Vaccines – lessons from the front
Two of the Oxford scientists responsible for the AstraZeneca vaccine have documented how it was developed – and sound a warning about the future…
Book Reviews
Book Reviews
Death in – and of – a chemical plant
Part detective story, part hymn to the power of chemistry, this novel from Fiona Erskine also describes how an industrial powerhouse declined and fell…
The positive power of real facts
In a world where doom and gloom seem to be all-pervasive, it pays to look at the facts. As Hans Rosling’s landmark book shows, progress is far from dead…
Capability Britain
24 November 2021
For a background of what's important in the current political discourse it would be difficult to surpass this new book by Will Podmore.
Profit and the housing shortage
A book published in paperback this year reveals a sorry tale of 60 years of legislation fuelling speculation in land, paving the way for the housing crisis…
Planning for a better future
After the postwar boom in planning which was so important in rebuilding the country, Britain has been sliding back, with dire consequences…
The Democrats’ permanent war
Happy that Joe Biden is US president? Just remember, he was Obama’s vice-president for the full eight years. And look what happened then…
Western power play in the Pacific
This extraordinary book gives a much-needed perspective on the Asia-Pacific region, where the USA and its Western allies are aligned against China…
For a united Britain
16 April 2021
This book makes the case for continued and renewed union as better both for Scots and for their fellow British citizens.
Wales – integral to Britain
There’s a reason why the people of Wales have not succumbed to separatism. As a recent book shows, they are committed to the union…
Ireland and the EU: a bad marriage
9 February 2021
The former Irish Ambassador to Canada describes his country's entanglement with the European Union and makes the case for Irish independence.
The ‘left’: fear and loathing of workers
16 January 2021
This useful book analyses and criticises the anti-working class attitudes of all too many in the labour movement.
Society and the Sun
7 January 2021
Steve Jones’ most recent and excellent book, Here Comes the Sun, uses Karl Marx as a starting point for useful digressions on the relationship between the power behind the solar system and the political economy of our planet.
Free to protect the environment
In this original and exciting book, Ben Pontin argues that independence presents us with a real opportunity for environmental protection in Britain…
An agricultural call to arms
25 November 2020
A new book does more than grapple with the decline of Britain’s farming – it sets out what needs to be done.
Meet the new ‘mafia’ economics
A trenchant analysis indicts the abdication of state responsibility and the persistent belief in the power of markets to fix the current financial mess…
Capital in the 21st Century: the film and the book
10 October 2020
Anyone hoping for insight from the film Capital in the Twenty-First Century will be disappointed. Based on a book by French economist Thomas Piketty its politics and conclusions are anti-working class.
Recovering from coronavirus
Rebuilding industry has to be the focus of rebuilding Britain after the pandemic, argues John Mills in two new pamphlets…
EU: no friend of workers
9 July 2020
This book lays bare the aims of the EU and its methods. Britain has left the EU, but it is still trying to force its world view on us through the transition period.
Food - we need a long-term plan
In a landmark book written before the coronavirus crisis, food policy expert Tim Lang argues the importance of food security…
We are Cuba!
7 June 2020
The people of Cuba have shown splendid commitment to national sovereignty and social justice. This books tells the tale of their struggle and sucesses.
Trade, the new weapon of war
The imperialists are blackmailing the nations of the world – if you want to trade, it’s free trade or nothing…
The failure of social democracy
The founder of Labour Leave has written a fascinating, often illuminating but ultimately unconvincing analysis of Labour’s woes…
A 'more perfect' union?
The ambitions of the eurocrats couldn’t be clearer. They want to move as swiftly as possible to a unified European state…
The truth about the Irish economic 'miracle'
3 December 2019
A new pamphlet shows how the Irish government uses a financial flag of convenience to undermine the tax bases of other EU nations, notably Britain, France and Germany.
Can capitalism be progressive?
Joseph Stiglitz has won a Nobel Prize for Economics and established himself as a powerful critic of capitalism – but he still seems wedded to it…
The animals are not for burning
For 45 years British farming has been distorted by the European Union. And there’s no shortage of ideas about how to run it after Brexit…
Nation isn't a dirty word
An Israeli academic makes an impressive case for nation states as the best way of protecting freedom – but goes badly wrong when writing about Israel…
How finance capital makes us all poorer
The bankers of the world like to talk about how they create “value”. As an exceptional new book lays bare, they are good at making profits, but the rest of us are bearing the costs…
A culture of secrecy
This pamphlet is essential reading as we struggle to free Britain from the grip of the EU. It counters any idea that the EU can be reformed from within and reminds us of one of the factors that brought about the vote to Leave.