Kenya: what is to be done?
The death toll in the disturbances in Kenya over the last month is now approaching 900, and appears to be escalating. Is there anything the rest of the world could – or should – do in an effort to put a stop to the violence? Is there anything the left can independently say? Obviously, the [...]
The class politics of NHS pay restraint
The independent NHS Pay Review Body last year recommended that NHS employees get a pay rise of 2.5%. But such a below-inflation settlement was rather too much for New Labour, which phased the deal in such a way as to reduce its value to 1.9%. Health Secretary Alan Johnson commented at the time: I am [...]
After Winograd: what now for Israeli politics?
The Winograd committee will tomorrow release the findings of its inquiry into Israel’s disastrous 2006 invasion of Lebanon tomorrow. If the leaks to the Israeli press are anything to go by, they will make uncomfortable reading for prime minister Ehud Olmert. They will also create something of a dilemma for Labour Party leader Ehud Barak. [...]
The class politics of McDonald’s A-levels
The Daily Telegraph website today reports the story that McDonald’s is to be empowered to issue A-levels with an entirely predictable sneer: ‘Would you like a qualification with that?’ The trouble is, that nasty little middle-class jibe reflects the reality on the ground for any kids naïve enough to undergo the course – perhaps with [...]
New Labour and ‘Jewish money’; cause for concern?
What follows are my notes for a talk to the Jewish Socialists’ Group this afternoon, which looks at the sensitive issue of Jewish financial support for the Labour Party. As such, the piece hasn’t been polished up to publication standard. And check against delivery, as the top politicians say. Thanks for inviting me to speak [...]
A plethora of plugs
(1) Tomorrow I will be one of the speakers at a Jewish Socialists’ Group meeting on Labour funding and the David Abrahams affair. The event runs from 3pm-5pm, and will be held at the Adelaide Pub, 143 Adelaide Road, London NW3. Tubes: Chalk Farm/Swiss Cottage. Buses C11 and 31 stop outside. Readers of this blog [...]
Lost in the supermarket
Dalston has just got a new branch of Tesco. It only opened today, and as I was passing anyway, I stepped inside to take a look. It’s one of the convenience format versions, rather than a full-on superstore; but it’s handy and doesn’t shut til late, so I’ll probably be doing my mid-week fresh fruit [...]
After Ipswich: what should be done about prostitution?
The murder of five prostitutes in Ipswich in 2006 provided the commentariat with plenty of overtime; liberal responses concentrated on how sex work could be made safer, while conservatives demanded that it be suppressed or stamped out. As yet, the government has contrived to attempt neither, and continues to prevaricate on the question. New Labour [...]
The recession of 2008 and the return of economic intervention
Governments should not intervene in market economies. For over two decades now, even to challenge that proposition has been enough to mark you out as at best an unreconstructed Keynesian pinko and very probably an outright goddam red. The smelly little orthodoxy moved on from being the exclusive preserve of mildly eccentric laissez faire think [...]
Lisbon Treaty: referendum, please
The Lisbon Treaty, at least to my eyes, looks much like the EU constitution dressed up in the political equivalent of a fur coat and Trinny and Susannah Original Magic Knickers. For the uninitiated, T&S Original Magic Knickers – available from Littlewoods here – promise instantly to transform the larger lady into a svelte beauty [...]
