My personal take on the Ralph and Ed Miliband saga. A version has also been published on openDemocracy. It is ironic as well as objectionable that the Daily Mail’s notorious piece on the late Ralph Miliband, which has so rebounded on the paper, should have brought into question his British identity. Not only did Ralph,… Continue reading A Very British Marxist – And His Son
Category: the left
Paths to change: peaceful vs violent
A new post on openDemocracy It is now two years since the "Arab spring" spread popular protest across the one world-region still overwhelmingly dominated by authoritarian rulers, and thus heralded a major new phase of the democratic upheavals that have transformed the world over recent decades. These largely peaceful mass movements achieved remarkable, if qualified,… Continue reading Paths to change: peaceful vs violent
Once more on ‘left-wing’ genocide denial
The Guardian journalist George Monbiot has written a further article, 'See No Evil', on the denial by Edward Herman and David Peterson of the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the genocidal massacre at Srebrenica, Bosnia, in 1995, in their book The Politics of Genocide which includes a supportive Preface by Noam Chomsky. Monbiot is responding… Continue reading Once more on ‘left-wing’ genocide denial
‘Left-wing’ genocide denial
George Monbiot has written an interesting take in The Guardian on 'left-wing' denial of the Srebrenica genocidal massacre and the Rwandan genocide, Left and libertarian right cohabit in the weird world of the genocide belittlers. Monbiot refers to the recent book by Edward Herman (Noam Chomsky's collaborator of four decades) and David Peterson, with a… Continue reading ‘Left-wing’ genocide denial
Street politics, violence, media
An edited version of this post appeared on openDemocracy, 7 December 2010 ‘The relationship to violence is also much better, as shown by the spontaneous revulsion of the demonstrators against throwing the fire extinguisher at Millbank. There is an understanding of the need for no willed violence against people. Doubtless provocateurs will try and spoil… Continue reading Street politics, violence, media
Global security, global social democracy
A new opinion piece for the Policy Network on the future of social democracy, responding to a contribution by Pascal Lamy.
The politics of genocide: Rwanda and the Congo
A new Open Democracy piece on the leaked UN report and the latest in Chomskyan genocide denial. Translations by Tlaxcala: La politique du génocide : Rwanda et République Démocratique du Congo La política del genocidio: Ruanda y la RD del Congo Die politische Dimension von Völkermorden: Ruanda & DR Kongo
Brighton Pavilion’s dilemma – Britain’s first Green MP?
This blog does not usually deal with local politics, but I happen to live in the Brighton Pavilion parliamentary constituency, widely hyped as likely to elect Britain's first Green Party Member of Parliament, Caroline Lucas, at the General Election due to be held by June this year. In an election dominated by the uninspiring choice… Continue reading Brighton Pavilion’s dilemma – Britain’s first Green MP?
Turn of the decade: the 2000s in historical perspective
My contribution to Open Democracy's 2010 forum.
Britain and the Cold War exhibition
I'm featured in the 'What Lies Beneath' exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, London.
Martin Shaw 