Gwydion M. Williams Born in 1950, I remember how different the world was in the 1970s. Communist parties were powerful in most of Western Europe, and the British Communist Party was very influential despite a lack of electoral success. At that time, many in Eastern Europe wanted Reformed Communism rather than a surrender to Western values, the … Continue reading Leninist Communism – A Better History that Failed to Complete Itself
News from Sahra Wagenknecht
A New World Order? Ukraine, Iran, Gaza: Today’s brutal wars are part of a global realignment. Germany and Europe stand at a crossroads: Are we increasingly becoming an appendage of the imperial foreign policy of the declining world power, the USA, which threatens to plunge the world into chaos and is driving our economic decline? … Continue reading News from Sahra Wagenknecht
House of Commons Debates on the Middle East
2 March 2026 John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab) Others have mentioned Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and I think many of us know the way this goes. There are responsibilities on all of our shoulders. The Prime Minister is right that there needs to be a plan. Has the US President shared with him what … Continue reading House of Commons Debates on the Middle East
Don’t Mention the War — Gorton & Denton
Editorial The Green vote in Gorton and Denton increased by 10,170 votes from 4,810 in 2024 to 14,980 in 2026. The Labour vote decreased by 9,191 votes. In the 2024 general election, the Workers Party had got 3,766 votes yet decided, for local reasons, not to stand in this by-election. It advised its supporters to … Continue reading Don’t Mention the War — Gorton & Denton
“The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy”
BOOK REVIEW By David Jackson “The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy” (Paul Holden 2025) Part 2 This is a lengthy, significant and substantial book of almost 550 pages. It is supported by nearly 800 footnotes, which the author decided to place online. To do it proper justice, requires more than … Continue reading “The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy”
Some initial thoughts on the Gorton and Denton by-election
Eamon Dyas The only thing we can glean from this election is that Gorton and Denton is a constituency than is in an area which has experienced the classical manufacturing decline that’s typical of the old Labour heartlands. New Labour, under Blair, when confronted with the trajectory that Thatcher had established for the economy, instead of … Continue reading Some initial thoughts on the Gorton and Denton by-election
Central Banks and Government Spending – A Tale of Two States
Michal Lerner In this article I compare the role of the central banks in government spending in two large capitalist states, the UK, the US. I have chosen these two states because they are both states which are the monopoly issuers of their own currency. In a later article I will look at the role of the … Continue reading Central Banks and Government Spending – A Tale of Two States
The President’s Cake
Review of the 2025 Film Catherine Dunlop This is a film set in Iraq in the early nineties, at the time of sanctions. It was written and directed by Hasan Hadi and produced by Western backers. It won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes festival’s parallel section, the Directors’ Fortnight. The director, Hasan Hadi, has taught film in the U.S. … Continue reading The President’s Cake
The UK’s War against Russia has made it much poorer.
Dave Gardner National polling and the result of the Gorton and Denton byelection has shown the British voters’ fury with the way in which the established political parties have damaged living standards over the past four years. Yet mainstream politicians are oddly reluctant to explain their failure, citing as one of the causes ‘the war … Continue reading The UK’s War against Russia has made it much poorer.
Notes on the News
By Gwydion M. Williams The Wastrels of the Western World Envy? Elon Musk Praises England As It Never Did Exist Downgrade Motherhood, Be Astonished at a Lack of Babies Epstein and a Wider Malaise Snippets Sympathy for the 'Devil's Alternative’ From Russia With Self-Incrimination Venezuela – Trump Lawless But Not Dumb Guilty Hangovers from Puritanism … Continue reading Notes on the News
PALESTINE LINKS
Israeli curbs risk halting World Central Kitchen in Gaza, authorities say (Mera Aladam, Middle East Eye, 26 February 2026) Mike Huckabee lifts the veil on US backing for Israeli expansionism (Soumaya Ghannoushi, Middle East Eye, 26 February 2026) In Gaza, we’re still breaking our fast under the buzzing of drones (Ahmed Dremly, +972, 25 February … Continue reading PALESTINE LINKS
Workers Party not standing in Gorton and Denton
The Workers’ Party not standing at the by-election in Denton and Gorton, 26 February 2026 WE reproduce below statements by George Galloway and Chris Williamson. From Chris Williamson: AFTER several days consideration, the Workers Party of Britain(WPB) announced on the evening of Sunday February 1 that it would withdraw from the Denton and Gorton by-election. … Continue reading Workers Party not standing in Gorton and Denton
Sahra Wagenknecht Newsletters
Sahra Wagenknecht Newsletter 26 February 26 Four years of war: Why doesn't Merz call Putin? This week marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's attack on Ukraine, which violated international law. Every day that this war continues is a bad day. It is a tragedy that the opportunity to end the war just a few weeks … Continue reading Sahra Wagenknecht Newsletters
Four Years Later
Four Years Later Robert Skidelsky reflects on the Ukraine War https://robertskidelsky.substack.com Note: See below some reflections of mine on the 4-year war in Ukraine. Interestingly enough, no one in the UK would publish it. It’s still taboo to argue that the West had any responsibility for either starting the war or continuing it at incredible … Continue reading Four Years Later
Davos – You’re All Fired
Editorial Donald Trump has little use for NATO, and even less for Europe’s political leaders. He is openly hostile toward European leaders, many of whom—almost without exception—did what they could to prevent his election as President. During his campaign, Trump made ending the war in Ukraine a central objective. European leaders, in contrast, have elevated … Continue reading Davos – You’re All Fired
“The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy”
BOOK REVIEW “The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy” (Paul Holden) David Jackson This is a lengthy, significant and substantial book of almost 550 pages. It is supported by nearly 800 footnotes, which the author decided to place online. To do it proper justice, requires more than one review. This review … Continue reading “The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy”
Venezuelan oil, Sanctions and Petrodollars
Michal Lerner The name Petrodollar is used to designate dollars that are used to buy oil. So if country X buys 1 million barrels of oil at $70 dollars per barrel from an oil exporter and pays for that oil in dollars, then an account at some US bank will be marked up by £70 … Continue reading Venezuelan oil, Sanctions and Petrodollars
Money, Money, Money . . .
Magnus Langton On Sunday August 15th, 1971, United States of America President, Richard Nixon addressed the nation and announced, “I have directed Secretary Connally to suspend, temporarily, the convertibility of the dollar into gold . . .”. With that, the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944 came to an end. This settlement had defined the post World … Continue reading Money, Money, Money . . .
Labour Affairs 