Things have happened quickly since the unauthorised referendum called by Catalunya’s regional government on October 1st. The result – a 90% yes vote on a 42% turnout, with many opposed to independence staying away – led Catalan president Carles Puigdemont to proclaim independence. The Spanish government responded by completely suspending Catalan autonomy and unleashing […]
An independent Catalunya?
Sep 24th, 2017 by Mike Phipps.The Catalan regional government’s determination to push ahead with a referendum on independence on 1st October that has been ruled illegal by the conservative government of the Spanish state has put the two authorities on collision course. With no sign of negotiated agreement or climb-down by either side, things look set to polarise very quickly. […]
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New report exposes UK aid policy failings
Jul 30th, 2017 by Mike Phipps.Mike Phipps welcomes a new report from Global Justice Now – Re-imagining UK Aid: What a Progressive Strategy Could Look Like For over a decade, a consensus has existed at Westminster on overseas aid. All main parties are committed to the internationally agreed target of spending 0.7% of gross national income on it. But this […]
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Understanding the local election results
May 8th, 2017 by Mike Phipps.It’s not over yet. What are we to make of the local elections? The headline losses for Labour speak for themselves, but there are some important points to note behind these. Although they never looked like losing it, Labour won the Manchseter mayoralty on a huge swing. While the usual doomsayers were quick to bemoan […]
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The battle for Mosul
Jan 30th, 2017 by Mike Phipps.Last week, I received the following email: “Dear Friends, As you might have heard, the American Coalition have been bombing civilian areas in Mosul. Over the past few days the coalition targeted 3 houses of well known professors and researchers in Mosul University. One of them was my college professor and mentor Prof. Dr Mohamad […]
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Lessons of Richmond Park
Dec 7th, 2016 by Mike Phipps.What can be read into the by-election result at Richmond Park? A 23,000 Conservative majority has been turned into a narrow win for the Lib Dems and a lost deposit for Labour. One blogger drew the comforting conclusion that this was down to the anti-Corbyn characteristics of the Labour candidate. Well, maybe. In reality, this was […]
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Should Labour enter into electoral pacts?
Nov 8th, 2016 by Mike Phipps.Zac Goldsmith’s decision to resign as a Tory MP and contest his Richmond Park seat in a by-election as an independent, in protest at the government’s decision to build a third Heathrow runway, has raised the thorny issue of electoral pacts. With the Conservatives and UKIP choosing not to contest the seat, Labour came under […]
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What kind of Momentum conference?
Nov 1st, 2016 by Mike Phipps.Momentum, the organisation created to advance Corbynista ideas within the labour movement and beyond, presents a tremendous opportunity. With 20,000 members, it provides a framework for organising discussions and activity that can take socialist ideas to a far wider audience than has been possible for generations. Yet, reading the left media, a huge amount of […]
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Corbyn Rebooted?
Oct 4th, 2016 by Mike Phipps.Mike Phipps (Brent Central CLP) and Sue Lukes (Islington North CLP) suggest five priorities for the Labour leader following his re-election The 2016 campaign for re-election may have added new members to the Labour Party and helped popularise some of our key ideas, but ultimately it was always an unnecessary distraction. The reality is that […]
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The scandal of privatised aid
May 24th, 2016 by Mike Phipps.If you thought energy privatisation was bad for UK consumers, take a look at Nigeria. The result has been up to 45% higher prices, regular blackouts, workers made redundant and the companies involved being bailed out by the central bank. The process is part of a £100 million project being run by consultants Adam Smith […]
