In a climate of austerity, stagnation, and uncertainty about the future, along with the Tories and Labour both trying to draw support back from those now attracted to the Reform party, hostility towards immigrants has risen as have harsher attitudes towards them.

European powers have dramatically increased theirs arms budgets under pressure from the US. Europe's focus is on supporting the war in Ukraine while the US concentrates on China.

Labour and the Tories, both parties of the political establishment, are mired in problems they have failed to address. They cannot resolve the contradictions of neo-liberalism that alienate them from the electorate and halt the decline in living standards and decaying services whilst they also vigorously support a drive to war.

The challenges and successes of a planned economy focussing on the experience of the Soviet Union.

The US government under Donald Trump has recently been escalating its campaign to destabilise South Africa including false charges against the South African government as regards its treatment of the Africana population and fake videos claiming genocide against the white population. Trump is supported in these strategies by a group of ultra wealthy US individuals of South Afican origin who are determined to protect white privilege, waekjen the ANC and silence South African support for the Palestinian people.

A review of BAE systems, a private company in which the UK government holds a 'golden share' which gives it a veto over decisions. Its principle business is with the US, the UK and Saudi Arabia and it operates in all sectors of the defence market. With growing global tensions and rising military budgets the BAE share price is rising ever upward as the world gears up for war.

The current global trade war initiated by the US government is having a serious impact on European economies and other nations but has not managed to weaken its main target, China, which has demonstrated it can resist caving in to any sanctions the US tries to impose. As China moves towards achieving self reliance in energy and parity in technological innovation we will witness the West's two centuries of global capitalist military and technical supremacy unravel.

While the UK economy stagnates at home, the government plans to increase military spending to 3% per annum. To pay for this funds will be taken away from social welfare services and further austerity measures seem inevitable. Claims that increasing military expenditure is necessary to defend the UK in a hostile world lack credibility. The reality is that it is an attempt to maintain and strengthen Britain's imperial role in the world and prevent fundamental changes in the world order.

Britain's relationship with Russia abruptly changed with the ousting of Ukraine's President Yanukovych in 2014 from one of close trade and investment partnership to naming Russia as Britain's principal enemy. This sudden pivot is tied to the struggle to secure access to Ukraine's valuable mineral assets. In promoting and prolonging the war in Ukraine Britain also hopes to promote its global arms exports and become an important player in central and eastern Europe.

Although German Democratic Republic (GDR) ended 35 years ago its achievements demonstrate what is possible in a society committed to the welfare of its citizens. It did this against enormous odds. It was economically disadvantaged after the end of the second world war and faced the West's attempts to isolate it from the rest of the world. Significantly it was determined that war would never again emanate from German soil and advocated for peace.