The annual commemoration of anti-fascist volunteers who fought fascism in Spain now includes a key contribution from Italian comrades
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Still fighting anti-trade union laws: the IER and CTUF at Tolpuddle
Almost two hundred years on from the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the trade union movement is still having to fight attempts to delegitimise and criminalise its activities, writes BEN SELLERS
Tolpuddle Martyrs' Rally in 2016
The Islamic Republic’s suddenly weakened regional position exposes the nation to grave threats from US imperialism
DONG XUE explains why US tariffs hold no significant threat to China
ANSELM ELDERGILL asks whether artificial intelligence may decide legal cases in the future, in place of human judges, and how AI could reshape the legal landscape
Like pieces on a chess board, centrist parties lose ground as they accommodate rather than challenge far-right agendas — socialists must play things better, warns MATT KERR
Yanis Varoufakis and Jeremy Corbyn laid out a roadmap for peace, justice and equality as they celebrated the legacy of inspirational socialist Tony Benn, reports LINDA PENTZ GUNTER
The NEU’s annual conference promises heated debate, with motions on international politics, curriculum reform and union amalgamation likely to provoke strong reactions and challenge the status quo, writes Education for Tomorrow editor ROBERT POOLE
THE Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of agricultural labourers, were charged with taking an illegal oath 189 years ago. This was a promise of solidarity to each other in their struggle against landowners extracting every last drop of profit they could from the workers’ labour.
The Tolpuddle Martyrs’ arrest and deportation to Australia in 1834 was an early emblem of how the powerful would treat the free organisation of workers for centuries to come. Freedom of association and of assembly, the right to protest, the right to strike and freedom of speech have been a constant battle since.
And here we are, in 2023, fighting the same battles again. The government’s Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill is in its final stages, and unamended, it will all but outlaw the right to strike — a right that has been severely restricted by a succession of anti-trade union laws over several decades.
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Everything we’ve seen so far from Starmer and Reeves indicates that they remain committed to the economic orthodoxy of cuts imposed by the Tories – which is why we need to revitalise the anti-austerity movement, says BEN SELLERS of the People’s Assembly
BEN SELLERS explains why Britain needs a People’s Charter now
We don’t need a weak 2p tax bribe and councils collapsing nationwide: we need to build a mighty coalition to fight austerity and deliver public services for all, writes BEN SELLERS, national secretary of the People’s Assembly
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