rs21.org.uk

The 2024 Ireland Climate Camp took place close to Lough Neagh, Irelands largest lake which is suffering serious pollution from agribusiness. rs21 member Daire Ní Chnáimh reports from the camp. Lough Neagh, Ireland’s biggest lake: an otter is found dead, covered in toxic algal bloom. A dog drinks the lakewater and dies. A kid playing half an hour away gets a nosebleed when chemicals from the breakdown of the algae spread on the wind. Local bird populations have declined by 75%.

Protests have spread across West Bengal following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor. Ekabali Ghosh explains the background to the protests and the context of systemic violence against women in India. Indians are not unused to this sequence of events. A heinous incident of rape happens in a part of India that has an advantage of visibility over the rest of the country. The country takes to the streets, opinions are written in newspapers columns and TV news sensationalises every detail.

The new Labour government has made big announcements on housing policy, but there’s very little there to benefit tenants. rs21 member Sam O looks critically at how the plans will affect council and housing association tenants. In all of Rachel Reeves’ announcements on housing policy in recent weeks, the focus has mainly been on bulldozing planning regulations, to allow construction multinationals the freedom to build where they can make most profit.

From the 21st September, teacher members of the NEU will be asked to vote in a ‘snap poll’ about this year’s pay offer. The poll is the last route to action on this year’s pay deal. Here, rs21 members in NEU examine the deal, the reality of the poll and look at the questions we need to consider for the future. The Teacher Pay Offer for Sept 2024 With a new government in July came a reset of relations between the NEU and the Secretary of State for Education.

Disability Praxis covers some of today’s key debates on disability justice in Britain and the US. rs21 member Shiraz Hussain reviews. Disability Praxis, by Bob Williams-Findlay, was published by Pluto Press in November 2023, and is available here. In this book, Bob Williams-Findlay sets out to explore disability politics within the context of its history and aims to signpost towards ideas which have the potential to develop a new disability praxis. The stated approach is historical materialist.

INEOS’s plans to close Scotland’s only petrol refinery at Grangemouth represent a critical test for both unions and climate campaigners. Pete Cannell argues that a radically different approach that ditches partnership with the oil and gas industry is required. An earlier version of this article was published on the Scot.E3 blog Scotland’s only petrol refinery, based on the Firth of Forth at Grangemouth, is scheduled to close in 2025.

Following the fascist and far-right mobilisations of early August, activist and author Jonas Marvin contributes some reflections on fascism, crisis and class politics, as the left continues to think through how to respond tactically and strategically. This article was first published on the author’s blog Marx’s Dream Journal. Fascism is terrifying. The sight of hundreds of racists tearing through your community and intimidating racialised minorities strikes you with an almost paralysing fear.

Zhang Mazi explains how Chinese and African activists against an oil pipeline build transnational solidarity against international capitalist exploitation. This article was first published by Tempest. On a hot Friday afternoon in New York City, Ugandan, Tanzanian, and Chinese organizers came together to march upon the offices of banks and insurance companies, demanding a stop to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

The crackdown against ecological organising continues apace. Following repression of Youth Demand and Just Stop Oil members who have faced police harassment, arrests and imprisonment in recent months, Reclaim The Power’s (RTP) summer camp faced heavy disruption from the police on the 8th August. The weekend was meant to see a protest camp for political discussions and actions against mega-polluter Drax’s York site.

On 1 August millions marched against hunger, insecurity and inflation in Nigeria. Drew Povey and Kalamullah Bala explain the context and report on the demonstrations and their aftermath. Framing Context Drew Povey President Tinubu became president of Nigeria at the end of May 2023. He immediately announced the ending of the fuel subsidy. This led to a tripling of the price of petrol and a doubling of transport costs.