With speculation growing about a Labour leadership contest in 2026, only a decisive break with the current direction – on the economy, foreign policy and migrants – can avert disaster and offer a credible alternative, writes DIANE ABBOTT
How British universities are militarising education
CHARLIE JAAY talks to campaigners about how the military-industrial-academic complex is expanding on-campus and directing STEM research towards arms manufacture and development
[Action Against Oxford War Crimes]
Repression against left-wing, anti-imperialist and Palestine solidarity structures in Germany is increasingly aimed at undermining their economic means of existence, says LEON WYSTRYCHOWSKI
Decades of centre-left accommodation and deepening inequality have opened the door to a hard-right restoration — posing stark challenges for the left, argues FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ
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
JULIA BARD looks at the persistence of anti-semitism on the political right – and its troubling emergence on parts of the left, too
From the mainstreaming of far-right ideas to Europe’s looming conflicts, 2025 has been a year of sharp warnings. The coming year demands decisive action before these crises escalate, writes ANDREW MURRAY
A NEW report by Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) and Demilitarise Education (dED) gives a detailed analysis of how universities are working with the arms industry and military, to research and develop technologies for future warfare.
Titled Weaponising Universities: Research Collaborations between UK Universities and the Military Industrial Complex, the report discusses the ties between British universities, arms companies and the military Establishment — the “military-industrial-academic complex,” their collaboration for military research and dual use systems, and also outlines a series of recommendations and potential solutions.
Marketisation of higher education started in the 1980s when the Tories reduced overall government funding of universities. Their agenda of aligning university research with their economic agenda meant that while universities were getting less funding, private companies, including arms companies, were being invited to start helping that business model.
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