Labour’s strange relationship with the bomb
Nuclear weapons are unpopular across the political spectrum, especially in the party Starmer now leads. So why, asks Nick Wright, are these vote-seeking ‘pragmatists’ so hell-bent on keeping them?
Colombia’s insurgency resumes: why Segunda Marquetalia, a wing of the Farc, have returned to war
Inside a base in the Catatumbo mountains, Oliver Dodd speaks to Comandante Villa Vazquez in the first ever face-to-face interview with a senior figure in the recently re-established guerilla army
Poetry Corner: Action by Frances Moore
Action by Frances Moore
A Sheffield teacher and activist in the National Union of Teachers, Frances Moore (1906 – 1994) was married to Bill Moore, who was a fulltime worker for the Communist Party. Although Frances’ busy life left with little time to write in her younger days, later on she produced a substantial body of poetry, some of which was published. The poem featured here is a tribute to the strength of collective action and duty of trade union struggle – and the example of the famous UCS Work In.
“What is grief, if not love persevering” – a review of Wandavision
The Marvel formula has been successful, if unchanging from Iron Man to Endgame. CGI fights, lasers in the sky, witty humour from super-powered individuals. Wandavision has all of these, as well as a harrowing exploration into the trauma and grief felt by Wanda Maximoff, now known to the MCU as Scarlett Witch.
Weekend Premier League recap
The Premier League title could be virtually wrapped up by the end of this weekend’s fixtures as first played second in a crucial six pointer for the league leaders
Midweek Premier League recap
Over half of the Premier League played across the midweek ahead of a full weekend programme.
Poetry Corner: My Last Will by Joe Hill
My Last Will by Joe Hill, 1915
“The labour troubadour Joe Hill was executed by the state of Utah on November 19, 1915, accused of murdering two shopkeepers. Five years earlier, while working on the docks in California, Hill met members of the IWW and became an active Wobbly. Soon his humorous and biting political songs, like “The Preacher and the Slave,”1 were being sung on picket lines across the country. From his jail cell in Utah, Hill wrote to “Big Bill” Haywood in a telegram, “Don’t waste time mourning. Organize!”—a line that became a slogan of the U.S. labour movement. On the eve of his execution, Hill penned these words.” – From Voices of a People’s History
Unequal Exchange
Theories of unequal exchange argue that trade between poor and rich countries involve the transfer of value from the former to the latter, as more labour is traded for less labour.
Weekend Premier League recap
The sun shone down this week on another run of weekend Premier League action. With some teams set to play make-up games in the midweek and others having played in European cup competitions the midweek just gone, squad rotation may very well be the watch word of the day. Nonetheless, there’s plenty to talk about so let’s dive in.
Learning from New Towns
The year was 1946, and following the second world war London lay in ruins. Houses and entire communities had been destroyed by relentless bombing from the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), a solution was needed, with the Labour government under Clement Atlee deciding to put forward an act known as the New Towns Act (1946).
