It is a week away from the local elections that will take place in much of the England on 7thMay. Almost two years ago, the Labour Party won a landslide 411 seats in the July 2024 general election. The polls for the forthcoming local elections suggest that Labour will be in third place in many wards and … Continue reading Local elections—Editorial
politics
Lord Robert Skidelsky
To mark the passing of Lord Robert Skidelsky on 15th April 2026, we reproduce one of his reflections on the war in Ukraine. Four Years Later Robert Skidelsky reflects on the Ukraine War, February 2026 ‘War should be approached with much prudence, reverence, and calculation, and that includes the propaganda which is its messenger. ‘Our power … Continue reading Lord Robert Skidelsky
Was Fianna Fáil ‘slightly fascist’ in the 1930s?
James Connolly was the only Labour leader in the British state who was explicitly Marxist in his general framework of understanding and who engaged in revolutionary action against the State. He was killed for his revolutionary attempt by a Coalition Government which included the founder of the Labour Party, Arthur Henderson, who was in the process … Continue reading Was Fianna Fáil ‘slightly fascist’ in the 1930s?
Notes on the News
By Gwydion M. Williams Iran – Regime Still Standing False Belief as a Root of Evil Iran: Not My Sort of Regime China and Compromise Snippets Taxing the Rich Ukraine – Predictable Disaster Intelligence Is Many Different Things Iran – Regime Still Standing British pop singer Elton John can’t have many followers in Iran. But his … Continue reading Notes on the News
Palestine Links
In Gaza, life flickers as power cuts shatter livelihoods and healthcare (Nada Nabil in Gaza City, Middle East Eye, 29 April 2026) ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan describes threats from David Cameron and Lindsay Graham in new interview (Imran Mulla, Middle East Eye, 29 April 2026) New petition seeks 'accountability' from UK over role in Israel-Palestine … Continue reading Palestine Links
Competitive Parliamentarianism Isn’t Essential for Democracy
By Gwydion M. Williams Parliaments of the rich, for a rich minority Elections as a path to Civil War Humans are not natural democrats or natural sharers Parliaments of the rich, for a rich minority England has been parliamentary since the 14th century. But only in 1688 was it settled that the monarch could not rule without … Continue reading Competitive Parliamentarianism Isn’t Essential for Democracy
New police powers “to protect communities from disruption caused by protests”
[This is another effort to deny people the right to demonstrate against the genocide taking place against the Palestinian people, by banning ‘repeat demos’, as if the demonstrations had to stop even if the situation has not changed.] From https://www.gov.uk see link below Police forces will be authorised to consider the ‘cumulative impact’ of protests, … Continue reading New police powers “to protect communities from disruption caused by protests”
The Sahra Wagenknecht Newsletter
30 April 2026 This is Sahra Wagenknecht’s newsletter, where she provides regular updates on her activities and current political issues. The links take the reader to the original German source; one of those links (the essay on a dictionary of war softening) has been translated below. The federal government has approved the draft budget for … Continue reading The Sahra Wagenknecht Newsletter
Review of ” Resistance the Essence of the Islamist Revolution” by Alastair Crooke.
John Clayden As the late great Duke Ellington once said " It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it....that's what gets results " so what was it that made the Iranian Islamist Shia Revolution successful and how has Iran Hezbollah and Hamas and Yemen survived against all the odds. The explanation provided … Continue reading Review of ” Resistance the Essence of the Islamist Revolution” by Alastair Crooke.
Nathan Gill—Victim of Double Standards
Dave Gardner Recently, an ex MEP ex Reform member, Nathan Gill, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the crime of taking a bribe and acting improperly on that basis. He pleaded guilty thus avoiding a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment. In this issue of ‘Labour Affairs’ we reprint two of the speeches that … Continue reading Nathan Gill—Victim of Double Standards
Your Party, Our Party, a Party for the Many
By Gwydion M. Williams A New Hope? The Road to the Liverpool Convention Incidentals in Liverpool What Sort of Party?’ ‘Not Invented Here’? Soft Leninism: an Argument of Trotskyists World-Changing Leninists, But Not Here Back to the Liverpool Convention Things I’d Have Liked To Say The Wider World A New Hope? The Road to the Liverpool Convention … Continue reading Your Party, Our Party, a Party for the Many
Digital I.D. it’s all a matter of trust . . .
Magnus Langton For some time the British government have been talking about the Brit Card, a physical form of personal digital identification for the British people. In September 2025 Sir Keir Starmer announced plans to launch a universal digital identification scheme in the UK. The Gov.uk website tells us the digital ID will hold: Your … Continue reading Digital I.D. it’s all a matter of trust . . .
Should Europe Rearm?
Recent Letter and Speech on the War in Ukraine. Lord Robert Skidelsky Note: I’m posting two items today. The first is a letter I co-signed with others, which was submitted to The Guardian on the 15th of November. This was in response to an article on the same day by Pjotr Sauer and Shaun Walker attacking Russia’s anglophobia. … Continue reading Should Europe Rearm?
The Crime and Policing Bill 2025
The Crime and Policing Bill now being discussed covers a great many topics; each topic is then garlanded with many amendments, making it what’s known apparently as a ‘Christmas tree’ bill. What concerns us today is the clause that intends to curtail pro-Palestinian marches. See below the Jewish Bloc for Palestine statement and the speech by John … Continue reading The Crime and Policing Bill 2025
Notes on the News
By Gwydion M. Williams ‘Feed the Rich’ – the Creed of Today’s Labour MPs Who Are the Next Nine? True-Born English – Not Replaced, But Diminishing Black Insiders Defending Hedge-Fund Hegemony China Still Rising Snippets ‘Reform’ – Fools are Fooled Twice International Law – Never a Reality Idealism Is Still There Roosevelt the Hopeful But … Continue reading Notes on the News
The death of Reagan’s Star Wars
By Gwydion M. Williams New Nuclear Devices The Strategic Defense Initiative Defensive Weapons Air and Sea – Next to Space? New Nuclear Devices You may have seen stories about Putin announcing a new nuclear missile – or is it two? Claiming it can get through any defence, but how? The key matter is Russia developing a … Continue reading The death of Reagan’s Star Wars
Lord Skidelsky’s speech in the House of Lords on Ukraine
31 October 2025 [Lord Skidelsky was allowed five minutes] My Lords, I do not know whether it is a punishment or a privilege to be put last in the list of Back-Bench speakers, as I invariably am when it comes to a debate on Ukraine. The noble Lord, Lord Coaker, was powerful and eloquent in … Continue reading Lord Skidelsky’s speech in the House of Lords on Ukraine
Starmer Shuffles—Editorial
As we go to press it appears that Starmer has made his first move against his chancellor Rachel Reeves. Starmer has no understanding of economics but he does grasp that the huge drop in Labour’s position in the polls can mostly be explained by the economic policies that Reeves is following. Darren Jones, who had … Continue reading Starmer Shuffles—Editorial
Labour Affairs 