Tag: long read

How Labour’s Campaigns Attempted to Make the Political Personal
In both Labour and Momentum, since the general election there has been a stronger focus on making political communication personal. In this Long Read, Nathan Akehurst takes a closer look at the practical and ideological aspects of 'mass personalisation'.
The End of a Unionist Majority: Where Next for Northern Ireland?
The northern Irish assembly elections ended the long-term unionist majority in Stormont. Donnacha Kirk on what just happened, what it means, and how things may play out.
Fuck ‘Em and Their Law: Repression and Resistance in Rave and Grime
From marches ending with street parties instead of speeches to illegal gigs under railway underpasses, political resistance in Britain has always had a banging soundtrack. As the sneering successor to the escapist rave culture of the 90s, does Grime have what it takes to finally fight the establishment head on?
How the Guardian Changed Tack on Corbyn, Despite Its Readers
In an extract from new book The Candidate: Jeremy Corbyn’s Improbable Path to Power, Alex Nunns examines how the Guardian newspaper reacted to Corbyn’s sudden rise in the 2015 leadership contest.
Dissecting Democracy: History of an Idea
After a typical election in the UK , the government we get will be radically different from the government we vote for. As representative democracy sinks into crisis, it is high-time the UK questions its own political system and embraces real democracy.
Passive Voices: On Remembrance, Political Agency and the Rise of Trump
Remembrance encourages us to think back over history to the situation of those who lived through it. Amid our current turmoil, we ought to reflect on how history happens - and our own role in creating it.
5 Things Momentum Needs to Do Next
Over the last few weeks Momentum has found itself at a crossroads. In this long read, Michael Chessum argues the organisation needs to embrace its internal differences and lay down some democratic expectations.
‘I’m not looking for a new England’: On the Limitations of Radical Nationalism
As UK politics veers wildly to the right, some people are attempting to rehabilitate a progressive English nationalism as part of a left project to push back against a rising tide of xenophobia and racism. Kojo Koram examines the limitations of this project.
Mining for Red Gold
Workers in Italy's tomato industry are organising against exploitation that local government has continually failed to tackle.
Campesinos Against Climate Change: The Fight for Economic Justice in Colombia
In the second of our features on social justice movements in Colombia, Milo Phillips reports on how climate change and neoliberal economic reforms have endangered the livelihoods of farmers - and how they are fighting back.
Democracy Suspended: What Really Happened at the Brighton Labour AGM?
Following an alleged 'spitting incident' at a recent AGM, Labour's biggest constituency party has been suspended and its branch executive election annulled.
How Did We Get Here? The EU Referendum and the Crises of Union
Sunday Long Read: Britain now heads into a period of unprecedented turbulence. This was not supposed to happen. What does the result suggest about the state of UK democracy? And what strategic challenges does it present to the left?
The Fantastic Corruption of the Broadcasting British Class
The BBC is often lauded as a beacon of impartial reporting. But this weekend, as Queen Elizabeth's birthday celebrations dominate its reporting, it's worth delving into organisation's deep structural and personal links to the UK's corrupt political elite.
From Apathy to Outrage: Why Political Corruption Matters to the Left
Sunday Long Read: Corruption has been a long-standing feature of British democracy, and the rallying cry of populists throughout history. In light of the recent election expenses scandal, what does this mean for the left?
3 Ways to Understand Rousseff’s Impeachment and the Growth of the Right in Brazil
The unfolding 'coup' against Brazil's Dilma Rousseff has caused outcry across the world, but things aren't as cut-and-dry as they seem.
The Cold Genocide of the Refugees
Sunday Long Read: Is Europe's treatment of refugees beginning to take on a genocidal form?
Britain’s Involvement in Yemen: A Silent Role in a Forgotten War
Revelations that the British military has been directly involved in drone strikes in Yemen underscores the fact that one year on from the start of the conflict, Britain continues to be complicit in the largely-ignored war in the country.
What Is a Union For?
Sunday Long Read: Just part of the fallout of the recent NUS conference has been a conservative-led wave of calls for SUs to disaffiliate. At its root is a battle over the very purpose of a union.