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
Labour must act swiftly to lift children out of poverty
As she returns to Westminster, REBECCA LONG BAILEY MP calls on the new government to scrap the two-child benefit cap immediately to ease families’ financial strain that she sees in Salford
STATING THE OBVIOUS: Russell Trust CEO Emma Revie (left) and Warrington Foodbank volunteer Ben Pennell pull a giant receipt from a billboard installation near Finsbury Park Tube station in London, commissioned by the Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as part of their ‘It Doesn’t Add Up Campaign’, aiming to highlight issues following the launch of the new Universal Credit, April 2023
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
I WAS honoured and humbled to continue to have the opportunity to represent the great people of Salford, and as I busily packed my bag this week to begin a new term in Parliament, I listened, as I regularly do, to one of the rare songs that always brings a lump to my throat, a fire in my belly and gets me ready to champion the city I love.
It is a story about love, hardship and strength. A haunting melodic tribute to a city and its people, and a burning hope for their future.
The city is Salford and the song is Dirty Old Town, written by legendary Salford-born folk singer Ewan MacColl 75 years ago. It charts the confusion and loneliness of a young man walking through the nighttime streets of industrial Salford where life was hard, poverty was rife but pride was in abundance.
More from this author
Despite progress made on the shoulders of radical women from the past, the gendered impact of austerity and the cost-of-living crisis requires bold action from Labour to address inequality, says REBECCA LONG-BAILEY MP
The Prime Minster’s net zero U-turn makes no long-term economic sense and will leave working people and the poorest in our society counting the cost, says REBECCA LONG BAILEY MP
For decades many on the right of the political spectrum in Britain have strategically described health and safety as pointless red tape, leaving workers to suffer illness, injury and even death, warns REBECCA LONG BAILEY MP
As the bills mount up for working-class people, it is madness that nationalising energy suppliers is not a central part of the conversation despite all the evidence that shows it makes sense, writes REBECCA LONG BAILEY MP
