can only grow through our encounters with others; in pursuing a purification of the west, conservatives foster the very cultural death they claim to fear.
Long Read: America is a Gerontocracy – and Until That Changes, Its Problems Will Only Get Worse
by Aaron Bastani
There’s an inarguable trend in US politics: leaders and legislators are getting older. But far from a marginal concern limited to a single nation, the consequences of rule by the elderly are potentially catastrophic, argues Aaron Bastani.
tin of mackerel with fork inside it
Long Read: Forget Tory Food Tips: Everyone Deserves Delicious Big Dinners
by Eleanor Penny
The Tories' meal plans scorn the idea that everyone is entitled to the basic human joy of food. We must insist on the necessity of pleasure, writes Eleanor Penny.
Long Read: With Joe Biden, There’s Still a Case for Climate Optimism
by Daniel Aldana Cohen
Despite his refusal to back the Green New Deal, in the event that Joe Biden becomes president, a focused and disciplined effort from social movements and their allies could see real advances towards a greener horizon, argues Daniel Aldana Cohen in an in-depth piece.
Analysis: What Would Jesus Do? Cancel the Rent
by 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.
International: How a Revolution Really Feels: Rojava 8 Years On
by Matt Broomfield

How does it feel to seek new ways to live? On the eighth anniversary of the Rojava revolution, journalist and activist Matt Broomfield - who has been living and working in North and East Syria for the last two years - explains.
Long Read: Turbulence in Macron’s France: A Recent History
by Nicolas Jara-Joly and Thierry Labica
Between his hated pension reforms, handling of the pandemic, open disdain for the democratic process and frequent recourse to police repression, Emmanuel Macron's teflon sheen has well and truly worn off. Nicolas Jara-Joly and Theirry Labica survey 'La Macronie' so far and look ahead to 2022's presidential election.
Long Read: Why Do the Police Exist?
by Connor Woodman

Long read: When and why were police forces first invented? Connor Woodman takes a look - and argues that far from protecting communities from ‘crime’, the police’s role has always been to control and discipline the working class.
Long Read: Get Angry Then Get Free: The Political Necessity of Rioting in Dismantling the System
by Joshua Virasami

As protestors rise up across the world following the murder of George Floyd, it's vital we see rioting as a legitimate form of protest in the struggle for freedom within racial capitalism, writes Black Lives Matter activist Joshua Virasami in an in-depth long read.
Long Read: Detained Migrants Are Workers. They Belong in the Trade Union Movement
by Isaac Ricca-Richardson and Franck Magennis
With detained migrants encouraged to work for slave wages, rather than treating them as victims devoid of agency, trade unions must instead bring them into the movement, write Isaac Ricca-Richardson and Franck Magennis. 
Long Read: How Grime’s Origins Show a Path to Cultural Resistance
by Charlotte Watson
Forged in the shadow of London's financial district, criminalised by the state and locked out of the mainstream music establishment, Charlotte Watson reflects on the lessons we can learn from grime's early years.
Long Read: Literally Just Vibing: How Music Streaming Platforms Manipulate History, Legacy and Emotion
by Fred M-G
In this long read, music-maker Fred M-G takes a closer look at how the "sonic wallpaper" curated by the music streaming services upon which we now rely flattens and sanitises music's history and potency.
Long Read: Bernie 2020 and the Challenges of Big Organising
by Calum Jacobs
The tactics used in Bernie Sanders' 2020 election campaign have yielded some big wins and a string of losses. In this week's long read, Calum Jacobs looks at Sanders' use of so-called big organising and how it has helped - and hurt - his chances at the Democratic win.

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