The Brexit crisis has come to a head with Prime Minister Johnson's confrontational tactics, which have served to unite the Remainer majority in Parliament. It is now intent on stopping a No Deal Brexit. Johnson has turned on his own MPs who dare to dissent, expelling recent former ministers and Tory grandees. A general election is now inevitable, but Labour would find one fought soly on Brexit difficult as it has shifted further in the direction of Remain, but still needs the support of Leave voters. It will need once again to focus on policies beyond Brexit, unifying people round an anti-austerity platform and its positive vision for Britain.

Socialism has the interests of humanity at its core and can plan economic activity to serve those interests. However, we are in a world dominated by capitalist self-interest. In these circumstances, how can we campaign to prevent climate catastrophe? Labour's Green New Deal is a good start.

NATO was founded in the Cold War to advance the West's interests. 70 years on, despite the end of the Soviet Union it continues that purpose, expanding further and threatening "foes". It and its members have been implicated in recent wars which have brought misery to peoples and made our planet a dangerous place.

The major powers are once again competing over Africa. Like the earlier Scramble for Africa between 1881 and 1914 – when the European imperialists divided up 90% of the continent between them – this is about gaining valuable resources and controlling them against rivals.

May has been forced out at last, unable to sell her unpopular Brexit deal to parliament. The two leadership contenders to replace her both promise to carry through on Brexit, yet that is not what the ruling class wants. While this saga drags on in Britain, the EU continues to get on with other business, mainly jockeying for the top jobs post the EU elections and dealing with its own internal conflicts.

Hopes of ousting Donald Trump were buoyed by last November's mid-term elections in the US. The Democrats won sweeping gains and had their biggest margin of victory over the Republicans since Watergate. Encouragingly a number of new progressive Democrats associated with the Bernie Sanders campaign and the Democratic Socialists of America were elected. the fight is on to secure a progressive Democrat candidate for the presidential race in 2020.

There are many myths about the EU, among them that it is an internationalist body of equal partners committed to human rights. In fact it is the reverse of this. It serves big capital and the economic interests of its dominant nations at the expense of smaller ones and of the peoples of Europe. Furthermore its structures are undemocratic meaning that it cannot be reformed in a progressive direction.

The Tories and the media are consumed with the unfolding Brexit crisis. However, beyond that they are still the party of the wealthy, wreaking destruction in every area of our public services, in peoples' lives and in the economy.

As well as the current proposal agreed by Teresa May and the EU several other options have been proposed for a "soft Brexit", however the EU will only accept an agreement which does not undermine the integrity of its single-market. This means that in any soft Brexit option Britain would be required to remain bound by its rules, effectively part of the EU without any say in it.

There have already been press smears and campaigns by the establishment against Jeremy Corbyn, so how would capitalism and the British state react to a Corbyn lead Labour government? We need to be prepared to take on attempts at destabilisation with popular support being critical.