editorial
In the Spirit of both Voltaire and the Quakers…
While Palestinians starve and are killed by Zionists, and the western rump gathers to plot the prolongation of their proxy conflict in Ukraine, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) slaughter to stay in power and global temperatures creep upwards, the promise of a technological utopia of surplus is replaced by the use of AI to manipulate and control on behalf of economic elites and the governments they control. And a giant, nickel-plated interstellar asteroid races along the plane of the solar system, intersecting three planets at 60 kilometres per second.
At Ars Notoria, we offer you poetry, ayurvedically inspired food advice, and raw, sometimes intricate, sometimes searing personal memoirs. We present a discussion of Literature and Cinema in the Face of the Stigma of the Criminal, point a trembling accusatory finger at the harm caused by alcoholic drink, and converse with an illustrious Disney illustrator. We try and redirect a posturing and deluded British left away from supporting Venezuela’s corrupt kleptocracy, warn against Palestine Action which is a spycops-led entrapment psyops, and take the piss out of the Stalin-bothering CPGB-ML and John Mearsheimer’s cyclopean view of international conflict. We discuss the skulls and bones of the Bush presidential dynasty, cry at the fact that the responsible adults in our societies are not in charge, regret past and futuristic colonialism, and look at the case for German revanchism.
As humane socialists, as humans, we reflect the complexity and richness of life in the articles, cartoons, photos and podcasts we publish. This we do despite the horror of war and the impoverishment of ordinary people by our predatory capitalist ruling class, whose share portfolios go up with every bomb dropped. Despite the tragedy of a mismanaged world where nature is slashed to the root, the sacredness of the landscape is profaned, and so many species are caused to go extinct.
In presenting the fruit of our gathered minds to you, we would like you to note—in the spirit of both Voltaire and the Quakers—that to be a humane socialist is to celebrate life, and for us the horse must come before the cart. We humans must decide on what we say and do. We should not allow the powerful megaphones of billionaire-owned media, nor the purposefully opaque scriptures used by power-hungry groups, to dictate to the human in all of us and cow us into despair and obedience.
POETRY
The Emigrant’s Farewell
Nobel laureate Derek Walcott tasked James Wood with writing “the epic of his people”. In response James Wood wrote The Emigrant’s Farewell.
Ayurveda in Boots: Beyond the Golden Milk Glow
Arun Kapil
When the seasons turn, true Ayurveda isn’t a latte – it’s a feast
Literature and Cinema in the Face of the Stigma of the Criminal
Ulises Paniagua
Paul Halas
BOOZE
PETE FIELD: SIMPLE PATRIOTS
PODCAST
Follow Me Down
Peter Cowlam
comment
The High Wire Paradox of Alcohol Consumption
Richard Steinhardt
‘…criticism of drinking alcoholic drinks is being made to seem not just puritanical, but unpatriotic and something against freedom itself.’
FEATURED
A CONVERSATION WITH PACO RODRIGUEZ
Paul Halas
the Egmont family of publishers has been the torchbearer for Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and all their co-conspirators in the Scandinavian countries, Germany and The Netherlands, and one of their foremost illustrators is Paco Rodríguez. He will need no introduction for a large number of comics aficionados.
Mobilise, don’t alienate!
Richard Steinhardt
Protests that should focus on British complicity: arms sales, military collaboration, and political cover for Israel, are instead derailed by debates over “extremism” and “public order.”
Venezuela is Not the Country You Are Looking For
The phenomenon of Chávez in Venezuela had far more in common with populism, Peronism, and caudillismo than with the Cuban Revolution; any Latin American could attest to this.
Section label
8. The Thatcher Years
by Margaret Yip
I heard someone shouting my name. It was Harry Stagg, sat in a huge digger. He said he had won the contract to replace the tarmac roads and pavements with the patterned bricks. “I could do with you, Maggie,” he said, “do you want a job full time for the duration?” I looked at all the men digging out trenches in their hard hats and big wellies and laughed up at him. “No thanks, Harry, I don’t think these men would appreciate it when I turn up and work quicker than them.”
John Mearsheimer’s Offensive Realism
Phil Hall
The core fault in Mearsheimer’s theory is that it treats power as an abstract, amoral goal, divorced from the specific, often brutal, economic and ideological systems that generate and exercise it.
