Today is International Women’s Day and a chance for all of us to reflect on women’s place in society and public life. Much is said about women’s representation in Parliament and increasing the number of the number of women MPs, but there has generally been less attention paid to the
One hundred and twenty-two years on from the founding of the Labour Representation Committee, 116 from the founding of the Parliamentary Labour Party and 100 years since Labour became the official opposition, what can history teach us about the way forward? As a political activist for over 50 years, I
In this week’s column, Paul takes on the anti-Nato left, tracing its roots to show is has always been a fundamentally un-Labour position. There is no evidence that Lenin ever used the phrase ‘useful idiots’ to describe those in the West who gave succour to the cause of Russian communism
Over the last two years, the Covid pandemic has affected the lives of every single British person. Over 150,000 have died from Covid, the initial lockdown caused the worst recession since the Great Depression and our personal freedoms were restricted to an unimaginable degree. By any objective measure, the UK
Planning for what you want to achieve not just what you want to avoid. There are both individual and structural factors which drive homelessness and exclusion. We need to tackle both. We need to create an inclusive universal domain which enables people to thrive and to use their talents and
The Ukraine crisis shows that only under Labour will Britain be serious about NATO and it’s commitments around the world. These are nervous times. The rhetoric coming out of Russia, accusing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of advancing towards its borders and posing a threat to its security and
Morgan Jones was the Labour MP from 1921 until his death in 1939. His claim to fame is the fact that he was the first conscientious objector to be elected to Parliament. He was a member of the Independent Labour Party (ILP), a Christian socialist and a pacifist for most
The stories and images coming out of Afghanistan are haunting. The helpless eyes of the long suffering men, women and children pierce through your heart and leave a wound in your memories. Children with sunken eyes and bloated stomachs gasping for life as their parents watch, desperately. I know how
A comeback, and a swansong… Against all odds, the centre-left Socialist Party (Partido Socialista, PS) achieved an absolute majority in the latest Portuguese legislative elections on 30 January. The result came as a surprise to everyone – including, arguably, Prime Minister António Costa, who days before had abandoned his calls
Given the recent turn in polling, it now seems that Labour could well win the next election with pledges to fix the damage left by the Tories. The pledges might include: end child poverty; rebuild the Welfare State; green energy, housing and communities; rebuild our democracy; regain respect for the
