Fiscal austerity is more and more securely locked into place in the advanced capitalist countries. This is despite all the signs that the world economy faces, at best, a weak and unsteady recovery. The financial markets spent the summer agonising… Continue Reading
A review of Jonah Raskin, The Mythology of Imperialism: A Revolutionary Critique of British Literature and Society in the Modern Age (Monthly Review Press, 2009), £15.95 It seems strange to review a book that was first published nearly 40 years… Continue Reading
“It is said that one should live with one’s times. These times are dying. Are we then to rot and disappear along with them?”1 “But because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee… Continue Reading
In his 1938 Transitional Programme (entitled “The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International”), Leon Trotsky had predicted an imminent collapse of the Soviet Union and an equally imminent crisis of Western capitalism. However, the world… Continue Reading
When they tie the can To a union man Sit down! Sit down! When they smile and say “No raise in pay” Sit down! Sit down! When the boss won’t talk Don’t take a walk Sit down! Sit down!1 The… Continue Reading
Richard G Wilkinson is a prominent British researcher in social inequalities in health and the social determinants of health. His work shows that societies with more equal distribution of income have better health outcomes than ones in which the gap… Continue Reading
Shlomo Sand’s The Invention of the Jewish People (Verso, 2009), which offers a devastating critique of Zionist historical myths, has had a major impact. Following up on his review article of the book, John Rose interviewed Sand for International Socialism.1… Continue Reading
According to Sir Stuart Rose, the outgoing executive chairman of Marks and Spencer, women (or “girls” as he puts it) “have never had it so good”: Apart from the fact that you’ve got more equality than you can ever deal… Continue Reading
The second bank bailout Confronted with the unwelcome outbreak of the Russian Revolution of February 1917, the sociologist Max Weber comforted himself with the following reflection: Even when the rebellious masses have leaders who are as able [as the bourgeoisie]… Continue Reading
A review of Simon Pirani, The Russian Revolution in Retreat, 1920–24: Soviet Workers and the New Communist Elite (Routledge, 2008), £20.00 Readers of this journal who have not had the unpleasant experience of wading through liberal studies of the Soviet… Continue Reading