The Wars of the Rose: A Brief History of Labour Party Imperialism and Racism

Long before he came to power in July last year, Keir Starmer had abandoned Jeremy Corbyn’s global justice agenda in favour of a violent, reactionary and imperialist foreign policy. His government’s direct military support for Israel’s genocide against Gaza has been the most egregious aspect of this. However, there is nothing new about Labour’s criminal involvement in war, atrocity and racism. It was responsible for colonial oppression in Palestine, India, Indochina and Malaya, and for bloody conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. It has armed and funded genocide abroad and implemented xenophobic and Islamophobic policies at home. Drawing on both primary sources from the last 120 years and the insurgent theories of Robert Clough and Duncan Hallas, Tom Sykes argues that, far from being a progressive alternative to the Tories, Labour have often been nastier and crueller in their dealings with the Global South and with ethnic minorities at home.

Hosted by the Morning Star Southern England Reading Group.

Dr Tom Sykes is Associate Professor in Creative Writing and Global Journalism at the University of Portsmouth. He is the author of seven books including Imagining Manila, a study of Western media and literary misrepresentations of the Philippines. He is a regular contributor to Private Eye magazine and has written about both domestic and foreign political issues for New Statesman, New African, Southeast Asia Globe, New Internationalist, Morning Star, Red Pepper, Counterfire and many other outlets.

Видео The Wars of the Rose: A Brief History of Labour Party Imperialism and Racism канала Dr Tom Sykes