Comment & Other
75th anniversary of VE day: What do socialists say?
Friday 8th May marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. In the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown, the establishment are appealing to the ‘Blitz spirit’ and the sense that we’re all in it together against a common enemy. These appeals are as empty now as they were in the midst of the horrors of fascism and war.
How deep is the global depression?
The world economy is being shaken as never before. 2.7 billion workers around the world — 81 percent of the labour force — are under lockdown or travel bans. Hundreds of millions risk acute starvation. And yet, no one knows how deep or long-lasting the depression will be.
‘Cash for Ash’ scandal shines light on Stormont’s subservience to big business
The story which unfolds is illuminating on a number of levels, but is perhaps most revealing with regard to the close relationship between the Stormont politicians - particularly the DUP - and big business.
Peter Hadden – a life of struggle for workers’ unity & socialism
On the tenth anniversary of his death, we re-publish the following obituary of Peter Hadden, a leading member of the Socialist Party and our International, who played a key role in developing a Marxist understanding of the national question in Ireland.
Nolan Inside Hydebank: Tackle the social roots of crime
The documentary Nolan Inside Hydebank - in which the well-known presenter spends time in a young offenders' centre - offers an insight into the societal harm that poverty and the lack of vital services can cause.
Socialist classic ‘Divide and Rule’ republished
This year, the Socialist Party intends to re-print some of Peter Hadden's key works, which we think will be an assist for a new generation looking towards socialist ideas as an alternative to sectarian division. Our first re-print will be of Divide and Rule, written in 1980, in which Peter analyses the period leading up to the partition of Ireland. Below is the introduction to the new edition.
By Any Means Necessary – The legacy of Malcolm X
On 21st February 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech in Harlem. He was killed by members of the Nation of Islam, just a year after he left the group. This came as he was setting out on a new course for united struggle against the racist capitalist system, in rejection of the separatist ideas of the Nation.
Brexit: A long way from done!
After years of constitutional crisis and division, the UK left the European Union at 11pm on 31st January 2020. But while the Brexit saga has entered a new chapter, the book is far from finished. Under Boris Johnson’s deal, a temporary “transition period” will run until the end of the year. It will maintain EU rules that block state intervention into the economy and wholesale re-nationalisation of privatised industries.
Chernobyl: A warning from history
With growing calls, including from some on the left, for nuclear fission to be widely harnessed as a means to shift away from fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions, HBO's mini-series Chernobyl comes as a timely reminder of the colossal dangers associated with this technology.
