A leave voter at the Save Brexit Rally wants Brexit so that Britain can "get back to being a British Empire". Are his views a product of 'cultural dementia'? At the Save Brexit Rally in Harrogate on 20 October 2018, Sky News interviewed a leave voter who explained his support for Brexit by saying it would help Britain to "get back to being a British Empire again", and that … [Read more...] about Brexit, empire and cultural dementia. David Andress demolishes lazy nationalism
History
Competition as a distraction, stressor and Conservative code
Why are some British politicians so keen on injecting "competition" into the lives of working people? Andy Beckett: "In the early years of the 21st century, the inevitability of an ever more competitive, deregulated, internationally orientated market economy, to which both government and society were subordinate – a doctrine often called neoliberalism – was accepted right … [Read more...] about Competition as a distraction, stressor and Conservative code
When the USA supported Vietnamese revolutionaries
In conversation, directors of The Vietnam War PBS documentary series explored the roots of the conflict. The ten-part, 18-hour documentary film series The Vietnam War has been shown on PBS in the US, and BBC in the UK. It has taken ten years to make, and features testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as … [Read more...] about When the USA supported Vietnamese revolutionaries
Reality is not what it seems warns Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, talks about the importance of making the effort to distinguish between reality and fiction. In the UK and USA we're seeing the rise of nationalism and intolerance, often driven by fake news stories and politicians skilled in psychological manipulation and repeating … [Read more...] about Reality is not what it seems warns Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari
Listen to Mark Fisher (1968-2017), author of Capitalist Realism
Mark Fisher, theorist, author, lecturer and blogger, has died. He was the author of 'Capitalist Realism. Is there no alternative?'. In his book ‘Capitalist Realism. Is there no alternative?’, Mark explored how "After 1989, capitalism has presented itself as the only realistic political-economic system". And questioned "What effects has this "capitalist realism" had on work, … [Read more...] about Listen to Mark Fisher (1968-2017), author of Capitalist Realism