Labour’s cynical recruitment drive normalises militarism, diverts attention from youth unemployment and public service cuts, and seeks to build consent for an increasingly aggressive defence agenda, argues GEORGINA ANDREWS
Latest editorial
The UN must be more than the ‘big five’
I was honoured to play my part as a politician in the international cause of peace at the United Nations this year — but the body is fundamentally undermined by the main nuclear powers and their veto, writes BILL KIDD MSP
JULIA BARD looks at the persistence of anti-semitism on the political right – and its troubling emergence on parts of the left, too
As unemployment rises and living standards fall, May’s economic announcement risks locking Britain into further decline rather than charting a new course, warns JON TRICKETT MP
Despite systemic racism and far-right hostility, Britain’s migrant and black communities continue to contribute, inspire, and resist. Through education, art, and intergenerational solidarity, the next generation can help shape a future rooted in justice, understanding, and hope, says ZITA HOLBOURNE
Campaigns against nuclear weapons on the Clyde, financial backing for arms firms and rising militarism are converging with solidarity for Palestine, as Scotland’s peace movement builds momentum ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election, says ARTHUR WEST
A US air strike in north-west Nigeria, publicly framed as a Christmas act of counterterrorism, reveals a deeper shift in how power is exercised in Africa, argues RAIS NEZA BONEZA
THERE is an importance for people to see and understand that the UN is more than a talking shop for the “big boys” as certain nations consider themselves simply because they hold nuclear weapons arsenals.
The US, Russia, China, Britain and France, the permanent five member nations of the UN security council (P5), have the power to veto any decision from the majority of the security council. This has to be wrong-headed, looking at the actions of these countries over the years, and shown in capital letters by Russia’s actions in invading Ukraine.
This unearned power of veto is obviously an affront to democracy, but more so it’s a slap in the face to all of those nations who have suffered years of economic dominance exercised by the P5 and also to those affected by military actions inflicted on their territory and people, with the implicit threat of potential nuclear attack if they defend themselves too vigorously.
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