Solid Workers

Have an interest in the far left and Trotskyism? Perhaps a member of an organisation within these traditions, have a past activist record with them, or have developed an interest with the minutiae of left wing history? And happen to be in or near the Nottingham area on Monday 1st July between 7pm and 8.30pm? Then why not join me and Evan Smith, co-editor of Against the Grain and Waiting for the Revolution , and author of British Communism and the Politics of Race for an evening discussing Trotskyana, sectariana, far left history, Evan's work, and what the rich history of labour movement struggles in the UK and Australia have to teach us today. The event is at Five Leaves , Nottingham's radical bookshop. Tickets are £4 waged, £2 student/unwaged and you can book your place via events@fiveleaves.co.uk. Hope to see you there!

It's not only Theresa May who's preparing her departure from the political scene. At the time of writing, the Socialist Party is on the verge of the most damaging split in its history. On the one side you have Peter Taaffe, the organisation's general secretary of 55 years and counting. Backing him is the majority of the membership in England and Wales, the Scottish "section" and, um, precious few others. Arrayed against the loyalists are the majority of the international organisation - the Committee for a Workers' International - including its most successful section, the Socialist Party in Ireland. And as with all splits in politics, which Change UK have recently reminded us , there are good reasons and there are real reasons. If you care to avail yourself of the leaked documents the different players have exchanged (and leaked), for Taaffe and his comrades this is the struggle between proletarian politics, as uniquely elaborated by the SP's particular b...

They might have made a powerful team, George Galloway standing for the Brexit Party in Peterborough, but it is not happening. In a tearful tweet transmitted into the ether, the Gorgeous One announced the withdrawal of his prospective candidacy as Nigel Farage the Brexit Party have instead selected Mike Greene, a local Tory businessman who once appeared on Channel 4's egregiously awful The Secret Millionaire . Galloway writes "I tried to persuade @Nigel_Farage to support my candidacy in #Peterborough to emphasise the broad democratic alliance the campaign must be and balance the candidatures of Ms Widdecombe and Ms Rees-Mogg." Silly George. Farage isn't interested in an alliance, he's interested in another ego vehicle. Actually, no, that doesn't quite capture it. There is some mileage in the himself personally now argument, but not enough to go the full distance. Yes, sure, when the Brexit Party is organised entirely around Farage's person and he is lead...

Is there anything more to be said about Extinction Rebellion ? Probably not, except it deserves the left's unequivocal solidarity, encouragement and support. There's little more to be added to takes by Richard Seymour and Lewis Bassett . Not that it's going to stop me from having my two penneth worth. 1. Extinction rebellion is both timely and untimely . Timely, because it's very much of the moment. David Attenborough and the BBC are spearheading programming on climate change, species loss, and environmental degradation. The public are prepped for it, and young people particularly are concerned - as the magnificent displays of climate school strike marches make clear. But this week's rolling non-violent direct action is untimely too. It's inconvenient for politicians more concerned with Brexit than environmental emergency, it's inconvenient for the hundred global companies responsible for 71% of emissions , and it's inconvenient for a government utterly...