Illustration by Laurence Ware This article first appeared in Issue #235, ‘Educate, agitate, organise’, published March 2022. Subscribe today to read more articles and support fearless, independent media. If it wasn’t clear already, the Omicron variant has drummed the...
Red Pepper
Northern Ireland’s new political terrain
Norther Ireland’s parliament buildings. Photo: Robert Paul Young The symbolic importance of Northern Ireland’s recent assembly elections result, even if downplayed in Britain, was lost on few other observers, as Sinn Féin became the first ever Irish nationalist party...
The Red Wall: a political narrative
Darlington was one of the so-called ‘Red Wall’ seats taken by the Conservatives in the 2019 General Election. Photo by Gerry Hart Every few years, a political term emerges which raises the ear of every pundit across Britain. One of the most recent of these terms has...
Simon Hedges winning here
Electoral masterminds Ed Davey and Tim Farron at the Liberal Democrats’ 2009 spring conference It’s 1983 and my school is having a mock general election. For readers thinking, ‘I bet Simon went to a posh private school’ – yes, I did. For security reasons. My father...
The Tower Hamlets story
Photo credit: Ewan Munro On Thursday 5 May, voters will go to the polls across London. But one central London borough will host a contest like no other. Labour mayor John Biggs faces a challenge from an old foe: Lutfur Rahman, Tower Hamlets’s first directly elected...
Political education for all
The works of intellectuals like Angela Davis (pictured centre) must be shown to have tangible meaning in young peoples’ lives through accessible political education (Credit: George Louis) Red Pepper has launched a vital Crowdfunder to lay the foundations for our...
Whose speech is the Free Speech Bill protecting?
Photo credit: Berit Watkin The government wading into free speech issues on campuses has become commonplace recently. The 2019 Conservative manifesto committed to strengthening free speech at universities, and in February 2021 the Department for Education published...
Where is the Labour Party heading on immigration?
Home Office immigration enforcement van in London. Photo: Philafrenzy Red Pepper has launched a vital Crowdfunder to lay the foundations for our future. Donate today. Nearly a year after it was first introduced, the Nationality and Borders Bill’s journey through...
Ukraine and anti-imperialism: thoughts for the British left
Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast, 6 April. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak/UNDP Ukraine Red Pepper has launched a vital Crowdfunder to lay the foundations for our future. Donate today. Putin’s war on Ukraine has led to thousands of deaths, upended the world order, and intensified...
Imran Khan – anti-imperialist hero or authoritarian populist?
Photo: Chatham House Red Pepper has launched a vital Crowdfunder to lay the foundations for our future. Donate today. Despite his best attempts and amid unproven allegations of foreign interference, Imran Khan was removed from power by a vote of no confidence in the...
Review: Toxic Legacy
Farm machinery spraying chemicals on the land. Red Pepper has launched a vital Crowdfunder to lay the foundations for our future. Donate today. Ask a room of environmentalists to name an inspirational book and the odds are heavily stacked that Rachel Carson’s landmark...
The growing threat of French fascism: Where next for the left?
The revolution will be anti-racist or it will be nothing. Credit: Laurent Ripart Never has a French presidential election been so boring. The first round of the 2022 election was a tragic repeat of what we saw in 2017 – the ongoing failure of mainstream parties, the...