The Rentier City takes a geographical approach to arguing against the latest form of neoliberal conquest sweeping Manchester. Hinged on the concept of rentierism, something which writer Isaac Rose argues has been an undercurrent in the shaping of the city we see today, the book makes a wider warning about cities in the UK at large. Published by Repeater Books, the book makes its case by charting the Manchester story from the end of industrialisation to the present day, via historical examples of resistance, class struggle, racial equality, politically managed decline and Manchester’s obsession with memorialising certain aspects of its history.
Greater Manchester Tenants Union: two years of successful campaigns and fighting for housing rights
Over two-fifths (45%) of England’s private renters have been victims of illegal behaviour from a landlord or letting agent. Greater Manchester Tenants Union (GMTU) have spent the past two years fighting for renters’ rights so that everyone has access to an affordable, secure and decent home.
Block To Block: a film asking who really benefits from Manchester’s property boom
Joe Malamed’s new film looks at the effects of property investment in Manchester on the people who actually live here.
March and protest in remembrance of Peterloo to oppose tower set to threaten massacre landmark
The events of the 1819 Peterloo massacre still echo in politics today, with our right to protest, strike and protect our city’s heritage under threat from elites. This year’s commemorations feature speakers, music, a talk on media democracy – and a protest to save the historic Britons Protection pub from developers.
The new enclosure: how land commissions can lead the fight against urban land-grabs
In 2020, Liverpool became the first city in England to set up a land commission. Researchers Jonathan Silver & Tom Gillespie track the widespread enclosure and privatisation of public land in preceding decades and highlight the power of democratic decision-making to force developments to serve the communities they are built in. When Boris Johnson sold […]