Author: Miles Donavan

The former Labour and Momentum activist on how the Greens could offer a new political home for the Left. Michael Chessum is a socialist writer and activist based in London. He was a member of Momentum’s first steering committee in 2016-17, and was the national organiser of Another Europe is Possible. He is the author of This Is Only The Beginning: the making of a new left, from anti-austerity to the fall of Corbyn. I was a member of the Labour Party for 13 years. Today, I left to join the Greens. Leaving Labour was not a moral decision, but…

The left-wing Labour MP argues that Labour needs to show it’s on the side of working class people, not millionaires. Nadia Whittome’s voice carries a mixture of exhaustion and determination as she speaks about Labour’s proposed cuts to disability benefits. She doesn’t hide the fact that this isn’t the only policy choice Labour has made in the last 11 months that has disappointed her, but she won’t stand by. On migrant and trans rights, Gaza, the climate crisis and other social justice issues that she passionately believes in, “I’m going to be relentlessly continuing to raise my voice,” the Labour…

‘I told him that the poster was an absolute disgrace and that he should be ‘ashamed of himself’. With Nigel Farage flying high, and his Reform Party looking to capitalise on discontent and political apathy among the electorate, it’s worth reminding readers about Farage’s beliefs and what he really stands for. Farage, who has made clear his views on opposing immigration and multiculturalism has often drawn criticism for his dog-whistles and inflammatory rhetoric. Many will recall the ‘Breaking point’ poster’ during the Brexit campaign, which showed a photograph of Syrian refugees near the Croatia-Slovenia border in 2015, with the caption…

‘This sounds like something that’s either flat-out untrue, or deliberately framed to mislead.’ Zia Yusuf has been asked to provide proof for his questionable claim that councils are using taxpayer money to pay for TV licences for asylum seekers. Yusuf, who is now head of Reform’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), says he has identified an area where Kent County Council is wasting money. In a post on X, he said: “Kent County Council is using taxpayer money to pay for TV licenses for asylum seekers. “Remember that next time you are asked to pay for yours.” Source, please?…

‘How many of the Class of ‘25 will still be in their seats when the 2029 Local Elections roll around? Stay tuned…”’ In the six weeks since the local elections on 1 May, Reform UK has managed to lose nine of its councillors to resignations, suspensions and expulsions. The chaos continued last week, with two councillors stepping down just a month after being elected. It mirrors what is happening in the party at a national level, where Zia Yusuf left the party and rejoined just two days later. The past year has also seen Nigel Farage replace Richard Tice as…

These are the kind of people Reform employs. The mask just keeps slipping when it comes to Reform UK. While the party continues to insist it isn’t far-right, its candidates, members and MPs continue to have their links to the far-right exposed. It’s now been revealed that Reform MP Lee Anderson’s head of office, has posted content in support of far-right thug Tommy Robinson (Stephen Lennon). Anderson, who himself has a history of espousing bigoted and Islamophobic remarks, previously ruled out Robinson joining Reform when asked about it on GB News, saying that his presence in the party would be…

“What on earth has woke got to do with it?” You could be forgiven for thinking this recent headline in the Daily Mail was satire: ‘Fishermen’s fury as ‘disaster’ octopus invasion destroys their catch thanks to woke rule allowing predators to ‘treat them like McDonald’s.’ Yes, the right-wing, Brexit-cheerleading newspaper returned to familiar territory, howling the post-Brexit woes of British fishermen, while finding a new scapegoat in so-called ‘woke’ policy. The piece attempts to pin the plight of Devon fishermen on a supposed ‘woke’ conservation measure. The story is centred on a local bylaw requiring certain crab pots to include “escape holes,”…

What’s missing is any semblance of balance, compassion, or fact-based context. This week, the Sun published one of its classic “Sun Says” opinion columns, once again resorting to the tired scapegoating of migrants and asylum seekers arriving in the UK. The piece opens with a swipe at Home Office staff, branding it part of a “woke brigade” that has, in the paper’s view, stood in the way of curbing illegal migration. It goes on to praise the chancellor Rachel Reeves for threatening job losses in the Home Office unless migration-related cost savings are made, all while reducing people seeking asylum to burdens…

“Gutter press for the gullible.” In yet another sensationalist front page, the Daily Mail published an ‘exclusive’ alleging that ‘corrupt immigration advisers’ are charging up to £22,000 per person to help underqualified foreign workers secure UK skilled worker visas. The paper claims this amounts to a cash-for-visas scam that could be ‘worse than the small boats crisis.’ ‘Visas scam that makes mockery of PM’s pledge on migration. Exposed by the Mail – fixers who take cash to help unskilled workers fiddle the system,’ read the headline. The Mail’s story plays straight into a narrative that blames migrants for systemic problems.…

Instead of national exams, teachers in Finland assess students on an individual basis using their own grading systems. As year 11 students across the UK wrap up another demanding round of GCSEs, their peers in Finland, a country consistently ranked as having the best education system in the world, experience a very different end to their academic year. In Finland, the school system operates without the intense pressure and high stakes testing that have long been hallmarks of the British educational experience. Yet, Finnish students consistently achieve some of the highest academic results internationally. According to the Programme for International…