The polls have closed. It may be relatively close, or not, but Ken Livingstone will probably lose (and, at this point, whether he wins or loses, the argument is the same). And I feel like I can finally send this rather personal piece that I wrote some time ago. I know it’s a little long,… Continue reading A difficult decision
Author: robert.marchant
The double-dip, if it is one, has not changed the rules of the game
Delight, for many on the left, met the economic figures last Wednesday. Britain was not in recovery after all, but was the victim of a double-dip recession. Paul Krugman wrote eloquently of Britain’s “death spiral of self-defeating austerity”, and Ed Balls had a very good day. All true, or very likely so, although one cannot… Continue reading The double-dip, if it is one, has not changed the rules of the game
This is not nationalisation: it is merely theft
“THOMAS MORE: …And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned around on you–where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country’s planted thick with laws from coast to coast – man’s laws, not God’s – and if you cut them down…d’you really think you could stand upright in the… Continue reading This is not nationalisation: it is merely theft
The Guardian reaches a new low
On Friday night, I was amazed – no, I’m afraid sickened is probably the right word – to find the Guardian’s Comment Is Free website had celebrated Thursday’s Holocaust Memorial day with this piece, written by none other than Sheikh Raed Salah. For regular readers, you will know that Raed Salah is a renowned extremist… Continue reading The Guardian reaches a new low
So remind me again, why should Lord Ahmed be a Labour peer?
Last weekend, the world was shocked to learn that a Labour peer was allegedly calling for a bounty on the heads of Bush, Blair and Obama. “Allegedly”, because there was seemingly no independent confirmation by UK media of the story, which Ahmed vehemently denied. The Labour party, for once, reacted almost immediately in suspending the… Continue reading So remind me again, why should Lord Ahmed be a Labour peer?
Diane Abbott and her odd generalisations
I know a little time has gone by, but just found this little gem. A rather good article was written by David Goodhard at Demos on the possible causes of the Galloway win in Bradford West. While the reasons are many and varied, it made a good fist of arguing that sectarian politics had had… Continue reading Diane Abbott and her odd generalisations
Stand firm, Ed
Unite’s Len McCluskey Let’s get a couple of things straight first. This is not a post arguing to somehow “break the link” between Labour and its affiliated unions (a thing, by the way, which no sane activist would want – the party would self-evidently collapse without it). So, whoa there, those standing ready to defend… Continue reading Stand firm, Ed
Anti-Semitism: it’s a European thang
If it makes anyone feel any better, it’s not just the British left which has trouble accepting the resurgence of anti-Semitism, there are echoes of the same denial in other, neighbouring parts. Read the following piece from a Swedish correspondent of mine, Niklas Smith, in response to last week’s Centre Left, and you will see exactly the same… Continue reading Anti-Semitism: it’s a European thang
The return of the far-left: a turning point for Labour
Politics has its own rhythm. It is governed partly by obvious dates, like general elections, but partly by longer-term movements in the tectonic plates. It is easy to overestimate by-elections – the media almost invariably do – but I suspect that Bradford West might just be one of the few that historians remember. Until Thursday,… Continue reading The return of the far-left: a turning point for Labour
Faced with anti-Semitism, the left commentariat’s eerie silence
Well, mostly: there are always exceptions. “No-one can justify the Toulouse attacks”, said Stop The War Coalition’s Lindsey German, “but…” and, without irony, proceeded to attempt to do precisely that, with the usual litany against Western imperialism. It was, predictably, all our fault. However, we expect that from the Stoppers. More interestingly, there were a… Continue reading Faced with anti-Semitism, the left commentariat’s eerie silence