Brian Parkin
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists revisited
Construction workers have been among the hardest-hit by Covid-19, with profit-hungry bosses keeping sites open throughout the pandemic.
Obituary: Mike Cooley, architect and bee
Brian Parkin pays tribue to Mike Cooley, a modest and inspiring trade union leader with a lifelong vision of a liberated technology, redirected to serving human need.
Post-war to post-industrial Scotland
Successive British governments have restructured the Scottish economy in damaging ways. Now we need a radical plan for a de-carbonised and independent Scotland.
Review: Who the hell is… Karl Marx?
Manus McGrogan's new introduction to Marx and Marxism combines theory with a vision of a world free of exploitation and oppression.
Not an atom of truth
It is a dangerous fantasy to think that nuclear energy can be part of a ‘green’ recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic or any form of solution to the climate catastrophe.
Naming of parts 2020
Poem by Brian Parkin, based on an original by Harry Reed. Illustration by Mark Winter.
Overdue! A just transition for Scotland
As convergent crises confront the North Sea oil and gas industry with its rapid demise, the need for a just transition for Scottish workers is more urgent than ever.
British Steel: workers’ rights disregarded
The return of a Tory MP from Redcar, whose steel plant closed in 2017, is a symptom of a feeling of abandonment in many former industrial communities. Brian Parkin looks at the prospect for resistance in what remains of the British steel industry
revolutionary reflections | Portugal’s revolution portrayed
Raquel Varela’s new history of the Portuguese revolution is essential reading for revolutionary socialists, argues Brian Parkin.
revolutionary reflections | Endgames of US petro-imperialism?
Brian Parkin explains some of the contradictions of the energy markets and the process of US imperial decline in an era of climate catastrophe
Latest articles
Review | China in One Village
Charlie Hore reviews China in One Village by Liang Hong, finding an informative and personal account of the contradictions of rapid urbanisation and societal...
An injury to Paul is an injury to us all
UNISON President Paul Holmes, a prominent left-winger, was been suspended by his employer during a strike two years ago on secret charges. UNISON has suspended Holmes and his branch. Sam O'Brien reports from a solidarity protest.
Extracts from Revolutionary Rehearsals in the Neoliberal Age
Colin Barker discusses social movements and the possibility of socialist revolution and Sameh Naguib explores the tragedy of the Egyptian revolution in these extracts from Revolutionary Rehearsals in the Neoliberal Age.
Jet Zero: a one way ticket to climate hell
The British Government's package of plans to make the aviation industry 'green', is a charade driven by considerations of profit, economic growth and aviation's corporate consumers. Gareth Dale and Josh Moos explain the problems, and offer some alternatives.
What a way to make a living | Working in care for 16 years
In the latest instalment of our What a Way to Make a Living series, rs21 member discusses their experience of working in care and how wider changes to the care sector have affected the pay, conditions and experience of care workers over time.
How can unions rebuild power?
Ian Allinson reviews Jane Holgate’s new book, Arise! Power, Strategy and Union Resurgence, an exploration of why unions have failed to revitalise themselves. It argues for a fundamental rethink of union organising, structure and strategy in order to build power and change lives.
Highlights
Sharon Graham wins stunning Unite victory
rs21 members in Unite respond to Sharon Graham's victory in the Unite General Secretary election. She recognises the need to focus on rebuilding workplace power to reverse union decline.
Kill The Bill: the day of action
rs21 members took part in a social media campaign as part of the #KillTheBill day of action against the new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill on Saturday 21 August 2021,
Afghanistan: the end of the occupation
Nancy Lindisfarne and Jonathan Neale write about the Taliban's defeat of the United States, challenge Islamophobic myths about Afghanistan and urge solidarity with refugees.
Remembering Utøya
We cannot allow the memory of the Utøya massacre ten years ago to be co-opted and depoliticised. Breivik's murderous Islamophobia and his hatred of the Left display affinities with far more mainstream political ideology.
Marx, the Paris Commune & socialism’s two souls: What liberation are we fighting for?
At the heart of the Communist Manifesto of 1848, recalled Engels, was the idea that “the emancipation of the workers must be the act of the working class itself.”
The Nakba never ended. Victory to the Intifada
For 73 years Palestinians have not only mourned the Nakba but refused to accept its continuation.