Empire socialism defined Empire socialism could also imperialist socialism, assuming you know what the term imperialism means in this context. It’s the nationalistic, narrow “socialism” of a relatively privileged, mostly white, section of the working class in a country that has, or used to have, an empire. The wider society it operates in…

A tale of two caps Image from https://nohungrykidsww.commons.gc.cuny.edu/literature-review/ There is a push to remove the two child benefit cap because it could lift a lot of children out of poverty. Except it may well not. I don’t have the time or the expertise to go into this in any great…

If we always do what we always did, what do we get? What we have There’s an old phrase that I have heard a lot: if you always do what you always did, you always get what you always had. I’ve tangentially been involved with some left parties talking about creating a new…

The wolf is in the house Austerity is capitalism is austerity Our owners pulled a fast one on us. They have been deconstructing the post-war social democratic privilege machine that was built on the backs of people in the global south and kidding us there is no money while their wealth doubles again and again. We’re told that austerity is necessary…

What’s wrong with it and why it must go. The comforting fairy tale In the book Candide there is a character called Doctor Pangloss. No matter what happens to the characters in the book, and some pretty bad things happen to them, he always says that they live in the best of all possible worlds. There is a word panglossian that is based…

A small change of direction Firstly, let me apologise for not having written much recently. I’ve been overtaken by the demands of my day job, being tormented by a long-term medical condition that meant I wasn’t sleeping properly, and also some things in my family have taken my mind away…

But a better world is necessary I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand Till we have built Jerusalem In England’s green and pleasant land. William Blake’s Jerusalem A Facebook friend of mine said to me: If you can show me a practical…

The demise of the imperial gentleman When I was a child in the 1960s we were taught that we should behave like gentlemen. This meant a few things that might seem a little weird now. Gentlemen were, of course, men, and in the language and perceptions of the time strong and powerful. …

Escape from McMurder Incorporated There is no need to despair. The recent revelations in the Labour party about sabotage by principle-free centrists is a good thing, it’s helping release energy that would have been wasted worrying about which meaningless Labour committee the left should try to take over to do more constructive things like…