The annual commemoration of anti-fascist volunteers who fought fascism in Spain now includes a key contribution from Italian comrades
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Stark choices ahead
Should Reform gain a toe-hold in Scottish political life, the tectonic plates will have shifted an increment closer to the abyss, writes MIKE COWLEY
Reform UK CEO Nigel Farage during the Reform UK South East conference, at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher, Surrey, January 10, 2025
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
IT’S ONLY weeks old, but already 2025 has been generous to a fault in providing ample evidence of Gramsci’s oft-quoted depiction of the interregnum between a dying social order and an uncertain future. Exemplified by the “morbid symptom” of the Trump/Musk axis, we are witness to “a time of monsters” and demagogues.
To say we live in dangerous times has become a mundane truism. So as the year unfolds, where can the Scottish left find grounds for an optimism of the spirit as the 2026 Scottish general election looms?
As reported in these pages, Reform is on course to win 13 seats at Holyrood next year. Polling data should of course be subject to a thoroughgoing scepticism. But the prospect of a rump of racist MSPs exploiting their Holyrood platform to sow hate and division should clarify the thoughts of the left’s broad spectrum. It is time for unity in the face of a far right growing in confidence.
More from this author
ROS SITWELL reports from a conference held in light of the closure of the Gender Identity and Development Service for children and young people, which explored what went wrong at the service and the evidence base for care
ROS SITWELL reports from the three-day FiLiA conference in Glasgow
ROS SITWELL reports on a communist-initiated event aimed at building unity amid a revived women’s movement
London conference hears women speak out on the consequences of self-ID in sport
