The prolonged countdown to the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union has thrown the Conservative government into a profound crisis. Ciaran Mulholland explains that the chaos is such that an anonymous European source has compared the UK to a “failed state”, and that the EU was able to impose its own terms when May came cap in hand seeking an ...

The scale of the defeat in Westminster of Theresa May’s UK/EU withdrawal deal, by 432 votes to 202, was devastating. According to the Daily Telegraph it was a “complete humiliation”. The Guardian referred to it as a “historic defeat”, while the Mirror summed it up with “No deal; no hope; no clue; no confidence”. The deal was only supported by ...

As Britain’s weak Tory government clings on – and numerous social, political and economic shocks threaten its downfall – a key factor is whether the Labour Party can provide a mass alternative to harsh austerity. This is one of the main themes in the British Perspectives document for the Socialist Party’s national congress in March, drafted by HANNAH SELL (Deputy ...

By Cillian Gillespie In December a question mark still hung over the future of the Brexit negotiations between the EU and Britain. This indicates the problems that will lie ahead for these negotiations in the coming months. The most important and contentious question was: What will be nature of the border between Northern Ireland and the South in the context ...

By Kevin McLoughlin If the leaking of Jeremy Corbyn’s manifesto mid-way through the long election campaign was designed to damage him, it had the opposite effect. The manifesto became one of the vital factors in creating one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent history. For some commentators and the Blairites in his own party it seemed an impossibility that ...

The stunning electoral upset delivered by Jeremy Corbyn on the basis of a radical, left platform has had an electrifying impact and is potentially a historic turning point. He has engaged a new generation of youth in politics and smashed the lie that socialist policies are unpopular. In contrast, predictions that the snap general election in Northern Ireland would be ...

From the editorial of “The Socialist”, newspaper of the Socialist Party in England and Wales As more details emerge and the death toll rises, it becomes clearer and clearer what a terrible disaster this is. The fire spread with horrifying speed and witnesses describe heart-breaking scenes as people desperately tried to escape. It is a huge tragedy for the immediate ...

Theresa May’s failed election gamble is a nightmare for the capitalist class in Britain. Seven weeks ago most of Britain’s elite were hopeful that May would succeed in dramatically increasing the number of Tory MPs, thereby buttressing her government to be able to weather the storms of economic crisis, to carry out vicious austerity against the majority in society and to implement ...

Less than two weeks after the horrific Manchester bombing another atrocity has taken place, this time on London Bridge and in Borough Market. Seven people, out enjoying a summer Saturday night in London, were killed, with at least 48 more injured. The Socialist Party completely condemns this terrible attack. Like Manchester and so many other similar incidents in Britain and ...

The closing of the opinion polls, even after the horrific Manchester bombing, has confounded all wings of the capitalist establishment. The Blairites in Labour are a key part of this coalition and they are just as terrified of the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn being declared prime minister on 9 June. The Socialist Party has been an active participant in the ...