Tribune, relaunched
Britain’s oldest left-wing newspaper, Tribune, has been revived by an unlikely source - Bhaskar Sunkara, the publisher of Jacobin, a leading voice of the American left. Now taking the form of an illustrated bi-monthly print magazine, Sunkara hopes to inject some life back into the publication, which took a short break earlier this year.
Tribune began in 1937, to support the Popular Front against fascism in Spain. In its time, it has welcomed Labour party giants such as Nye Bevan, Jennie Lee (she holds a copy of the newspaper on the first page of the new magazine, above), and Barbara Castle as editors, all of whom have also made defining contributions to British socialism. The first issue since the magazine’s relaunch aptly reflects on Tribune’s history, and explores its enduring importance in our current climate of capitalist and right-wing chaos.
The magazine is dense with content, considering a multitude of issues; from those related to party politics, such as Len McCluskey’s piece The Country Club Cabal, about the splinter group of Labour MPs apparently plotting (from the confines of their luxury Grade II listed farmhouse) to jump ship if Labour wins the election under Corbyn; to those focused outwards, like Wendy Liu’s opinion piece Abolish Silicon Valley, which incorporates unnerving primary-coloured illustrations by Joe O’Donnell to accompany an unsettling look at the tech industry (above).
There are also several notable contributors, not least Owen Jones and Dawn Foster.
Elsewhere, there is a focus on heroes past. Remembering the 43 Group by Marcus Barnett pays homage to the Jewish soldiers who returned to Britain after the Second World War to a new wave of fascism, and found themselves fighting once again. And Christophe Kleinstuck’s cover design (above) is devoted to Michael Foot, Barbara Castle, Nye Bevan, and George Orwell, who have served as Tribune’s writer, editors and literary editor respectively during its 81 year history. This cover image shows perfectly the direction of the magazine; marrying tradition with a new design and illustration, which is also reflected in the well-varied, timely articles throughout.
Editor: Ronan Burtenshaw
Creative director: Remeike Forbes