United Kingdom

Content about events and struggles in what is now the United Kingdom.

Five points in New York, 1827 painted by George Catlin

Origins of the police - David Whitehouse

Excellent text examining the creation of the first police forces, which took place in England and the US in just a few decades in the mid-19th…

British and German troops fraternise, Boxing Day 1914

The Christmas truce, 1914 - Steven Johns

A short history of the widespread but unofficial truce between British and German troops on the Western front over Christmas, 1914 during World…

Protest staves off eviction for Liverpool family

An emergency protest called by ReClaim, a grassroots anti-austerity group based in Liverpool, successfully prevented the eviction of a family…

London's cinema workers march through central London

“The harsh reality of capitalism”: Low wages, zero-hours contracts, and self-organisation in London’s Everyman Cinemas

An interview-essay detailing the experiences of cinema worker Eve Ryman and her…

10 reasons to support the firefighters' strikes

Firefighters in England today walked out on strike for 24 hours in the latest of a series of stoppages in a dispute over massive attacks by the…

The great strike of the Northumberland and Durham coalfield, 1844 - Derrik Scott

Historical information about a big strike of miners in the UK in 1844, including the background of…

PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka holding a megaphone

Victimised reps forced to lobby their union in fight for support

Two union reps sacked by their employer for their trade union activities are lobbying the National…

“Every action was done collectively”: An interview with newly unionised TEFL workers

Faced with an attack on their working conditions, TEFL workers in Dublin formed a union, threatened…

Resisting the Bedroom Tax in Newcastle: Eviction of Disabled Tenant Adjourned For 42 Days

A brief report from today's action in Newcastle Upon Tyne to resist the eviction of…

Tackling the UK's “freelance” TEFL scandal

There's good news for UK language teachers: all of us should be on directly-employed contracts.

Pop-up union members take part in national demo

The Pop Up Union: a postmortem

When management at the University of Sussex announced plans to outsource 235 jobs, workers responded by launching a 'Pop-Up Union', a new tactic…

Temporary anti-Capitalist Teams

TACT: Temporary anti-Capitalist Teams

An introductory booklet to the concept of "Temporary Anti-Capitalist Teams" (TACT), which was attempted by a group of activists in London in 2002…