Comrades gather in Glasgow for book lunch on General Strike centenary

Climate Crisis / 17 September 2026 Burnham insists he is ‘determined’ to reach net zero by 2050 17 September 2026 Far Right / 17 September 2026 Investigation finds fascist figures running Restore Britain’s Holborn & St Pancras by-election campaign 17 September 2026 Workers' Rights / 17 September 2026 Staff in government department to strike over office closures 17 September 2026 Economy / 17 September 2026 Badenoch blunders on Bank of England board 17 September 2026 Industrial / 17 September 2026 Court injunction sought against Butlin’s over alleged union intimidation and blacklisting 17 September 2026 Justice System / 17 September 2026 Charges dropped against pro-Palestine activists accused of intimidating jurors 17 September 2026 COMRADES rallied on Glasgow’s southside for the launch of a new book marking the centenary of the General Strike and the Communist Party’s role.

Published by Manifesto Press, Strike! brings together an archive of material, ranging from Tom Mann’s proposal for a general strike back in 1923, to Tom Winteringham’s withering analysis first published in the Communist Review in the immediate aftermath of its collapse.

Speaking at Thursday night’s launch at Unity Books, co-editor Elaine McFarland contrasted the class treachery displayed by trade unionist and Labour MP J H Thomas, with the class solidarity exhibited by wealthy “parasites” such as Henry “Chips” Channon.

“He was a true class warrior,” she said.

“What he grasped was that the key reason for the ruling class triumph in the general strike was its unity of purpose.”

Giving his overview, Aberdeen TUC’s Josh Morris pointed to the fear which prompted the ruling classes’ response to the strike as cause for hope.

“The overriding lesson from the General Strike is that it shows the fear we can put into the ruling classes when we stick together.”

Voices of Scotland / 25 August 2026 Red threads still connect us to the Calton Weavers 25 August 2026 Glasgow will remember the martyrs of the 1787 strike this weekend in speech and song, their spirit is sorely needed today, writes JIM LISTER

Praxis / 28 July 2026 Outlaws, rebels and young revolutionaries 28 July 2026 JOHN CALLOW introduces the work of Geoffrey Trease, who placed ordinary people at the centre of his historical fiction for children, creating adventurous stories to inspire the possibilities of social change

History / 4 May 2026 The 1926 General Strike: revolutionary potential, reformist betrayal, and the lessons for today 4 May 2026 The General Strike exposed the power of the working class — and the limits of its leadership, writes Dr DYLAN MURPHY