Robinson successfully defended his school from closure, fought for the unification of the teaching unions, mentored future trade union leaders and transformed teaching at the Marx Memorial Library, writes JOHN FOSTER
Local and devolved powers show an alternative to austerity economics
KEN LIVINGSTONE writes on the importance of devolution – and using devolved powers for progressive ends
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? Reception class student Jayden-Luke Davies, 4, asks First Minister Mark Drakeford about the day’s menu at the roll-out of universal free school meals for primary school children in Ysgol Y Preseli school in Crymych, Pembrokeshire
A judge in a German court ruled that the ban activity imposed on renowned Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah was unlawful, reports LEON WYSTRYCHOWSKI
At the very moment Britain faces poverty, housing and climate crises requiring radical solutions, the liberal press promotes ideologically narrow books while marginalising authors who offer the most accurate understanding of change, writes IAN SINCLAIR
From Gaza protest bans to proscribing Palestine Action, political elites are showing a crisis of confidence as they abandon Roy Jenkins’s apologetic approach for Suella Braverman’s aggressive ‘hate march’ rhetoric, writes PAUL DONOVAN
ANSELM ELDERGILL examines the legal case behind this weekend’s Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival and the lessons for today
Ben Chacko talks to RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY about how the key to fixing broken Britain lies in collective sectoral bargaining, restoring unions’ ability to take solidarity strike action and bringing about the much-vaunted ‘wave of insourcing’
The summer of 1950 saw Labour abandon further nationalisation while escalating Korean War spending from £2.3m to £4.7m, as the government meekly accepted capitalism’s licence and became Washington’s yes-man, writes JOHN ELLISON
THROUGHOUT my spells in London government, I always sought to use whatever powers and resources we had in order to make the biggest difference possible for the majority of residents.
Whether it was giving public transport the investment it was crying out for and ensuring that it was a common-sense, affordable option or backing initiatives for social equality, we were committed to making the most out of the office voters had put us in.
As well as implementing popular progressive policies, those of us involved in the Greater London Council also saw it as incumbent upon us to use our platform to support important causes, such as placing the unemployment figures of the Thatcher era on a billboard by County Hall, or championing justice in Ireland — a tradition I continued as mayor by declaring London a city of peace in response to the Iraq war.
More from this author
It is mayors living close to the people who understand what is needed to tackle climate change better than national politicians in their private jets and chauffeur-driven cars, writes KEN LIVINGSTONE
With the 25th anniversary of his first election approaching this year, KEN LIVINGSTONE writes on the achievements and legacy of an important figure in Latin America’s history
Wide-ranging attacks on ‘enemies within’ are reminiscent of Thatcher’s assault on the miners, GLC, and black and Irish communities in the '80s, writes KEN LIVINGSTONE
25 years after the Good Friday Agreement, KEN LIVINGSTONE writes about his unique, long-running role in the peace process that saw him vilified, then eventually vindicated — and salutes a future united Ireland
