A review of Robert Colls, George Orwell: English Rebel (Oxford University Press, 2013), £25 At one point in his new study of George Orwell, Robert Colls, Professor of Cultural History at De Montfort University, insists that he is not trying… Continue Reading
A review of Thomas Piketty, Capital in the Twenty–First Century (Harvard University Press, 2014), £29.95 In January, Oxfam’s “Working for the Few” report tore apart the idea that wealth “trickles down” and revealed that just 85 billionaires now own more… Continue Reading
A review of Gilbert Achcar, The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising (Saqi, 2013), £17.99, and Adam Hanieh, Lineages of Revolt: Issues of Contemporary Capitalism in the Middle East (Haymarket, 2013), £14.99 These important books make a… Continue Reading
We stand at an unusual place in history, both in Britain and internationally. It is more apparent than ever that while humanity possesses the means to abolish want, we live under an anarchic system that viciously assaults the working class… Continue Reading
The paradox of the present situation is that capital is weak—but the radical left is much weaker. Alternatively, capital is economically weak, but much stronger politically, less because of mass ideological commitment to the system than because of the weakness… Continue Reading
On 4 August 1914 social democratic deputies in both the German Reichstag and the French Chamber of Deputies voted unanimously for war credits.1 Among those who voted on that day were deputies who had, less than a week earlier, met… Continue Reading
The anniversary of the First World War has already made clear the extent to which the history of the war is contested. For David Cameron, the planned commemoration costing £50 million will be a: “commemoration that captures our national spirit… Continue Reading
The outcome of May’s European and local council elections demonstrates beyond doubt both widespread disaffection with the traditional framework of British party politics and the fact that the issue of immigration is now placed firmly at the centre of political… Continue Reading
Hugo Chávez’s final testament, before his death in March 2013, was the Plan de La Patria 2013-19. It opens with a combative reaffirmation of the project for “socialism for the 21st century” that Chávez memorably announced at the Porto Alegre… Continue Reading
Creeping up on the British state is potentially its biggest internal crisis since the struggle for Irish self-determination reached its climax a century ago. The outcome of the referendum on Scottish independence on 18 September could tear a huge chunk… Continue Reading