The World According to Bono
- April 15, 2016
- by
- Matt
I’ve got nothing against famous people getting involved in politics or embracing political causes. On the contrary, there’s no reason why the accident of fame and the weird cult of celebrity-worship that comes with it should place anyone above politics or preclude celebrities from taking moral and political positions on issues that...
From Panama With Love
- April 10, 2016
- by
- Matt
In a democratic society there are times when one can put politics aside, and be magnanimous in victory or gracious in defeat. There are moments when you may be tempted to be generous towards even your bitterest political enemies, and even to show empathy with them, when they suffer personal tragedy, or when...
Labour’s Zionism Problem
- April 08, 2016
- by
- Matt
The idea that opposition to Israeli settler-colonialism or the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people is anti-Semitic is a well-established propaganda weapon, which Israel and its supporters have wielded to great effect for many years. In recent weeks a number of Labour MPs and Labour supporters have picked it up once again to argue...
Patricio Guzmán’s The Pearl Button
- March 30, 2016
- by
- Matt
I’m feeling very fortunate indeed indeed to have just caught Chilean director Patricio Guzmán’s amazing movie The Pearl Button in its UK release. I try and see as many films as I can every year, but Guzmán’s films are always something extra special. For those who don’t know him, Guzmán is a documentary...
Bombing the Grey Zone
- March 23, 2016
- by
- Matt
At some point in the future it would be good to imagine that our descendants may look back on our dark and savage world with sadness and horror, and regard it as a bygone tragedy that has been overcome and superseded by a more enlightened era. Perhaps historians will look back and seek to draw...
Twilight of the Ghouls
- March 21, 2016
- by
- Matt
Few of us on the left will easily forget the dismal pall that settled over the nation in May last year, the day after Lord Snooty and His Pals defied the polls and won their 12-seat majority. Anger, incomprehension, stupefaction, frustration and despair – these were the emotions that so many of us...
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