Articles
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Book review. A thought provoking read which follows the story of a US academic whose parents left the Soviet Union in the 1970s. He returns to capitalist Moscow in 2008 and the novel documents his struggle to adapt and the dilemmas he encounters in his life there.
Friday, February 15, 2019
Hopes of ousting Donald Trump were buoyed by last November's mid-term elections in the US. The Democrats won sweeping gains and had their biggest margin of victory over the Republicans since Watergate. Encouragingly a number of new progressive Democrats associated with the Bernie Sanders campaign and the Democratic Socialists of America were elected. the fight is on to secure a progressive Democrat candidate for the presidential race in 2020.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Capitalism is still struggling to resolve the problems of the financial crash of 2008. Governments intervened to support the banks and the financial system which were close to collapse. however, it is not they but the peoples of the countries affected which have paid the price for this. Given the inability to deal with the failings of the system, it is a matter of when, not if, there is another crash.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Throughout 2018 Donald Trump escalated a trade war with China by imposing steadily more tariffs and sanctions against goods and technology. It is a significant that the US is moving to curtail China's developing capabilities in high tech industries, with Huawei being a particular target.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
There are many myths about the EU, among them that it is an internationalist body of equal partners committed to human rights. In fact it is the reverse of this. It serves big capital and the economic interests of its dominant nations at the expense of smaller ones and of the peoples of Europe. Furthermore its structures are undemocratic meaning that it cannot be reformed in a progressive direction.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Psychotherapist, Rachel Young, reports on her visit to Israel-Palestine in 2018. She looks at how Palestinians are systematically dehumanised and traumatised by the Israeli government and armed forces. She found out the strategies they have developed to survive and considers the negative impact on Israelis of their involvement in this oppression and denial of Palestinian rights.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Paul Robeson was unquestionably the pre-eminent African-American figure of mid-20th century politics and culture. He consistently spoke for the oppressed, for peace and internationalism and suffered greatly for his his beliefs in the McCarthy witch hunts. His legacy lives on in his music, speeches and writing.
Monday, February 11, 2019
A review of two contrasting films about families, Happy End by Micheal Haneke and Shoplifters by Hirokazu Kore-eda, where both economics and values are central to the narrative. In Happy End a wealthy, conventional family is portrayed as a loveless hell motivated only by money. Whereas, Shoplifters draws a picture of a motley family group in which some individuals are related and some not. It is their attempt to survive poverty that binds them together as a more affectionate family.