Open Letter to Alexander Mckay of the CPGB-ML
Richard Steinhardt
Humane socialism is not a radicalism you can reconstitute from the dry pages of some well-fingered communist Torah.
politics
Beating Around the Bushes
NORMAN B. SCHWARTZ
They are one of America’s few dynastic clans, the first since the Adams family who can legitimately claim to have sent two presidents – George Herbert Walker Bush and his son George Walker Jr – to the White House. With their roots in the oil and gas business, many people think of them as quintessential Texans, but that is not the case. Both men were born in Connecticut and educated at Yale University in New Haven.
Lalaji and other Stories
They say if you look deep and long enough at the flowing waters of a river, they have stories to tell! These come from the mighty Indus or the ‘Sindhu’ in whose arms, from Ravi to Chenab, these events unfold.
memoir
David Yip: Pressure!
When trying to find my way around the kitchen, Patrick asks that I grab him a wooden spoon. I ask, “Where are they?” He replies, “In the wooden spoon-ery!” So I ask, “Where is that?” He says, “Next to the metal spoon-ery!” I am left to discover them for myself before returning, and Patrick saying, “People are not here to look after you, they are busy themselves. Get accustomed to where everything is.”
POETRY
Sudeep Sen: FOUR GHAZALS
Yuleisy Cruz Lezcano: Cartografía en fuga / Cartography in Flight
Voltaire Among the Quakers
In Voltaire’s meeting with the Quakers, we experience a soft heavy thud as anti-religious Enlightenment values bump up against the spirituality of the English, recast in the philosophy of the Friends—seekers after truth.
POETRY
Nissim Ezekiel: Between Desire and Reason
Anjana Neira Dev
English is the first and only language used by Ezekiel in his poems and his concern is therefore not with the language he should use, but with questions of prosody and perspective. He does however make the occasional reference to the fact of his alienation from his surroundings being partly caused by his inability to share in the linguistic milieu around him.
PETE FIELD ON KEIR STARMER
We are Orphans: the Grown-Ups are not in Charge
When we see the heads of Europe and European Union act like apologists for Israeli genocide egging us on to World War Three and Mark Rutte sucking up to Donald Trump sarcastically calling him ‘Daddy’ and Bezos going on joy rides on a penis shaped rocket while his employees break their backs for a minimum wage while, under surveillance, they are not allowed enough toilet breaks, and when we hear about the ultra-elite elite buying superyachts while billions live beneath the poverty line, using every trick in the book to avoid paying taxes, making money off war and partying with Epstein and P. Diddy, then we know the grown ups are not in charge.
comment
Decolonise the Language of Space
Phil Hall
The people who talk happily and contentedly about ‘the colonisation of space’ are, quite clearly the descendants of colonialists; the descendents of colonialists who, through the piratical actions of people like Clive of India, Cecil Rhodes, George Washington and Lachlan Macquarie, gained vast territories for themselves and their fellows. Now their descendents intend to gain whole planets.
Marginal Cases, and the Problem of 3I/ATLAS
Science should not function by enforcing norms. Avi Loeb is correct. If 3I/ATLAS outgasses at perihelion, it is a comet and ranks “0” on the Loeb scale. If it remains inert but manoeuvres unexpectedly, it’s likely to be artificial and rank “10”.
GEOPOLITICS
The Schiller Institute & German Revanchism
Phil Hall
German revanchism is quite justifiable. Europe must unite under German-French leadership to achieve true independence and strength. The Schiller Institute’s core proposition—though marred by bitterness and a personality cult—correctly identifies Germany as the key to a sovereign Europe. Hostility from the United States and Russia towards Germany arises precisely because they recognise Germany’s pivotal role in shaping an autonomous European power.
