After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
Latest editorial
Sour pineapples and sovereignty: Mexico’s right loses the plot
DAVID RABY explains the implications of the judicial reforms under way in Mexico, arguing they cement Morena’s transformation of politics and society — which is why they have met US disapproval and a violent right-wing backlash
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador rings the bell as he gives the annual independence shout from the balcony of the National Palace to kick off Independence Day celebrations at the Zocalo in Mexico City, September 15, 2024
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
Alba party leader KENNY MacASKILL makes some suggestions on how to save our pubs and reduce irresponsible drinking
The catastrophe unfolding in Gaza – where Palestinians are freezing to death in tents – is not a natural disaster but a calculated outcome of Israel’s ongoing blockade, aid restrictions and continued violence, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
Opinion polls point to electoral collapse, parliamentary rebellion and a looming leadership challenge as Starmer’s Labour haemorrhages working-class support and the far right exploits the vacuum left by a hollowed-out party, says NICK WRIGHT
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
AS explained very well in these pages by Tim Young on September 5, Mexico under outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been remarkably successful in rolling back privatisation, promoting welfare and infrastructure and reclaiming control over natural resources — and also in neutralising the political right and its discourse.
The result was a crushing victory in the June 2 elections for Morena party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, the first woman ever to win the presidency, who will take office on October 1.
Equally important, Morena and its allies in the Workers Party (PT) and the Greens (PVEM) won two-thirds of the seats in both houses of the Mexican congress. This exceeded expectations and was a stunning blow to the Establishment: it means that the new congress (which has already taken office on September 1) can pass constitutional amendments.
Similar stories
A November 15 protest in Mexico – driven by a right-wing social-media operation – has been miscast as a mass uprising against President Sheinbaum. In reality, the march was small, elite-backed and part of a wider attempt to sow unrest, argues DAVID RABY
DAVID RABY reports on the progressive administration in Mexico, which continues to overcome far-left wreckers on the edges of a teaching union, the murderous violence of the cartels, the ploys of the traditional right wing, and Trump’s provocations
By taking a firm stance against the ‘Monroe Doctrine Mk II’ President Sheinbaum has won plaudits from across Mexican society, says DAVID RABY
Mexico’s unflinching stand has earned praise from across Latin America and the world, writes DAVID RABY