Catching up
Post of the month (so far)
Airforce Amazons: Liberté ou la Mort.
Gita Sahgal and Amnesty International
Gita Sahgal's resignation statement from AI. More from Flesh is Grass, Kellie, Nick Cohen, Oliver Kamm, Raincoat Optimist.
Our shared history (31 March 1990)
HiM@N with Trafalgar Square memories and Jim with his poll tax shame.
Bertrand Russell and Hannah Arendt
The Thomas Sowell text I posted on here (criticising Bertrand Russell's naivety) was also at Poumista, where there was an interesting short comment thread, while the Contentious Centrist posted a late BBC interview with Russell, which is beautiful, inspiring and still relevant. Michael Ezra at Poumista and Migreli at CC both made points echoing Sowell's, on how Russell's pacifism in the face of fascism was morally appalling. They are correct. But in my view this does not mean that we should jettison everything about Russell's heritage. See also: "Why patriotism is morally indefensible" by Phil Dickens, an anarchist perspective. Specifically, scroll down to the section headed "In war and genocide", which looks at Gandhi's "objective pro-fascism" and Orwell's critique, while the following section mentions Anti-Fascist Action.
The Russell issue made me think of Arendt and her relationship with the Nazi philosopher Heidegger, and her notion that philosophy suffers from a lack of worldliness which makes it complicit with evil. Here is an interesting article on Raul Hilberg versus Arendt, and here (via Migreli) is Shlomo Avineri on Arendt.
Jews, Whiteness, The Shoah And Public Sympathy
Our shared history (31 March 1990)
HiM@N with Trafalgar Square memories and Jim with his poll tax shame.
Bertrand Russell and Hannah Arendt
The Russell issue made me think of Arendt and her relationship with the Nazi philosopher Heidegger, and her notion that philosophy suffers from a lack of worldliness which makes it complicit with evil. Here is an interesting article on Raul Hilberg versus Arendt, and here (via Migreli) is Shlomo Avineri on Arendt.
Jews, Whiteness, The Shoah And Public Sympathy
A good post at Contested Terrain, and a good comment by Negative Potential below it.
Far right watch (contemporary and historical)
Meta-blogging
I have failed to complete most of the tasks set myself here. Plus I have new things to add to the blogroll, in particular Arguing the world, which I found via Martin who describes it as Democratiya's afterlife (see also Ignoblus). Other miscellanies: Modernity, Poumista, Andy.
Bob's beats/East London
David Rosenberg interviews Billy Bragg on West Ham, Barking and the BNP (h/t Jim).
Bob's beats/Sarf London
South East of the Thames Border Infection Mix.You can download this fantastic mix from History is Made at Night, and I have started to play it on my new radio station at Blip.fm. Let's see if this works:
Far right watch (contemporary and historical)
Now: BNP: On Lewisham's own Tess Culnane. BNP at Lunar House in Croydon. European Conservatives and Reformists: End of the road for Cameron's extremist alliance?
Then: The New Party: Mosley's proto-fascist New Party (1931) and its lessons for today. Mosley's British Union of Fascists and National Socialist in Peckham (1937). Pro-fascist Tories in Lewisham (1937).
UK politricks
I'm still making up my mind how to vote, but my instincts so far are pretty much along these lines.
Meta-blogging
I have failed to complete most of the tasks set myself here. Plus I have new things to add to the blogroll, in particular Arguing the world, which I found via Martin who describes it as Democratiya's afterlife (see also Ignoblus). Other miscellanies: Modernity, Poumista, Andy.
Bob's beats/East London
David Rosenberg interviews Billy Bragg on West Ham, Barking and the BNP (h/t Jim).
Bob's beats/Sarf London
South East of the Thames Border Infection Mix.You can download this fantastic mix from History is Made at Night, and I have started to play it on my new radio station at Blip.fm. Let's see if this works:
TT Ross – Imagine | play
Sir Collins & His Mind Sweepers – New Cross Fire | play
Roy Rankin & Raymond Naptali – New Cross Fire - KG Imperial | play
Benjamin Zephaniah – Dis policeman keeps on kicking me to death (Lord Scarman Dub) | play
Mad Professor & Jah Shaka – Gautrey Road Style | play
Brown Sugar – I'm in love with a dreadlocks | play
Brinsley Forde in Babylon 1980 – Cant Tek No More | play
Dizzee Rascal – Can't Tek No More (Produced By Shy FX) | play
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