TUC president and POA leader STEVE GILLAN speaks to Ben Chacko on the eve of Congress 2026
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Could Peterloo happen again?
After the massacre of peaceful protesters two centuries ago, the state has been wary of provoking a reaction by using deadly force on dissident assemblies – but this is not a guarantee, explains KEITH FLETT
A contemporary cartoon depiction of the Peterloo Massacre
DOUG NICHOLLS welcomes a turning point at this year’s Congress, where many motions call for a co-ordinated plan to revive British industry, a perspective outlined in his new book
HOPE VIRGO of campaign Dump the Scales warns MPs voting today they should be alert to the threat legalised assisted death poses to people with eating disorders
The Together Alliance is hosting two summits, North and South, to build power and plan action against the scourge of racism peddled by the right. DANIEL KEBEDE urges mass participation
The drift toward militarisation in Europe is not inevitable, left-wing and peace movements can preserve sovereignty and prevent war, says DÁIRE HUGHES MP
Whatever differences exist among international sympathisers of the Bolivarian revolution about its current trajectory, they should unite against the imperialist power that is the source of an enforced retreat, argues ROGER D HARRIS
Trade unions need to step up and force a turn in the policies of the labour movement to effectively confront the far-right threat, argues NICK WRIGHT
ON Monday August 16 1819 in central Manchester, around 60,000 people gathered to protest for the right to vote, which few, if any of them, had. Most of the men or their descendants wouldn’t get the vote until 1918 and many of the women until 1928.
The yeomanry, local businessmen on horseback, rode into the protesters, on the order of Tory magistrate William Hulton, and cut them down with sabres. Tens were killed and thousands injured.
The reason for the attack remains unclear. It may be that the government had ordered it. It might be that the magistrates acted on their own — they were certainly supported by the government afterwards.
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