DP Worldâs callous sacking of the 800 seafarers has caused outrage across Britain, but it also contains lessons for Britainâs workers, argue Richard Allday & Chris Nineham One is that the law is not impartial; itâs not there to help workers, itâs there to keep us in our place. P&O Chief Executive Peter Hebblethwaite has admitted  the sackings…
People's Assembly protests in towns and cities across the country raised opposition to the cost of living crisis and brought solidarity to sacked P&O workers London - Jamal Elaheebocus Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Downing Street in an energetic protest against the cost of living crisis and to stand in solidarity with the 800 P&O workers…
Ahead of France's presidential elections, we repost an interview with John Mullen on the balance of forces and the prospects for the left As the election campaign continues through April, what is the atmosphere on the radical left in France? This is a long electoral season, as there are two rounds of presidential elections in April, and two rounds…
Soaring energy prices are pushing millions into poverty while energy companies are raking in the profit. Enough is enough, writes Shabbir Lakha For millions of people in Britain, 1 April was not a day of joking. Energy prices have been rapidly rising already but on Friday the lifting of the energy cap came into effect, shooting energy bills up by up…
Nadhim Zahawiâs demand that teachers teach about the 'benefits of the British Empire' is not about teaching a balanced view - it's about using history to support the Tories' patriotic narrative, argues John Westmoreland Minister for Education Nadhim Zahawi has said this week what Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch said last week: âThat pupils should…
Counterfireâs weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles You can sign up to receive News from the Fronline straight in your inbox Porters and domestic staff employed by G4S at Croydon Hospital have called off their strike that was due to begin on Monday 4 April, after winning a 24% pay rise with backpay and an occupational sick…
The Brutish Museums presents a powerful case for restitution of looted objects, and hostile responses to it highlight enduring attachments to imperialism, argues Dominic Alexander Dan Hicks, The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution (pbk. Pluto 2021), xxii, 345pp. Colonialism is in no way safely in the past…
To win the fight against P&O, workers must take the lead Full version Black and white version for home printing Before you go... Counterfire is expanding fast as a website and an organisation. We are trying to organise a dynamic extra-parliamentary left in every part of the country to help build resistance to the government and their billionaire…
The Peopleâs Assembly and the RMT are coming together to fight attacks on working people, outlines Chris Neville This Saturday, I'll be joining thousands of others in taking to the streets to take part in the next wave of the People's Assembly's national campaign to fight back against the cost of living crisis. Â We are facing attacks on our living…
HGV bin drivers of the Unite union in Coventry vow to bring their employers to their knees in strike rally to demand fair pay, reports Kieran Crowe On Saturday 26 March, Coventryâs heavily regenerated town center played host to a public rally called by Unite the Union in support of the long-running and high-profile strike by bin HGV drivers in the…
Dragan PlavĆĄiÄ and Anja IliÄ discuss the war in Ukraine, its causes and consequences and how socialists should respond Before you go... Counterfire is expanding fast as a website and an organisation. We are trying to organise a dynamic extra-parliamentary left in every part of the country to help build resistance to the government and their billionaire…
Seven years into the Saudi bombing of Yemen, the anti-war movement must continue to confront Britainâs key role in the massacre, argues Jamal Elaheebocus Saturday marks the 7th anniversary of the lethal Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. In those 7 years, over 350,000 people have been killed, many of whom were civilians, and 4 million people have been…
Counterfireâs weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles You can sign up to receive News from the Fronline straight in your inbox Local government workers across the housing and education sectors are striking all this week until Sunday 27 March. Unite says further strike days will be announced thereafter. The dispute is over…
Russia and the Media makes a convincing case that a Cold War mentality in the Western media supports further militarisation and forestalls solutions, finds Michael Bailey Greg McLaughlin, Russia and the Media: The Makings of a New Cold War (Pluto Press 2020), 224pp. Following the Bolshevik Revolution and five years of civil war, the Union of Soviet…
Rishi Sunakâs budget shows Tory addiction to austerity will put the burden of rampant inflation on the shoulders of working class households, says Yonas Makoni. At 2pm today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak stood up in Parliament and proceeded to give the British public a slap in the face. The headline was the increase in the National Insurance threshold…
The banning of opposition parties and media clampdown in Ukraine underline the need for an anti-war war position independent of Zelensky, argues Kevin Ovenden Most of the western media has focused solely upon the banning of 11 opposition parties. Most of those are small. Some are highly reactionary. But they include three larger parties and one with…
Counterfire's leaflet on the outrageous attack on P&O ferry workers Before you go... Counterfire is expanding fast as a website and an organisation. We are trying to organise a dynamic extra-parliamentary left in every part of the country to help build resistance to the government and their billionaire backers. If you like what you have read and…
We should reject any attempt by Western governments to greenwash the rivalry with Russia, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh The last few weeks have seen a surge in political support for renewable energy. Germany has declared plans to be fully reliant on renewables by 2035, while in the UK, Johnson is apparently planning a âradical new energy strategyâ…
Imperial rivalry has led to dangerous and absurd levels of xenophobia, writes John Clarke Putinâs invasion of Ukraine should certainly be condemned by all on the left but the broader context of global rivalry and Nato expansion canât be left out of the picture. Certainly, the present invasion shouldnât held up as a unique act of aggression, while…
Counterfireâs weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles You can sign up to receive News from the Fronline straight in your inbox P&O ferries announced the disgraceful decision to fire all of its seafarers and replace them with agency staff. Counterfireâs Richard Allday looks at this in more detail on our website. Manchesterâs…
The sacking of ferry workers in British ports is an attack on workersâ rights, argues Richard Allday, and we must unite to defeat the employers The shocking news that broke today, that P&O is sacking 800 seafarers with immediate effect, has implications for every worker in Britain. The company has issued redundancies with no notice â in contravention…
Policing the Pandemic raises important issues about institutional racism, but the police cannot be treated separately from the system they serve, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh Lambros Fatsis and Melayna Lamb, Policing the Pandemic: How Public Health Becomes Public Order (Policy Press 2022), v, 141pp. In the first lockdown in 2020 in particular, various…
If we want to understand why the war is taking place, we need to ignore the propaganda, and consider the geopolitical context, argues Dragan PlavĆĄiÄ Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine is a war of imperial subjugation. Its brutality is only too familiar from the terrible wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must condemn it, demanding a ceasefire and Russiaâs…
If we want to understand why the war is taking place, we need to ignore the propaganda, and consider the geopolitical context, argues Dragan PlavĆĄiÄ Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine is a war of imperial subjugation. Its brutality is only too familiar from the terrible wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must condemn it, demanding a ceasefire and Russiaâs…
As bills rocket and poverty increases, Terina Hine explains why it doesnât have to be this way Millions are struggling to pay rent, buy food, and heat their homes; energy and food bills are skyrocketing while workers are being hit by National Insurance hikes and real terms pay cuts. We are facing the biggest cost of living crisis in over 60 years…
