The high street has become something of a political football in recent years, with everyone from Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour to the Daily Mail proposing policies to resurrect what were once much loved spots in our towns. Auburn Langley says cuts to council services and a local democracy crisis means we can’t wait for solutions from on high - we need to organise to save our high streets…

This week, activists have pressured Home Secretary Sajid Javid into reviewing the restriction on asylum seekers working. As it stands, Britain has a stricter waiting period than the USA, Canada or any other European country. Javid still signals there are “no plans” to change this, but human rights activist Pinar Aksu says we must arm ourselves with knowledge on this issue and demand the policy be changed…

Being a student is wonderful in theory: you receive an education from the best professors in their field in whichever subject you’re most passionate about and take the skills you learn into the world of work. In reality, it’s an increasingly demanding sphere where students are required to work long hours on top of study just to make a living. That in mind, activists with the Better Than Zero campaign (see their work in the video below) write for Conter about an empowering series of courses starting tomorrow…

Women Against Capitalism is grassroots activism at its very best. A grassroots working class collective based in Castlemilk, Glasgow, they outline exclusively for Conter what their vision is as they seek to empower women struggling under an oppressive, profit driven and patriarchal system…

We live under an economic system which encourages consumption on an industrial scale and the consequences of climate change will be endured by future generations. What can we as activists do to affect change here in Scotland? Pete Cannell and Brian Parkin write ahead of this Saturday’s Just Transitions conference in Edinburgh about the steps we need to be taking…

Yesterday, thousands of council-employed workers, joined by thousands more allies, marched for equal pay from Glasgow Green to George Square. The dispute has been ongoing for over a decade under multiple administrations, which has led to toxic party political disputes between Labour and the SNP. But Eve Livingston writes that these strikes are part of a much bigger picture…

The far-right continues to make headway among sections of the working class, with the likes of Tommy Robinson being enabled by the BBC and other mainstream platforms (which Conter editor Jonathan Rimmer wrote about here). In a long-read piece, David Swanson analyses the context in which the xenophobic right has arisen and outlines how we can fight back at street-level...

Socialists of course understand key issues through the prism of class, but is such analysis really thorough or empowering if it isn’t feminist or intersectional? Dawn Fyfe writes about how capitalism disproportionately affects women and outlines how we can campaign with women’s rights at the forefront of what we do…

A number of crises and disagreements have left many pro-independence socialists and activists feeling alienated from the wider Yes movement in recent months. But while many hesitate to wave saltires at nationalist-led rallies, Allan Armstrong argues the left needs to put aside reservations and engage with the All Under One Banner demonstrators. In this long read, he charts the winding fortunes of the Yes movement, the circumstances in which it has been maintained and evaluates how we reached this point...

We're into the last week of the Edinburgh Fringe festival, a vibrant celebration of culture recognised the world over. However, the festival has been marred by the same issues cropping up in previous years: gruelling conditions, long hours and low pay for workers. To that end, the Fair Fringe Campaign have adapted this guide on exploitative employers at the Fringe for Conter. Know your rights and let's make such conditions a thing of the past at next year's Fringe...

“Somoza y Ortega son la misma cosa” - Somoza and Ortega are the same thing. That is the message from protesters in Nicaragua, who cite human rights abuses and murder of civilians. Joan Rowley and Norman Lockhart, Scottish Medical Aid to Nicaragua volunteer in the 1980s, says there are lessons to be learned and that the working class revolution in the country has been betrayed...

This weekend marked the Scottish Trade Union Congress' 78th youth conference. Youth committee member Jack O'Neill reports from the conference and says its key lesson was that young people, who continue to bear the brunt of many vicious austerity-driven policies administered by this government, need to come together to influence the economic agenda in years to come...

As Glasgow gears up for the arrival of the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) Arms Fair, anti-militarism campaigner Jay Sutherland reflects on the significance of this, Glasgow City Council's pathetic response and how activists can co-ordinate their response...

Although western left wing groups agree on the need for solidarity with Palestine, there remains a significant strain that unequivocally oppose violence or hold faith in major institutions. In light of Israel's atrocities in Gaza, Kishore Lennon argues that Scottish activists need to recognise and support Palestine's right to resist – nothing less...

This year was the 121st annual meeting of the Scottish Trade Unions Congress (STUC) ended on Wednesday. Jack O'Neill reflects on an inspiring week and argues that the big lesson to be drawn is to what extent our movement places under-represented groups to the forefront...

There’s a lack of knowledge and awareness of key environmental issues in parts of the radical left. Despite key victories in the fight against fracking, activists still must face down the might of influential drilling companies. In our latest activist guide, we speak to Frackwatch about why the issue matters and how readers can get involved…

In our last article before 2018, RISE organiser Deborah Waters shares some thoughts on why “revolutionary” actions like the occupation of Glasgow’s 190 Trongate are important in a country where people are dying on the streets every year. She argues that mainstream criticisms of the radical left’s activism should be thoroughly dismissed…

In mid-November, dozens of activists congregated in Braemar to exchange ideas, analyse our activism and plan for the future. Editor Jonathan Rimmer shares his thoughts on the weekend and the key areas socialists need to be battling in the coming months and years...

Scotland has a deeply embedded military culture stretching back to the inception of the British Empire. The minimum recruitment age for the British Army is 16, but campaigners argue indoctrination begins at a far younger age. Jay Sutherland, only 16 himself, organises the Scotland Against Militarism campaign...

As evidenced by the surge in online activism orchestrated by groups like Momentum and the Democratic Socialists of America, reaching people with an anti-capitalist message has never been easier. But David Mitchell argues digital campaigning has its limitations and that socialists must keep an ear to the ground…