Following Charlie Kirk’s murder, there’s been a lot of media discussion about ‘the right way’ of talking about politics, which I find hard to connect with Kirk’s career. It’s not just that I disagree with his view of the world, but that I disagree with his way of doing politics, prioritising the pursuit of victory... Continue Reading →
Political leadership comes in different forms. Even focussing very narrowly on the American left, Elizabeth Warren has spent her career building technical regulatory solutions to consumer problems such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, whereas Bernie Sanders’ appeal has been advocating big, transformative ideas, building strong public support for policies such as a Green New... Continue Reading →
The official name of North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. East Germany's official name was the German Democratic Republic. Do their names prove that the countries were democratic? The obvious answer is no, that the names alone prove nothing. Delving deeper, both North Korea and East Germany hold and held elections. But... Continue Reading →
On Friday Green Party MP Caroline Lucas spoke at an event organised by campaigners for a second Brexit referendum. She began her speech by thanking those who had voted to leave: "I also want to say a genuine thank you to the 17.4 million people who gave the Establishment such a well-deserved kicking in 2016.... Continue Reading →
On June 26th the socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated the long-time incumbent Joe Crowley for the right to run on the Democratic ticket in New York's 14th district. Her surprise victory prompted discussions about whether Ocasio-Cortez' socialist, grassroots-led campaign can be replicated in parts of the country. These discussions immediately turned Ocasio-Cortez into a major name... Continue Reading →
Karl Marx's central theory was that in modern capitalism there exists two main groups of people (or classes) and there exists a 'class struggle' between these groups when their interests overlap. The proletariat are the group who have nothing to sustain themselves but their labours, while the bourgeoisie are the group who own the 'means... Continue Reading →
Back in 2015 I played a small part in a campaign to oppose the slow closure of Hartlepool's hospital. I played no significant organisational role in the 'Save our Hospital' campaign but attended a few events, meetings and online discussions. One common argument that recurred was that the campaign "shouldn't be about politics". As part... Continue Reading →
Happy Sisyphus 