Opinion: Labour’s Culture Secretary Is Missing in Action
Juliet Jacques
Labour had a massive opportunity to counter the media onslaught and brighten the public mood, writes Juliet Jacques - and they’ve squandered it.
Tag: new labour
Feature: How New Labour Accelerated the Protest Crackdown
Francesca Newton
While Suella Braverman and Priti Patel are remembered as the spearheads of the protest crackdown, writes Francesca Newton, it was Tony Blair who kicked it into a whole new gear.
Obituary: John Prescott, the Last Great ‘Old Labour’ Politician
Alex Niven
The former deputy PM never quite got his due - but his peculiar brand of left populism should inspire progressives today, writes Alex Niven.
Long Read: The Last World War Veterans Are Dying. Cue New Heights of Remembrance Hysteria
Juliet Jacques
Soldiers tend to be much more down on war than those who send them into it, writes Juliet Jacques, as even the briefest look at their poetry will testify. As those who witnessed the misery of war pass away, hawkish politicians are seizing control of the narrative.
Novara FM: The Nasty Noughties
Owen Hatherley, Ash Sarkar and Juliet Jacques remember the decade that decency forgot.
Long Read: Aged 82, Patricio Guzmán Is Still Making Revolutionary Cinema
Juliet Jacques
The exiled Chilean documentary-maker has been capturing successive waves of revolution and rebellion in his home country for over four decades, writes Juliet Jacques – and contributing to them through art.
Analysis: Were the 70s Really That Great?
Juliet Jacques
From the union boom to radical TV, the left tends to see the 70s through rose-tinted glasses. We should beware nostalgia, writes Juliet Jacques.
Opinion: Now Could Be Keir Starmer’s Moment If Only He’d Back the Unions
Tom Peters
Russia-schmoozing Tories and a cost of living crisis have presented the Labour leader with yet another open goal. The problem is, he’s too busy attacking workers to take it, writes Tom Peters.
Opinion: Like It or Not, New Labour Offers Important Lessons for Saving the NHS
Ell Folan
Though rightly overshadowed by the Iraq War, the Blair government increased NHS spending by 56% and cut waiting times by 9 weeks. We must not be too averse to learning from this achievement, writes Ell Folan - our dying health service depends on it.
Opinion: Austerity May Be Over, but the Tories Still Aren’t Spending Enough
James Meadway
With this year's budget, the Tories may have ended austerity, but the spending increases they are proposing aren't nearly enough to undo the damage they have wrought through a decade of brutal cuts.
Analysis: Neoliberalism is Dead – and Something Even Worse is Taking Its Place
James Meadway
The Tories may have ditched austerity, but that doesn’t mean we’ve anything to celebrate, writes James Meadway.
Opinion: If Jews Don’t Count As an Ethnic Minority, It’s Because We Haven’t Always Wanted To
Joseph Finlay
Only recently has ethnic minority status become covetable. British Jews have spent much of our history avoiding it, writes Jewish historian Joseph Finlay.
Opinion: Labour is an Obstacle to the Anti-Racist Movement
David Wearing
Throughout its history, the Labour party has been structurally enmeshed in British racism. David Wearing argues that the burgeoning anti-racist movement faces obstacles on many fronts - and that Labour, sadly but predictably, will be one of them.
Opinion: Once Again, the Government is Using Disadvantaged Children to Pursue Harmful Policies
Chloe Tomlinson
Schools are set to reopen tomorrow, with the government arguing we must make sure “the poorest and most disadvantaged pupils don’t fall behind”. Chloe Tomlinson suggests ministers are employing a familiar strategy: crying ‘think of the children’ in order to get their own way.
Novara FM: How We Might Live: Architecture and Culture
James Butler is joined by Owen Hatherley, culture editor of Tribune Magazine to talk architecture - socialist and otherwise - and the politics of culture.
Novara FM: Hostile Environment: Maya Goodfellow on Race and Migration
James Butler is joined by Maya Goodfellow to discuss the history and politics of migration in the UK.
The Labour Right Would Prefer a Johnson Government to a Corbyn One. It’s Time to Replace Them
Aaron Bastani
This week 64 Labour Lords took out an advert in the Guardian criticising the party’s leadership. Aaron Bastani argues this represents a last ditch effort from the Labour right and their allies in the media to stifle any chance of a Corbyn-led government.
No, Labour Hasn’t Always Been an Anti-Racist Party
Aaron Bastani
In recent weeks, many on the Labour right have suggested the party has always been anti-racist, but that under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership this has changed. Aaron Bastani takes a look at the history of New Labour and argues this couldn’t be further from the truth.