Democratic Socialist

Archived articles

Co-operatives and Mutuality

The temptation of honest mutuality - David Byrne examines the recommodification of the welfare state, and says mutuals must decide which side they are for – corporate capital or socialism.

Developing democracy - Stephen Yeo argues that cooperative politics can help to address the democratic deficit.

Collective action and the sustainable renewal of Britain -
Sean Creighton calls for a better understanding of mutual organisations, and argues that they should be a vital part of regeneration and social inclusion. Also: Jonathan Timbers responds to this article.

Developing world

No quick fix- Will Brown on the legacy of Live8, G8 and Make Poverty History

Is there a song for solidarity? - Sarah Bracking calls for a socialist response to the Live8 agenda

Africa: Imperialism goes naked - Sarah Bracking and Graham Harrison argue that imperialism is a more useful concept than globalisation

Zimbabwe in crisis -- William Brown looks beyond the headlines at the origins of Zimbabwe's unrest.

Lame convention -- Will Brown on Europe's changing relationship with the developing world.

Living democracy -- Barry Winter on the Zapatistas' refreshing approach to social change.

A little local difficulty? -- Barry Winter on the global significance of the Zapatistas

Economics and capitalism

There is an alternative - Carl Davidson reviews David Schweickart’s After Capitalism

dot.com/sustainedgrowth? - William Brown wades through the myths and realities of the 'new economy'

No logo, no solutions - Matthew Brown finds Naomi Klein's aim at the corporate brand bullies somewhat off target

The good Leviathan? -- Hazel Head defends the much maligned World Trade Organisation.

Education

Lowick school forced to close - The battle is over for the country’s only co-operative school

The threat of a good example - Matthew Brown reports from Lowick, where local people have been battling church, state and bureaucracy to establish the country’s first co-operative school

Could do (a lot) better -- The government should stop talking and listen to the teachers, says Jeannine Sudworth

Football

A task of two halves -- Adam Brown reports on an acrimonious end to the Football task force.

The people's game? -- Is the Football Task Force the model of "third way" politics in action, asks Matthew Brown?

Green party

Mixed Greens - Jonathan Timbers says the Green Party has some serious thinking to do before it can become a credible and progressive alternative to Labour

Housing

Stock ideas - Mike Wadsworth reports on a CLP meeting about housing

The ILP

Into the cracks of the system - Matthew Brown reports on the ILP’s discussion weekend

This world of ours - Eric Preston introduces the ILP’s 2005 Weekend of political review

Cook’s report - Martin Cook on the ILP’s ‘Conversation of the left’

The ILP and social change - Barry Winter outlines the ILP’s perspective and explains why it’s had to change.

Internationalism

The last Porto Alegre - Mark Engler on the World Social Forum, now five years old

Iraq

Heed their voices - Labour MP Harry Barnes on Iraq after the elections

Demos and disillusionment - Phil Doré on leaving Stop the War for Labour Friends of Iraq

The battle for democracy in Iraq - Gary Kent calls for support for Iraq’s grassroots democrats

Coalition of the careless - Will Brown reports on a ‘left wing’ attack on Iraqi trade unionists

Music

Between the pop and the party - Will Brown reviews an ultimately disappointing analysis of the relationship between pop and politics

New Labour and party democracy

Telling it like it is? - Matthew Brown on two contrasting tales of new Labour Britain

Save the Party … for Gordon Brown - Jonathan Timbers sees the STLP heading up some depressingly familiar cul-de-sacs

Reimagining socialism, reinventing democracy - Barry Winter admires Hilary Wainwright’s Reclaim the State, but she is still wrong about the Labour Party

Traitor or whistle blower? - Gary Kent reviews Liz Davies’ recent book on the politics inside new Labour.

Labour Watch - Ann Black describes the underground manoeuvres which damage democracy at the National Policy Forum

Theatres of conflict - Jonathan Timbers meets both Arthur and Tony in the same week, and lives to tell the tale.

Labour Watch -- David Connolly ponders the latest examples of new Labour-style democracy.

Labour Watch -- David Connolly wonders what happened to one member one vote.
Pushed into enemy hands -- Bernard Hughes on how the leadership is turning even some of its closest friends into foes.

Labour Watch -- David Connolly on dubious practices in the Labour party
Bournemouth without the battles -- Gary Kent sees war declared on the forces of conservatism at Labour Party conference.

All stitched up in the web -- Bernard Hughes reviews Paul Flynn's exposé of the Welsh assembly elections.

By-election blues -- a Labour party member from Leeds on the by-election there

D'you say you want a revolution? -- David Connolly reviews The Unfinished Revolution by Philip Gould

Voice of the grass roots -- Tribune editor Mark Seddon talks about Labour, democracy and the NEC.

Bill and Tony's mysterious adventure -- Eric Preston searches for meaning in the much-hyped third way

Northern Ireland

Peter Hain: time to go?- Is Hain bad for the peace process? Paul Dixon thinks so

Telling the troubled truth - The idea of a truth process in Northern Ireland is gaining credibility. But it’s not without its problems, as Gary Kent reports.

Republicans and the choreography of peace -- Paul Dixon wonders how the republican leaders have sold the Good Friday agreement.

For Queen and country ... and socialism -- Barry Winter meets the working class unionists who tell it like it is.

Impassable impasse? -- Paul Dixon wonders what next for the Northern Ireland peace process.

Parliament

Letter: Reform of the House of Lords - It’s a side-show, says Sean Creighton

Policy

Beyond the market, below the radar - Barry Winter reports from a conference on public services

No solutions, much confusion - Jonathan Timbers searches for the soul of social enterprise

Postmodernism

Lyotard and the post-modern - What can socialists learn from Lyotard? asks Martin Jenkins

Race, racism and fascism

Valley fever - Ben Tullett reports on the battle to beat the BNP in Halifax

It’s the end of the world as we know it - Ben Turley reports from Halifax on the BNP’s by-election victory.

The travellers' tales -- Matthew Brown recalls the centuries of persecution that have affected Gypsy people.

The cutting edge -- The Stephen Lawrence saga exposes the underbelly of Britain's conservative culture, says Matthew Brown

Socialists and socialism

Still pulling them in - Paul Fryer reports on the first Victor Grayson memorial lecture

A challenge remaining - Will Brown reflects on a left still looking for direction

Listening to the lickspittle lackeys - Bernard Hughes spends an evening with ex-Commies

Foucault, power and the left - Martin Jenkins analyses Foucault’s concept of power

An activist’s life - Mike Wadsworth reviews the recent biography of lifetime communist Edmund Frow.
Defective permanent revolutionary -Mike Wadsworth reviews the autobiography of SWP founder Tony Cliff.

Transport

Still time to change trains - Bernard Hughes picks over the origins and entrails of the railway crisis.

Prescott's personal policies -- Bernard Hughes examines the problems.

USA and 11 September

The USA and the war on terror - an extract from September 11 And All That by Eric Preston

Beneath American skies - Gary Kent reports on the diversity of opinions he found on a recent trip to the USA.

The left, the war and the obligations of the oppressed - In the wake of September 11th, and opposition to the war on terrorism, Will Brown calls for the left to re-examine its knee-jerk responses to international conflict.