In his fortnightly column MARK SEDDON reflects on the death of Major Oak and why such ancient trees matter to us
INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day (IWD) has become a corporate event reflecting the now mainstream ideology of “corporate feminism.”
This year its theme is #BalanceforBetter. The anonymous organisers of IWD events assert that “balance” is not a women’s issue, it’s a business issue and thus their “flagship events are backed by significant corporate and/or government sponsorship.”
Sponsors include Amazon, Rio Tinto, McDonald’s, Vodafone and a host of other robber barons.
The pioneering activist understood that freedom could only be won through solidarity across communities. Her legacy offers vital lessons at a time when progressive politics risks losing that shared purpose
The Morning Star republishes PRAGNA PATEL’s speech at the annual commemoration of Claudia Jones on February 22 2026
Professor MARY DAVIS argues that feminism has been hollowed out by liberal co-option – and only a revival of socialist, class-based politics can restore International Working Women’s Day’s original, radical purpose
Half a century after transformative laws reshaped Britain, women’s rights are again contested. This International Women’s Day is a call to remember how change was won, and to organise to defend it, says KATE RAMSDEN
The legacy of socialist feminists such as Alexandra Kollontai challenges us today to confront an uncomfortable truth: framing prostitution as empowerment lets the abusers of the Epstein class off the hook, warns HELEN O’CONNOR


