By Phil Hall When we watched a film about the Mexican revolution starring Pedro Infante in 1997 my wife explained a little about what was going on to our teenage children: ‘Unfortunately, during the Mexican revolution, our family was on… Read More ›
History
Social Darwinism: the deadly poison at the heart of reason
by Philip Hall The cast system is inhuman. FGM seems impossibly cruel. Look at the Taliban: Malala got a bullet in the head just for going to school. Look at forced marriage, at child marriage. How can that be tolerated?… Read More ›
We Were Caught in the Neo-liberal Trap
But now we have another pivotal moment. By Bryan Greetham Before the Second World War a German chemist was working to discover what we would call today an antibiotic. Each evening he would leave out Petri dishes with bacteria in… Read More ›
Don’t Tear Up your Labour Membership Card
WHAT IS TO BE DONE? By Phil Hall The British Disease is passive aggression. It is class hatred not class warfare. Class warfare is healthy, it leads to revolution and change. Class hatred, on the other hand, results in ordinary… Read More ›
“YOUR BOYS TOOK ONE HELL OF A BEATING!”
The demoralisation of grassroots Labour. By Paul Halas The Stroud Labour CLP meeting to nominate its preferred leadership candidate back in January was packed, yet the atmosphere was sober and subdued. Members were permitted a two minute slot to talk… Read More ›
Humanity’s Rosy Fingered Dawn: 2020
By Phil Hall Covid-19 arrives, We sit at home for a long while. The cities empty, the air clears and bird song seems louder. Translucent jellyfish float up the canal and goats clop through a Welsh hill town. We all… Read More ›
Why Did the Working Class Vote Tory?
by James Tweedie, Plymouth, May 6th 2020 The one-word answer is: “Brexit.” The Labour Party backed the losing side in the 2016 UK referendum on leaving the EU, despite then-leader Jeremy Corbyn’s 40 years of opposition to British membership of… Read More ›
Mon Oncle
By Paul Halas On my very infrequent visits to Paris, passing Drancy Station on the RER suburban line between Orly Airport and Paris is always a poignant experience. My Uncle Ladis – Ladislaw – spent some time there during World… Read More ›
How to defeat Covid-19
By Phil Hall In China the barefoot doctors believed in prevention rather than cure. So how can we make societies like ours more resilient to pandemic infections like Covid-19? Well, we could advocate for a more humane society. That would… Read More ›
CONSERVATIVES’ NHS HYPOCRISY
By Paul Halas Our television has led a charmed life in recent weeks. Every time a Conservative minister appears behind a lectern emblazoned with “Protect the NHS” it’s a miracle the set isn’t smashed by a flying vase. Abraham Lincoln… Read More ›