Previous Articles

Socialism

For an anti-imperialist ecology

The Anthropocene is the term used to describe the geological period in which human activity has been the main determining factor in the Earth System. This influence has been overwhelmingly negative and has led the Earth into its sixth great extinction event. While capitalism will portray this as the fault […]

Current Affairs

The body politic

The New Year and the annual (temporary) surge in gym membership, attendance at diet groups and body-shaming begins anew. In the coming days and weeks women (and, increasingly, men) will be cajoled or bullied by television programmes, magazine covers, newspaper articles and advertisers to lose a dress or trouser size, […]

International Political Statements

Cuban doctors unable to carry out their mission in Brazil

The Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba, committed to the solidarity and humanistic principles that have guided Cuba’s medical co-operation for fifty-five years, has been participating in the programme More Doctors for Brazil since its inception in August 2013. This initiative, launched by Dilma Rousseff, who was […]

Culture

Religious fundamentalism in post-socialist Russia

Russian cinema today explores capitalism against the backdrop of a past socialist experience. Open-minded visitors to former socialist states, and particularly to Russia, will come across this living memory and frequently an acknowledgement of the loss of humanist values since the defeat of socialism in Europe. It is interesting too, […]

Political Economy

The political power of central banks

The dominant ideological story of central banks is that removing them from the control of governments depoliticised them and made them neutral, “scientific” actors in the economy. The argument goes that, as economics developed into a science, with the primary aim of keeping inflation low, making central banks independent allowed […]

Political Economy

The growing debt crisis

Global debt is now becoming a major factor in the instability of the system of capitalism. Figures show that in the second quarter of 2018 global debt reached a new record, rising to $260,000 billion. Of this total, 61 per cent—$160 trillion—is private debt of the non-financial sector, while 23 […]

Ireland

Sombre assessments for unionism

“Oxford Union votes down motion on reunification of Ireland” read a recent headline in the Belfast Telegraph. It was the type of news story guaranteed to warm the hearts of delegates gathering in Belfast a few days later for the DUP’s annual conference. Coupled with the attendance at the event […]

Socialism

Successful British communist congress

It was this writer’s privilege and pleasure to attend the 55th congress of the Communist Party of Britain, held in London on 17 and 18 November, as a guest and representative of the Communist Party of Ireland. Well attended by comrades from England, Scotland, and Wales, there were also numerous […]