It's all bad
First, a few blogs that have caught my eye, of both local and non-local interest.
London Masala and Chips is the blog of a Labour-supporting British Asian mum who lives in South East London. Her election coverage has been good, and touches on lots of the same issues as we have here.
Michael Harris is one of the new Labour councillors in Lewisham Central and Hither Green, but he also blogs occasionally at the highly recommended Arguing the World.
Not local, here is election analysis from Datacide: The “Radical Left” in the British General Elections.
Good analysis of the new intake of MPs from LFF.
Other issues
Two from Terry Glavin: Marg Bar Diktator: General Strike In Iranian Kurdistan, Silence In The West; Speaking Truth To Power In Palestine.
Lots more from Modernity.
Comments
However, I found it a nice, concise description of the state of the left of Labour left in Britain today: the oppurtinusm of the SWP, the reactionary politics of its various alliances, the reactionary-ness of No2Eu and the fact that TUSC was little better, and the embarassing performance of the Trot grouplets who stood.
I think the sooner the far left escapes the "Leninist cloud cuckoo land" that leads to these disasters, the better. Of course, leaving it for an ultra-left cloud cuckoo land will be an advance in some ways but a step forward in others.
I'm compiling a list of sources for a possible course on ethics and resistance. Any valuable suggestions you may offer will be welcome. Fiction as well, if you know of any. Sorry too interrupt the flow. Best, Noga
Initial thoughts. Jacqueline Rose The Last Resistance is probably, I hate to say it, useful. You might be interested in the review here [pdf], which I think comes from somewhere similar to where you are coming from.
The other thing that spring immediately to mind are Army of Shadows, the existential J-P Melville film about the French resistance, which is well watched alongside Camus.
Oh, and have you read any of yehuda Bauer's recent work, where he talks about Amidah (defiance?). I've only read reviews - see here.
I'd love to see what you are thinking about. If you want, e-mail me at bobfrombrockley at googlemail dot com
Although our local politics may be quite different (emphasis on 'may'), I am an avowed internationalist and enjoy your blog greatly.
Mike
or better, resistance and ethics makes me think of that line from rene char, the poet who fought with the maquis in provence:
"the light has been banished from our eyes. it is buried somewhere in our bones. and we are seeking it, to restore its crown."
or,
"at every meal that we eat together, freedom is invited to sit down. the chair remains vacant but the place is set."
les