For over a year Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Brussels) and Trademark Belfast have been coordinating this blog to promote intellectual self-criticism and debate on the various challenges facing the European left, from Brexit and the contradictions of the EU project to climate change, the far right and the task of building socialist movements at a national level.

The entire edifice of the neoliberal capitalist order has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic and the triggering of an unprecedented economic collapse that was already in motion. The world will look very different once the public health dangers of the pandemic eventually recede. There can be no going back to the status quo ante, but what kind of society and economy emerges will be determined by what happens in the coming period.

Accordingly, we will be using this blog to help activists navigate the rapidly changing world around them and contribute to the discussion on the left’s response to what is a systemic crisis. We are inviting contributions to be published in the coming weeks and months.

In the near term, we are particularly interested in contributions which address the political economic dimensions of the current situation and topics which relate closely to the European economic and political system, for example:

• The eurozone crisis and the EU;
• Trade, security, migration, border closures and the impact of Fortress Europe;
• International solidarity (or the lack thereof);
• Experiences of government responses and lockdowns in individual countries and regions;  
• The response of workers and trade unions, social movements and the political left; and
• The threat of climate breakdown and need/opportunity for radical climate action.

If you are interested in contributing to this discussion, please send a précis of your proposed article to Seán or Stevie at:

Seán – sean@trademarkbelfast.com

Stevie – stevie@trademarkbelfast.com

The Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung is pleased to offer a set fee of €300 for each contribution that is published on the blog.