Imperialism – What It Is and How to Fight It
The world is on fire. Bombs are falling, drones are buzzing, and missiles are exploding from Palestine to Iran, from Lebanon to Venezuela, Sudan and Ukraine. So it’s little wonder that discourse on “imperialism” has surged worldwide in 2026. Here’s an indicator: Google searches including the word “imperialism” have been on the rise again.
But while there’s currently a lot of talk about imperialism in the media, there’s not a lot of clarity about what the word means. And without knowing what imperialism is, we can’t know how to fight it.
Who Were The Luddites?
The Luddites currently occupy an almost mythological presence in the cultural imagination. Now a derogatory term, to be a Luddite, we’re told, is a shameful thing: to be backwards-looking, hateful of technology and opposed to new ways of working. To be, essentially, opposed to any kind of “progress” that capitalists deem necessary, inevitable, and always, […]
Biometrics and Surveillance are Weapons of Class Warfare
Biometry is the analysis of biological data. Much more recently, the term “biometrics” has taken on a particular popular focus: specifically, the automated measurement of human features, often for individual identification based on specific characteristics such as face shape. The confluence of improvements in imaging technology and computer processing power can enable somewhat secure personal […]
The Socialist Vision of Technology
Capitalism and technology often seem synonymous. The word technology conjures an image of Google headquarters full of tech bros in suits yapping about how best to maximise ad revenue, but a different vision of technology is possible: one that centres humanity and shared creation. The fundamental problems we have with technology are really fundamental problems […]
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution
There are many differing lines on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956; Stalinists say it was a “fascist uprising” or “counter-revolution” to justify drowning the revolution in blood. The Western line taken up by liberals and authoritarians alike, uncomfortable with the true nature of the revolt, is that the revolution was simply a “nationalist uprising.” The […]
Climate Adaptation in Aotearoa
Over the last week we’ve seen in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington multiple waves of extreme rainfall, which have led to flooding, landslides, damage to homes and public infrastructure, and the disappearance of at least one person. Events like these are becoming more frequent, and more severe. Numerous places in Aotearoa have experienced similar events every few […]
Artificial Intelligence as Class Struggle
When Datagrid’s 78,000 square metre data centre in Makarewa, north of Invercargill, is built, it will use 280 MW of power, making it the second-largest user of electricity after the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter near Bluff. To what end? Local mayors and business representatives are talking up the jobs the project will create, but details […]
Profile on the National Party
This piece is the first in a series of profiles of electoral parties in the lead up to the 2026 General Election. A network of large-scale owners, the super-rich bourgeoisie, constitute the ruling capitalist class of Aotearoa. The National Party is the historic party that represents their interests, and it remains so today. These interests […]
L for Lenin
Lenin is a divisive figure, demonised by bourgeois society as a tyrant, and deified by Stalinist regimes who used him as a figurehead to justify their actions. Vladimir Ilyich “Lenin” Ulyanov’s actual legacy is more interesting. Born to an educated family, Lenin became involved in anti-Tsarist politics while he was studying law. His older brother […]
Book review: The Significance of the 1912 Waihi Strike, by Martin Gregory
On the eve of World War One, New Zealand’s labour movement was approaching a crossroads. Down one path lay an end to imperialist slaughter on foreign fields and liberation from colonial capitalist oppression at home. Down the other, government by two alternating parties who differed over how to administer capitalism, but who were equally committed […]
