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
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We need to change the conversation on war and peace – could a Corbyn-led party do it?
CHELLEY RYAN asks whether a single-issue peace party is needed to confront Britain's addiction to military aggression
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joins a coalition of campaigners as they hold a protest party over immigration policies outside the Home Office in central London, under the banner of Stop the Hate - Unity Not Division - Refugees Welcome, December 18, 2023
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
THROUGHOUT history the poorest have been the pawns of war for the richest to gain power which they then wield to gain even more power. The poor and working class are sent to kill their working-class brother or sister from another nation or territory at the behest of manipulative, narcissistic people who deliberately arouse and exploit patriotic or nationalist sentiments and fear to “other” the people they are sending them to kill.
They weave stories of righteousness, heroism and noble sacrifice out of the truth which is about gaining resources and assets.
This truth is glaringly obvious to so many of us, yet try as we might with our anti-war marches and movements where we share speeches, often with the already converted, we struggle to reach the hearts and minds of many who still believe war is a necessary evil.
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WILL DRY speaks to three former members of the armed forces about the political hypocrisy surrounding Armistice Day, how war is a function of class society, and the far right’s use of militarism and nationalism to divide working people
Witnessing a war of words at a meeting on tackling militarism at The World Transformed, BEN COWLES spoke to a union rep who is organising against war from inside the arms industry itself, to hear about worker-led solutions to ending weapons production
While Reform poses as a workers’ party, a credible left alternative rooted in working-class communities would expose their sham — and Corbyn’s stature will be crucial to its appeal, argues CHELLEY RYAN
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