Last week Tony Blair professed bafflement at the rise – on both sides of the Atlantic – of popular movements by people who in Blair’s view choose to “rattle the cage”. I think this is a mischaracterisation. Those who have been energised into supporting Sanders, Corbyn and movements such as Podemos and Syriza want to […]
Posts under ‘International’
Donald Trump’s “liberal” support
Mar 6th, 2016 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.There is little Donald Trump can say to shock any more. Friday night’s implication that his underwear packs something beastly is a case in point. I must admit, it raised a chuckle here. As the Republican party takes a dark turn that won’t end well for millions of Americans, not least those supporting Trump, sometimes laughter […]
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Numb and number: where the Big Short falls short
Mar 2nd, 2016 by Ann Pettifor.As this goes to press, global capital markets appear to be stabilizing after another period of intense, and scary stock market volatility. This set the context for the arrival in Britain of Adam McKay’s The Big Short – a film about the American sub-prime mortgage meltdown, based on the book by Michael Lewis. It could […]
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Healthcare US style… or how neoliberalism really works
Feb 29th, 2016 by Richard Falk.Richard Falk is retired and lives in Santa Barbara, Califormnia Along with several million, I suffer from the eye disease known as glaucoma. It can be managed, rather than cured, by taking eye drops several times a day. Based on the advice of my doctor, I rely on Azopt and Lumigen, two drugs produced by […]
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Trident advocates must answer their critics
Feb 24th, 2016 by David Pavett.On 23 February the Guardian carried an article entitled Labour’s Trident debate needs to be based on facts by former Labour Defence Ministers John Hutton and George Robertson who start by saying that disagreement over Trident is “legitimate” but that the case for nuclear weapons is “self-evident“. This ‘my opponent has a right to his/her views but […]
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Boris Johnson: vanity and opportunism
Feb 22nd, 2016 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.The part-time Mayor of London, part-time MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, and full-time self-promoter Boris Johnson shocked nobody earlier today when he came out for Vote Leave. It was said he’d been wrestling with the decision for some time. Yes, it’s tough when a berth in Number 10 could be the prize for going […]
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Hillary Clinton: It’s the politics, stupid
Feb 11th, 2016 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.Time bullshit was called on Hillary Clinton’s cheerleaders. You know what I’m talking about, the avalanche of comment saying that she must win the Democrat nomination for presidency, regardless of her record and views. And to a piece those defences are, at best, willfully clueless, and, at worst, bad faith. Before we go there, let’s […]
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Iraq – the killing continues
Feb 8th, 2016 by Mike Phipps.Mike Phipps finds no grounds for optimism in recent developments 2016 began badly for human rights in Iraq. Here are some headlines from the first few weeks of the year, focusing on the crimes of ISIS. ISIS executes 80 people by firing squad in central Nineveh – Iraqi News (9 January). ISIS executes 12 people […]
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On Dave’s EU membership “deal”
Feb 8th, 2016 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.History remembers the last time a Tory prime minister went to Europe and came back waving a piece of paper, but the hungry beast to be appeased now is a coterie of backbench MP’s, a hapless and hopeless crew blinded by stupidity and consumed by petty-minded hobby horses. Yes, it’s the obligatory EU-renegotiation blog post, […]
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Proud to be a Socialist?
Feb 7th, 2016 by Bryan Gould.An amazing thing is happening in the primary elections for the American presidency – and it’s not Donald Trump. Mr Trump, in any case, “doesn’t like losers” and, having lost in Iowa, should presumably now be “re-considering his position”. The amazing thing is happening on the other side of the political divide. The Iowa primary […]