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Photo Essay: Biharis in Geneva Camp, Dhaka
Photograph Inge Colijn by Inge Colijn Geneva Camp in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is an old urban refugee camp. With the 1947 partition of India many Urdu speaking Biharis moved to then East-Pakistan. Those who supported the West Pakistan army during the 1971 Liberation War remained stranded here as stateless communities when East-Pakistan became Bangladesh. Between…
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Tarot Reading for the Future of the World
Courage. Prompted by Phil Hall X by Phil Hall I have always loved the Tarot since the age of 17, when I bought a pack in a Brighton New Age shop in 1977, and I can throw a pretty good set of cards. After use comes understanding. The set I used to scry the…
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17 Cleopatra On Denial
Darryl F. Zanuck. J. (1943) Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs, Public Domain Darryl Zanuck and Fox by Norman B. Schwartz Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was not only the Wizard of Menlo Park, the inventor supreme of the incandescent light bulb and the phonograph. He was also the quintessential capitalist. Not only could he…
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A Rogue’s Gallery of Edible Reputations
Spam has a reputation so durable it can survive a frying pan, a joke, a war and a supermarket aisle without so much as loosening its tie. Photograph Kent Ng Pexels Sweet and savoury hallucinations people mock, fear, hide, inherit, sneer at and eat anyway by Arun Kapil Some foods never enter the kitchen…
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Hold on to your Hats: Reimagining the Future in 2026
My Hat. Photograph Phil Hall by Phil Hall We’re talking about religion and the imagination. Some of the wildest thoughts human beings have ever had have been religious thoughts. Some of the most extravagant love stories, like the Song of Solomon—are religious. Some of the most apocalyptic science fiction ever written came from religious…
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Scorched Earth: The Policy of the USA in the Middle East & Central Asia
Oil wealth in the Gulf represents hope for the developing world. Photograph Tom Fisk. Destroying and killing nationalist, sovereign opposition to imperialism is the métier of capitalism by Phil Hall The destruction of alternative sources of energy, and of infrastructure in Central Asia, the Gulf and the Middle East represents the logical conclusion of…
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Zack Polanski and Zohran Mamdani are the Hollow Men
Photograph Dmitryshein and Bristol Greens, Wikimedia Commons Polanski and Mamdani are no counterbalance to a monstrous system of global wealth extraction by Richard Steinhardt Zohran Mamdani and Zack Polanski are trying to get into your knickers. In the 1980s, something called “The New Man” emerged as a cultural phenomenon. Born partly in response to…
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The Dzerzhinsky Solution for Ukraine: Identify, Neutralise, Integrate
“The word Chechnya alone was enough to provoke despair.” By Richard Steinhardt Parallels are often drawn between Napoleon’s invasion of Tsarist Russia and Hitler’s invasion of the USSR when the point is made that the results of invading Russia through the Ukraine, directly or through proxies, are disastrous. However, the correct analogy to be…
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Angelology: Reasoning with Abaddon
Photograph Francesco Ungaro by Phil Hall The Enochian tradition is based on the 16th-century works of Dr. John Dee (1527–1608) and his Irish scryer, Edward Kelley. It is named after the biblical patriarch Enoch, who “walked with God.” Dee and Kelley claimed to have been given a language and an outlook by angels. Dr.…
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Legalising Euthanasia Under Capitalism Is Mass Murder
The legalisation of euthanasia under capitalism is not an act of compassion. It is a logical extension of a system that values profit over human life, death instead of care. Image X A Humane Socialist View I do not like thee, Doctor Fell, The reason why, I cannot tell; But this I know, and…
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MARCH ISSUE
Close up of Hari, Solaris. Screen capture Mosfilm, Fair Use It leaves you almost speechless. Certainly readers have been bombarded. Every article, interview, story, every exhibition of paintings is worthy of being examined with close attention. In particular, we had wonderful contributions from the Art Editor, Paul Halas; the Food Editor, Arun Kapil; the…
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New Malden Writers in March
Photograph by Pixabay The New Malden Writers’ Group was set up in 2023. If you want to join, come along to Wesley’s Café at the Methodist Church in New Malden on Fridays at 11am. The group meets for two hours. We take it in turns to read things to each other and share our thoughts.…
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Óscar de la Borbolla: Notes on Language
Óscar de la Borbolla. Courtesy of Óscar de la Borbolla Óscar de la Borbolla, writer and philosopher, was born in Mexico City in 1949, although, as the poet Fargue said: he has dreamed so much! He has dreamed so much that he no longer belongs here. Among his notable books are: Las vocales malditas (The Accursed…
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Two Short Stories by Beatriz Escalante
Beatriz Escalante. Photograph courtesy of Beatriz Escalante We are delighted to present two captivating short stories by the acclaimed Mexican writer, Beatriz Escalante. A prolific author of over thirty books, Escalante’s work has been recognised and celebrated internationally. Noteworthy books include: Fábula de la inmortalidad and Cómo ser mujer y no vivir en el infierno. They have been…
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Ecological Destruction is Class War
The Jevons Paradox from Gaia, Sixth Extinction Series by Gordon Lidl The Jevons Paradox, Marx, the Modern Left, Deep Greens, AI and Collapse. by Gordon Lidl I want to tell you a story about a painting, a large painting I finished two years ago as part of a series of works called Gaia, Sixth…
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7. Never Again!
