ANSELM ELDERGILL looks at the legality of the wars in the Middle East and the means used to fight them. It is said that truth is the first casualty of war, so what is the truth with regard to the legality of America’s and Israel’s wars in Iran, Palestine and Lebanon?
Betty Sinclair, hero of the Irish working class
Following a ceremony held by comrades of the legendary communist activist, LYNDA WALKER summarises a life that saw time in Armagh jail, study in the Lenin School in Moscow and a founding role in the Irish civil rights movement
Family and comrades of Betty Sinclair gather to unveil a new headstone to the legendary communist activist at Carnmoney Cemetery in Belfast, December 3 2022
Long before modern labour movements, England’s farmworkers fought back against their oppression – and for some, like Elizabeth Studham, the price was exile to Australia. MAT COWARD tells the story
As world leaders posture and local politicians bore, voters are left with a grim choice: despair, disengage — or start imagining something better, says MATT KERR
CARLOS MARTINEZ reports on China’s role in helping Cuba develop self-sufficiency in renewable energy, which would shield it from the sort of pain Donald Trump is inflicting with his oil blockade
JAYNE FISHER on why the government’s latest amendments to the Crime & Policing Bill, which returns to the Commons on Tuesday, is a serious threat to our freedoms
A surge in futures activity minutes before news of US–Iran talks has led to questions about insider trading and oversight gaps, writes CJ ATKINS
BETTY SINCLAIR was born into a Church of Ireland, working-class family in Hooker Street, the Ardoyne area of Belfast. Her father was a worker in the Harland and Wolff shipyard and a “Walkerist” (pro-unionist) socialist; her mother was a reeler in Ewart’s mill.
The 1911 census shows that Betty lived with her mother Margaret, her father Joe and brothers William, Thomas and Joseph and her younger sister Ellen. It is thought that perhaps Joseph died at an early age as little is known about him.
As a young girl she lived for a short period with her aunt in Leeds, she described this as being a happy period in her life and found living in Leeds an improvement to Belfast.
Similar stories
Hundreds in Berlin gathered on January 15 to honour the US-born socialist who made East Germany his home. Florentine Morales Sandoval reports
JIM JUMP looks forward to the International Brigade Memorial Trust AGM taking place in Belfast later this week where the spirit of solidarity will be rekindled
Maggie Bowden was a trailblazing campaigning lawyer at Birnberg and Thompsons, women’s organiser of the Communist Party, and general secretary of Liberation
Why not pay a visit to Feile an Phobail, a people’s festival of community arts with roots in the days of internment without trial, and where the spirit of solidarity remains undimmed, says LYNDA WALKER