From Cable Street to Wall Street
Another miscellany, taking up many of the same themes as the last one.
Post of the week: Eamonn McDonagh "Anti-Manc Prejudice And Premier League Abolitionism". A gem. (You'll guess I occupy the "Tom" position.) Runner-up: Alan A on waving other people's flags.
More on Cable Street: Dave Rich on the 75th anniversary, arguing that the Jewish communal leadership played a greater role in militant anti-fascism than is often acknowledged, that the battle was not a decisive defeat for Mosley but was decisive in shaping a British (Jewish and non-Jewish) anti-fascism that eventually did marginalise the far right. Dave recommends the Hope Not Hate/Searchlight material on Cable Street, which is very readable but seems to me to be extremely skewed in exaggerating the Communist role, downplaying that of other socialists (notably the Independent Labour Party), and whitewashing the generally pathetic CP leadership's attempts not to let the battle happen - as befits Searchlight's Stalinist/tankie roots.
Anti-capitalism: Some interesting analysis and reportage of #Occupy Wall Street from Never Got Used To It and Doug Henwood. A critical view from Spiked's Torygrapher Brendan O'Neill and from Alex Klein in TNR.
The English Defence League: I am not a regular reader of Bob Pitt's IslamophobiaWatch, a website that in my view tends to devalue the concept of Islamophobia by using it in the most tenuous of situations. (I was, however, a regular reader of its editor, Bob Pitt's, previous ventures, the excellent independent Marxist magazines What Next and New Interventions.) However, I have come more and more to the view of the EDL that Bob Pitt sets out very well here, from a position which was very close to Nigel Copsey's. Pitt also reports on other EDL developments, such as its alignment with various European and American Counterjihad groups, and its claim to be poised to launch a new political party.
Lifestyle politics and ethical living: Flesh is Grass on why she won't shop at Lush. Shift says give up lifestylism.
Left sectariana: Michael Ezra on Trotksy's war policy.
Post of the week: Eamonn McDonagh "Anti-Manc Prejudice And Premier League Abolitionism". A gem. (You'll guess I occupy the "Tom" position.) Runner-up: Alan A on waving other people's flags.
More on Cable Street: Dave Rich on the 75th anniversary, arguing that the Jewish communal leadership played a greater role in militant anti-fascism than is often acknowledged, that the battle was not a decisive defeat for Mosley but was decisive in shaping a British (Jewish and non-Jewish) anti-fascism that eventually did marginalise the far right. Dave recommends the Hope Not Hate/Searchlight material on Cable Street, which is very readable but seems to me to be extremely skewed in exaggerating the Communist role, downplaying that of other socialists (notably the Independent Labour Party), and whitewashing the generally pathetic CP leadership's attempts not to let the battle happen - as befits Searchlight's Stalinist/tankie roots.
Anti-capitalism: Some interesting analysis and reportage of #Occupy Wall Street from Never Got Used To It and Doug Henwood. A critical view from Spiked's Torygrapher Brendan O'Neill and from Alex Klein in TNR.
The English Defence League: I am not a regular reader of Bob Pitt's IslamophobiaWatch, a website that in my view tends to devalue the concept of Islamophobia by using it in the most tenuous of situations. (I was, however, a regular reader of its editor, Bob Pitt's, previous ventures, the excellent independent Marxist magazines What Next and New Interventions.) However, I have come more and more to the view of the EDL that Bob Pitt sets out very well here, from a position which was very close to Nigel Copsey's. Pitt also reports on other EDL developments, such as its alignment with various European and American Counterjihad groups, and its claim to be poised to launch a new political party.
Lifestyle politics and ethical living: Flesh is Grass on why she won't shop at Lush. Shift says give up lifestylism.
Left sectariana: Michael Ezra on Trotksy's war policy.
Comments