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
1972: When unions defeated the courts and Tories
The "Pentonville Five" trade unionists were imprisoned but then released amid major strikes and protests.
Striking back against the Tories
As a strike wave grows over pay and working conditions, we analyse workplace struggles and how they can be built further.
Climate Camp Scotland unites climate, migrant and workers’ struggles
Climate Camp Scotland saw hundreds of climate and community activists gather to discuss the practice and theory of fighting for climate justice.
Hating capitalism more than The Communist Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto is one of the cornerstones of Marxism. Neil Rogall celebrates a compelling new account of its importance today by author and...
Can ‘green laws’ stop climate change?
As environmental campaigners turn to the law to stop climate change, barrister David Renton argues legal challenges and ‘green laws’ alone cannot guarantee the massive change we need.
The right-on-right battle behind the ‘war on woke’
The 'war on woke' scapegoats trans people and migrants - but also reflects deep divisions on the right.
Highlights
Striking back against the Tories
As a strike wave grows over pay and working conditions, we analyse workplace struggles and how they can be built further.
The right-on-right battle behind the ‘war on woke’
The 'war on woke' scapegoats trans people and migrants - but also reflects deep divisions on the right.
Mad Pride campaigns for psychiatric abolition
Hundreds gathered to oppose abuse of psychiatric patients, celebrate Mad culture, and call for psychiatric abolition.
Five reasons why pay rises don’t cause inflation
The real causes are global factors like Covid and the war in Ukraine – as well as corporate profiteering.
‘If you want to organise at work, buy this book’
Organising at work can rebuild working-class power. In his forthcoming book, long-time activist Ian Allinson explains how it's done.
NHS in crisis – fightback on pay can help save it
Health campaigner Gill George analyses the crisis facing the NHS – both nationally and in Shropshire, where she lives – and the campaigns to fight back.