I often like to say that Ben Macintyre can take any bit of history and turn it into a fascinating story. It’s a gift. But in this case, I think he had a rather easier…Read more…
Hamas attack reveals a battle for the soul of social democracy
The war unleashed by Hamas on Saturday morning has shone a spotlight on political movements across the world. In the movement I consider home — social democracy — some important divisions have come into the…Read more…
Ukraine’s labour movement defiant – and in need of our solidarity
As I walked around Kyiv last month on a beautiful, sunny morning, I began to notice the scaffolding in the city’s squares. I asked Tristan Masat what was going on. Tristan runs the Solidarity Center…Read more…
Review: The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron
I have loved all of Mick Herron’s ‘Slough House’ books and this so-called ‘standalone’ thriller is actually part of that series — indeed, it explains much of what happens in the previous books. It is…Read more…
Which side is DSA on?
Two days ago, Democratic Socialists of America’s online publication ran my article about my recent visit to Ukraine. It was entitled “Notes from Kyiv: Which side are we on?” DSA has now answered that question…Read more…
Review: Sell Us The Rope, by Stephen May
A new novel about the congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party of 1907? Starring Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin and Rosa Luxemburg? What’s not to like? And the book’s premise — that Stalin was a…Read more…
Israel: From protest to politics
I was recently invited by some Israeli leftists to participate in a discussion about what’s happening with the protest movement that is currently confronting the Netanyahu government. The title they gave to the discussion was…Read more…
Review: Pines, by Blake Crouch
I’ve been reading a lot of books by Blake Crouch, some I liked more than others. Pines is the first of the “Wayward Pines” trilogy, a series of books inspired by the television series “Twin…Read more…
Review: The Future of an Illusion, by Sigmund Freud
In 1927 Sigmund Freud was 71 years old and in failing health when he wrote this short book about religion. The title is a misnomer — there is hardly anything about the future here at…Read more…
Review: Patriots, by Peter Morgan
As I sometimes do, I saw this play recently and decided to read the text later. It was a very good play — and it is a superb text. This is the story of Russian…Read more…
Review: Upgrade, by Blake Crouch
I loved Dark Matter, I liked Recursion, and I had high hopes for this book too. But I was disappointed. While the other books by Blake Crouch were about theoretical physics (in a sense), with…Read more…
Azerbaijan: Labour activists targeted as new unions emerge
In places where existing trade unions fail to organise workers, new unions will often emerge to fill the gap. And those new unions will sometimes be the subject of state repression as a result. This…Read more…
Review: Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch
Blake Crouch seems to make a habit of taking great ideas for science fiction novels, going as far as he can with the idea — and then going further. Much further. So this book, which…Read more…
Review: Fast This Way: Burn Fat, Heal Inflammation and Eat Like the High-Performing Human You Were Meant to Be, by Dave Asprey
I could be nasty and summarise this book in one sentence: fast for 16 hours a day and make sure to drink Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof Coffee. Because it gets a little bit annoying (more than…Read more…
Review: Recursion by Blake Crouch
“False Memory Syndrome” sounds like a real thing, and it is. It is also the starting point for this outstanding thriller which is part time travel, part love story. It is a book, above all,…Read more…
Review: World Bolshevism, by Iulii Martov
Paul Kellogg and Mariya Melentyeva have performed an important service by bringing this long-forgotten work by the most famous of the Mensheviks back into print. Their new translation and Kellogg’s introduction are excellent; the book…Read more…
Review: Case Sensitive, by A.K. Turner
The third (and final, for now) book in the new British crime series featuring Camden mortuary worker Cassie Raven is keeping up the high standard set by the previous two stories. The fact that I…Read more…
1923: The German October
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the decision by the Communist International to launch an armed uprising in Germany. The uprising, which took place in October that year, was a dismal failure. It also…Read more…
Review: Life Sentence, by A.K. Turner
The second book in the Cassie Raven series is as good as the first. This time, the Camden-based mortuary worker investigates a cold case even closer to home: her father, jailed for murdering her mother…Read more…
Review: Writers on Writing: A Book of Quotations
This short book is a wonderful resource for writers — both writers of fiction and non-fiction. Unlike so many books about writing, this is not about self-publishing, or setting goals, or grammar, or marketing. Instead,…Read more…