The recent heatwaves revealed how ill-prepared Britain remains for a hotter future – and how unequal the ability to cope with it has become, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
A COMMON attribution to Scotland is that as a country, it is generally more left-wing than its neighbours south of the border — the one-time dominance of the Labour Party often held up as an example of this.
In recent years, this grip on Scotland has significantly loosened as the SNP shifted to become the dominant force while other left-wing parties have peaked and troughed in their popularity since the reopening of the Scottish Parliament.
Why, then, has it taken 22 years for a widespread and co-ordinated campaign of communists to run for Holyrood?
Burnham’s Makerfield triumph offers the party the opportunity to reconnect with working people, but only if it rejects business as usual, says CAROL MOCHAN MSP
The new Scottish Parliament looks set to continue a cycle of managerial tinkering while public services face the axe, writes STEPHEN LOW
Last weekend’s inaugural conference mixed warmth, unity and ambition with the unmistakable echo of old arguments. MATT KERR wonders whether the fledgling party’s difficulties can be overcome
Our charter’s demands for fair pay, affordable housing and environmental security will recruit working-class youth into the political struggle for socialism, emulating the success of the Women’s Charter, writes YCL general secretary GEORGINA ANDREWS