by David Yip At home, my younger sister, Diane, is working in Leeds and spends a lot of time there, staying in hotels. She tells me that she will be moving there as it makes more sense, but she needs to sell her houses. She asks if I will buy the one I live…
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ANANYA VAJPEYI
Ananya Vajpeyi. Original photograph Gautam Menon From Place: Intimate Encounters with Cities Ananya Vajpeyi is a Professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi. An intellectual historian, political theorist and writer, she was educated in Delhi, Oxford, and Chicago. Her book, Righteous Republic: The Political Foundations of Modern India, won…
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Geo Milev: PROSE POEMS
Bulgarian poet Geo Milev (1895-1925). Photographer unknown Introduced & Translated from the Bulgarian into English by Tom Phillips Geo Milev (1895-1925) was a poet, translator, critic, editor and activist who introduced a radical modernist strain into Bulgarian literature. Equally radical in his politics, he was extra-judicially executed during a round-up of communist and anarchist revolutionaries that…
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Beena Kamlani: Excerpt from The English Problem
Beena Kamlani. Photograph Beena Kalmani Beena Kamlani’s debut novel, The English Problem, was published in January 2025 in the U.S. by Penguin Random House and launched in India at the Jaipur Literary Festival in January 2026. The Indian edition has just come out from The Bombay Circle Press. Her short stories have appeared in…
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A Letter to the Apolitical You, Rudi
Đorđe Andrejević Kun – Pasionaria speaks to the fighters before going to the front. Wikimedia Commons A response to a friend’s remark that ‘Lots of people have an aversion to politics.’ By Phil Hall First, we need to define the word politics. It is a set of activities associated with making decisions in groups, realised…
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In Translation: TWO of Ewa Lipska’s FURTEEN TALES
Illustration ©Sebastian Kudas Ewa Lipska (b. 1945) is one of Poland’s most eminent poets, a defining voice of the Polish New Wave (Generation of ’68) since her debut in 1967. Her work, translated into over a dozen languages including English, has earned her international stature and numerous awards, among them the Silesius Poetry Prize…
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The Racial Resentment of the White Caliban
President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on July 2, 1964. Photograph Cecil Stoughton, White House Press Office. Public Domain As wicked dew as e’er my mother brush’dWith raven’s feather from unwholesome fenDrop on you both! a south-west blow on yeAnd blister you all o’er! Caliban, The Tempest by Dustin Pickering Speaking to far-right…
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Gustavo Gac-Artigas in Translation
Gustavo and Priscilla Gac-Artigas. Credit Priscilla Gac-Artigas Born in Santiago de Chile in 1944, Gustavo Gac-Artigas is a Chilean poet, novelist, playwright, and former political prisoner whose writing has long engaged with questions of memory, exile, testimony, and the ethical responsibilities involved in using language. Following the 1973 military coup, Gac-Artigas was imprisoned and…
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16. Little Tramp / Rich Man
Charles Chaplain as a young man Charlie Chaplin & Stan Laurel Norman B. Schwartz In September 1910, one of England’s most popular Music Hall acts, Fred Karno Company of Clowns, set off by ship to begin a scheduled tour of North America that would last twenty-one months. On board, there were two teenage knockabout…
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Solaris and the Loving Sky
Hari leans over to kiss Kris Kelvin. Screen Capture Mosfilm Fair Use by Phil Hall After Jules Verne, H. P. Lovecraft, Jack London, and H. G. Wells came huge advances in science and two horrifying world wars that exceeded all imagination in technology, horror, and human beastliness. In the post-war crop of speculative science…
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A Critique of Noam Chomsky’s Work
Noam Chomsky. Photograph April 1961 The Technology Review, MIT, Wikimedia Commons In both areas, linguistics and politics, Chomsky’s foundational hypotheses were inadequate. by Phil Hall My perspective on Noam Chomsky is informed by my background: a life lived across multiple countries and languages, an academic grounding in Russian and Spanish politics, economics, and literature,…
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