Once the bustling heart of Christian pilgrimage, Bethlehem now faces shuttered hotels, empty streets and a shrinking Christian community, while Israel’s assault on Gaza and the tightening grip of occupation destroy hopes of peace at the birthplace of Christ, writes Father GEOFF BOTTOMS
The struggles of a century – and into the future
Communist Party centenary project officer PHIL KATZ looks back at a year of achievement and the opportunity of future advance
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
The June 2025 attacks on Iran have heightened the risk of a wider war, exposed the fiction of a rules-based international order and left ordinary Iranians trapped between external aggression and internal repression, says the Committee for Defence of Iranian People’s Rights
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
A WWI hero, renowned ornithologist, medical doctor, trade union organiser and founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain all rolled in one. MAT COWARD tells the story of a life so improbable it was once dismissed as fiction
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
AS THE centenary year of the Communist Party draws to a close, it’s possible to state with confidence that there’s more — and possibly the best — yet to come.
December 2020 will be notable for the convening of an important conference on the Future of Work and the message of a belief in the future will be reinforced, as the party gets behind the Youth Charter, recently published by the Young Communist League.
Back in June 2019, a committee was convened made of CP members and allies to discuss what kind of ideas, events, campaigns and publications would be a fitting way to celebrate 100 years of struggle for socialism.
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