British governments have a long history of repressing protest, but protests continue With Gove, Lord Walney and others seeking to restrict our freedom of dissent, KEITH FLETT reminds us that such state repression is not new and it can be overcome
Monday 08th Jan 2024 The importance of historical memory The rich and powerful would not only prefer to forget certain episodes of history but will actively do what they can to make sure they are buried, says KEITH FLETT
Friday 22nd Dec 2023 How Marx and Engels spent their Christmas Reading the fathers of communism’s letters from over a century-and-a-half ago, we find that far from being against festive fun, they were all feasting, drinking and giving presents, explains KEITH FLETT
Tuesday 12th Dec 2023 The left and the 1923 general election Socialist historian KEITH FLETT looks at Britain’s first Labour government, where political timidity followed Establishment fears of radical reform
Monday 27th Nov 2023 Labour, elections and war: the case of 2001 and 2005 It’s not just ‘the Muslim vote’ but a general opposition to war from the whole electorate that Labour should be wary of — even the Lib Dems have come off better better in the past, writes KEITH FLETT
Tuesday 14th Nov 2023 Has the 20th century ended yet? The idea of the ‘short 20th century’ was based on an assumption that crises like the one that exploded 50 years ago were increasingly rare — instead, they’re increasingly common, writes KEITH FLETT
Tuesday 31st Oct 2023 If protests didn’t work they wouldn’t try to ban them As huge demos once again hit the streets of Britain in defence of Palestine, we must recognise that ours is an era where street politics is increasingly vital, explains socialist historian KEITH FLETT
Wednesday 18th Oct 2023 Labour, war and opposition Socialist historian KEITH FLETT looks at the Labour Party’s inconsistent attitude to war over the last century, and what we can do to shape it
Monday 02nd Oct 2023 Liz Truss and the markets: could it happen to a left government? History shows that any diversion from ‘economic orthodoxy’ is likely to lead to pushback from Establishment forces, cautions KEITH FLETT
Wednesday 20th Sep 2023 Wilko: we once came close to preventing these crises The 12,500 jobs lost at Wilko echo the industrial vandalism of Tories in the 1980s. New Labour had plans to put in place a safety net — but will Keir Starmer resurrect these, asks KEITH FLETT
Wednesday 06th Sep 2023 Don’t bank on the Tory Party quietly dying off The party of the landed gentry which became the party of the manufacturing capitalist class — and then became the party of the free-market stocks-and-shares men? Never count it out, warns KEITH FLETT