Leftovers
**A couple more leftovers being added at the bottom of the post.**
It is a tradition in this part of the world to spend this time of year getting through mountains of leftover turkey. In this post, I am trying to get through some of the stuff I had building up in December but was too busy to deal with.
"Honour" killings
I have a half-written long post about so-called honour killings in my drafts folder, started when I read this by Tariq Ali several months ago, and revived in the wake of the horrific Tulay Goren case. I'm not going to finish it in 2009, so in the meantime read Rosie Bell, Penny Red and Dave Osler.
Sarf London
Highly recommended: When Lewisham had cinemas, an interview with an old-timer about the golden age of cinema here.
Zionism, anti-Zionism, racism
Eric Lee asks Racism and Anti-Semitism in the UK: Are union leaders and the Jewish community in denial? Three articles from Keith Kahn-Harris (Metal Jew): on Brian Klug and Jews taking offence, on three new books about Israel from the left, and on (a topic close to my heart) incivility in debates about Israel. And here's an interesting post and comment thread on Norman Finkelstein and the British SWP.
Iran
Dave Osler on Ahmadinehad's British socialist fellow travellers. More news on the uprising from Kellie and Mod.
UK politricks: Tatchell
Sadly, Peter Tatchell is standing down as candidate for Oxford East, due to the health problems caused by his beating by Mugabe's thugs in 2001 and Russian bigots in 2007. He writes: “The injuries don’t stop me from campaigning but I am slower, make more mistakes, get tired easily and take longer to do things. My memory, concentration, balance and coordination have been adversley affected. I can’t campaign at the pace I used to." However, it seems to me his reduced pace far outstrips that of most of our elected misrepresentatives.
UK Politricks: John Major
Denis MacShane on Major's rewriting of history.
UK politricks: London
Andy kicks off the fightback against Boris. More too from Karen Buck.
Islamist terrorism
Jeff W on 1989, the Rushdie affair and independent bookstores.
Fascism and anti-fascism
Noga on strange alliances in Hungary. Duncan on Housing shortages and immigration. Property is Theft has a whole series of interesting posts on Anti-fascism in the 21st Century, and older posts on militarism and anti-fascism in WWII, Anarchism, ethnicity, and culture: revolution and reaction in the Middle East and Political and militant Islam.
Left sectariana
This might not mean too much to too many people, but Mike Ezra has put some 1980s satirical songs about Socialist Organiser (now Workers Liberty) here. Scroll down. (This guy would remember these songs, I reckon.)
Also
To be added to the blogroll, via the Centrists, Ray Cook, writing thoughtfully on Zionism, anti-Zionism, Islamophobia and more. And a big welcome back to the blogopshere to Judeosphere.
ADDED LEFTOVERs:
Nick Cohen on the anti-green backlash. Robert Fisk asks two interesting questions: Why did no imams plead for Akmal Shaikh's life to be spared? How many Muslim clerics condemned the execution of Chinese Uighur Muslims?
It is a tradition in this part of the world to spend this time of year getting through mountains of leftover turkey. In this post, I am trying to get through some of the stuff I had building up in December but was too busy to deal with.
"Honour" killings
I have a half-written long post about so-called honour killings in my drafts folder, started when I read this by Tariq Ali several months ago, and revived in the wake of the horrific Tulay Goren case. I'm not going to finish it in 2009, so in the meantime read Rosie Bell, Penny Red and Dave Osler.
Sarf London
Highly recommended: When Lewisham had cinemas, an interview with an old-timer about the golden age of cinema here.
Zionism, anti-Zionism, racism
Eric Lee asks Racism and Anti-Semitism in the UK: Are union leaders and the Jewish community in denial? Three articles from Keith Kahn-Harris (Metal Jew): on Brian Klug and Jews taking offence, on three new books about Israel from the left, and on (a topic close to my heart) incivility in debates about Israel. And here's an interesting post and comment thread on Norman Finkelstein and the British SWP.
Iran
Dave Osler on Ahmadinehad's British socialist fellow travellers. More news on the uprising from Kellie and Mod.
UK politricks: Tatchell
Sadly, Peter Tatchell is standing down as candidate for Oxford East, due to the health problems caused by his beating by Mugabe's thugs in 2001 and Russian bigots in 2007. He writes: “The injuries don’t stop me from campaigning but I am slower, make more mistakes, get tired easily and take longer to do things. My memory, concentration, balance and coordination have been adversley affected. I can’t campaign at the pace I used to." However, it seems to me his reduced pace far outstrips that of most of our elected misrepresentatives.
UK Politricks: John Major
Denis MacShane on Major's rewriting of history.
UK politricks: London
Andy kicks off the fightback against Boris. More too from Karen Buck.
Islamist terrorism
Jeff W on 1989, the Rushdie affair and independent bookstores.
Fascism and anti-fascism
Noga on strange alliances in Hungary. Duncan on Housing shortages and immigration. Property is Theft has a whole series of interesting posts on Anti-fascism in the 21st Century, and older posts on militarism and anti-fascism in WWII, Anarchism, ethnicity, and culture: revolution and reaction in the Middle East and Political and militant Islam.
Left sectariana
This might not mean too much to too many people, but Mike Ezra has put some 1980s satirical songs about Socialist Organiser (now Workers Liberty) here. Scroll down. (This guy would remember these songs, I reckon.)
Also
To be added to the blogroll, via the Centrists, Ray Cook, writing thoughtfully on Zionism, anti-Zionism, Islamophobia and more. And a big welcome back to the blogopshere to Judeosphere.
ADDED LEFTOVERs:
Nick Cohen on the anti-green backlash. Robert Fisk asks two interesting questions: Why did no imams plead for Akmal Shaikh's life to be spared? How many Muslim clerics condemned the execution of Chinese Uighur Muslims?
Comments
And then play the debate card. I find it hard to believe that the Jewish community is so retarded/repressed as a community that simply calling for debate (or for Jews to self-stereotype themselves as troublemakers, as KKH would have it - astonishingly) is a step forward.
I'm fed up of the debate card. So often the debate is really shallow. If, as KKH would have it, debate is good - and looks good - in itself, Jews might be better displaying to the world a variety of view on the X Factor contestants. It would certainly draw in more people.
But in debates on the subject of Israel, I strongly advocate a barrier to entry - unless there is commitment to accuracy, principles, completeness, flagging of uncertainties and transparency of purpose, debate becomes a parody of itself or a game or a drill. Better go and read the news or a book.
Play in the snow.