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

Activity: Talk or presentation typesInvited talk

Description of Activity

Invited online talk on the following: 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.
Period16 Jul 2025
Held atMorning Star Southern England Readers' Group, United Kingdom
Degree of RecognitionNational