AS crowds flock to sun-lit beaches, shops prepare to reopen their doors and Dominic Cummings refuses to budge his elitist buttocks from Downing Street, I’m starting to get a nagging feeling that society is returning to normal without the radical overhaul we had hoped.

If you’re feeling similarly gloomy then I’m sure it’s nothing an inspiring webinar can’t fix! This week there are plenty of Zoom discussions to lift your mood, from Corbyn imagining a better post-pandemic world to John McDonnell on Equinomics (I’m not sure either, tune in on Thursday to find out).

Saturday, May 30

Kick start the weekend by boogying for a good cause at Unity Centre’s online party at 9pm, featuring some of Glasgow’s finest DJs. The Glasgow-based group is raising funds to continue supporting people self-isolating during the crisis: https://mstar.link/unitycentre.

Sunday, May 31

For refugees stranded in squalid European camps, there’s precious little that’s more important than being able to contact loved ones back home. This is why the work of Mobile Refugee Support (MRS) in northern France, providing Wifi for up to 500 people at a time, is so crucial. Join Donate for Refugees’ latest webinar at 2pm to hear MRS founder Charlie Whitbread’s first-hand experience. The event is part of the Live Online series which features renowned volunteers speaking about their experiences every fortnight: https://mstar.link/refugee.

Monday, June 1

There are 4,700 Palestinian political prisoners languishing in Israeli military jails. One of them is US-Palestinian researcher Ubai Aboudi who was thrown in prison without charge last October. To demand his release and that of the thousands of other inmates held in arbitrary detention, campaign group Samidoun are launching a national day of action. To  get involved, find the details here: https://mstar.link/FreeUbai.

Tuesday, June 2

Don’t miss Donna Kinnair, the leader of the Royal College of Nursing, speaking at 7pm in Fatal Inequalities and Covid-19. This special webinar, hosted by Save Our NHS, will look into issues of inequality and race in the NHS, particularly during the pandemic: https://mstar.link/kinnair.

For anyone who’s really into the nitty gritty of immigration law, join Doughty Street Chambers’ webinar at 3pm. Solicitors will be delving into a recent ruling which found the Home Office’s fee-waiver policies to be unlawful, discussing its implications and answering questions: https://mstar.link/doughty.

Wednesday, June 3

Catch good ol’ Jezza doing what he does best, envisioning a socialist future, at 6pm in Liberation and Socialist Health Association’s webinar on internationalism in the post Covid-19 world. Corbyn will be joined by Labour peer and trade unionist Christine Blower as well as Harsev Bain from the Indian Workers’ Association: https://mstar.link/liberation.

Then at 6.30pm the United Voices of the World union is kicking off a series on the history of radical union organising with Dr. Louise Raw, who will be speaking about the Match Women’s Strike of 1888: https://mstar.link/Raw.

Thursday, June 4

Tune in for International Network of Civil Liberties Unions’ webinar on the dangers of marching surveillance during the Covid-19 crisis at 1pm: https://mstar.link/INCLU.

This is followed at 3pm by the Frontline Club’s talk From the Taliban to Troop Withdrawal. A recent and senseless attack on a maternity hospital and funeral in Kabul that left 34 people dead has sparked further conflict in the embattled region. Hear top journalists and experts discuss the fallout from the attack and other pressing issues from the ground: https://bit.ly/taliban2020.

Next up, catch former shadow chancellor John McDonnell’s keynote lecture Equinomics, discussing how equality can be placed at the heart of economics: https://mstar.link/equinomics.

Friday, June 5

In a blast from the past, and a chance to rewatch some comedy gold, head over to Amnesty International’s facebook page at 7.30pm where the human-rights group will be streaming The Secret Policeman’s Ball from 2001. The classic benefit series was hosted that year by Eddie Izzard and featured comedians Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse, Dawn French, Vic Reeves and Meera Syal. I admit re-runs of out-of-date comedy can be more depressing than funny but these stars are timeless: https://mstar.link/secret.