Latest editorial
Since Ahmad al-Sharaa came to power in Syria, the Damascus government has been given carte blanche to use maximum force against any threat to its continued rule, writes VIJAY PRASHAD
Beware of this stealth attack on public-sector housing
Under the radar, the government is sneaking in the possibility of a new programme of 'stock transfers' of council housing to housing associations. That should be resisted at all costs, says MARTIN WICKS
Keir Starmer’s hiring Tim Allan from Tory-led Strand Partners is another illustration of Labour’s corporate-influence world where party differences matter less than business connections, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
Britain’s proud asylum history, from sheltering the Kindertransport escaping Hitler to Basque children fleeing fascist Spain, required tireless campaigning against persistent opposition — and it’s up to all of us to do our part today, writes SABINA PRICE
The truth will out: we are here to unveil the full scale of the government’s complicity in genocide and to hold it to account for the monstrous bloodshed in Palestine, writes JEREMY CORBYN
As the Alliance of Sahel States and southern African nations advance pan-African goals, the African Union must listen and learn rather than parroting the Western line on these positive developments, writes ROGER McKENZIE
KEITH BENNETT reflects on witnessing the grand parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of China’s Victory Day, which impressively showcased advanced military technology
THE TORIES’ social housing green paper marks a partial retreat from some of their previous policies. They have abandoned the proposal to force councils to sell off so-called higher-value homes, which would have involved confiscating the sales receipts and handing them over to housing associations to compensate them for the difference between the “real-time bidding” price and the market value.
It has also abandoned the compulsory introduction of fixed-term tenancies, though councils can still use them if they wish.
A “damp squib” this may be, as the Financial Times has described it. There is no new money for council house building but there is one proposal which, if implemented, would constitute a major threat to council housing.
More from this author
Above-inflation rent increases will push council tenants deeper into poverty while failing to address the housing crisis — and it won’t really raise any money, as council rent arrears are doubling across the country, argues MARTIN WICKS
Labour’s about to shift cost of new housing onto tenants, writes MARTIN WICKS arguing instead for cancelling the councils' HRA debt
MARTIN WICKS argues that the government’s reduced discounts for council house purchases don’t go far enough, and we need to be calling for the complete abolition of this regressive Thatcherite policy
It’s high time for England to follow Scotland and Wales in ending the privatisation of collectively owned housing. MARTIN WICKS explains why
