Spectre – As radical as reality

The death of the centre-left

It’s been nearly five years since Ed Miliband was elected as Labour leader. From the start, the right-wing press heaped scorn upon him. Of all the attacks foisted upon him the ‘fratricidal’ agent charge, who stepped over his own brother to grab the big seat, backed by trade unions, was...

Africa: ending poverty remains key to halting armed conflicts

Better peacekeeping and peace enforcement by African governments may wind down the growing number of conflicts on the continent. But only social and economic change will prevent new ones – and that’s going to take time. There are currently 28 countries in Africa involved in of affected by 21 armed...

The BBC is not ‘left-wing’

You often hear the BBC described as having a ‘left-wing’ bias. This is despite all the evidence to the contrary. The logic behind such accusations seems to be that the state and its institutions are inherently ‘left-wing’. Although the BBC is somewhat removed from the market pressures heaped upon private...

Profiles

See the latest profiles of illustrious figures.

Interviews

See the latest thought provoking interview.

Reviews

See the latest articles on literature, film and music.

Theory

The latest posts on theory.

White Queen: Theses on the Meaning of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’

By Chris Horner • 27th December 2020 Culture, film

I’m not going to recount the plot of the miniseries, as you can get that from Wikipedia or plenty of other places. But: spoiler alerts. The Queens Gambit‘s success has been enormous and I want to offer a few initial thoughts about it which may help explain this, as it has somehow reached a lot of people. The acting and ‘look’ of the lead -Anya Joy-Taylor – is clearly an important part of it. She even looks on occasion like some elegant chess piece come to life in a Lewis Carroll kind of way. The production values and the way the plot steers away from … Continue reading

Morbid Symptoms: COVID-19 And Pathologies In The Body Politic

By Chris Horner • 7th June 2020 Philosophy, Politics

by Chris Horner The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear. —Gramsci Frontispiece to Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan (1651) Does a crisis show us what we are ‘really like’? Whether it does or not, it has already been instructive to experience this one, in which our institutions are being stress tested, perhaps to destruction. As many have noted, COVID-19 is a political and economic crisis as well as a medical one. Its size and complexity can leave us groping around for the … Continue reading

The Safdie Brothers Are Saving Cinema

By Joshua White • 16th May 2020 Culture, film, Misc

Before I saw Good Time, I feared for the future of cinema. Everywhere I looked there were posters for superhero blockbusters, predictable action movies and empty Hollywood comedies. Even great auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson have slowed down. If you wanted great films, you’d better log into Netflix and watch Better Call Saul. It seemed like there was little hope of a revitalised film scene. Then I discovered the Safdie brothers. I was lucky enough to be recommended Good Time (2017) by a friend, who was attracted by its soundtrack composed by experimental musician Daniel Lopatin (a.k.a. Oneohtrix Point Never). This was just … Continue reading

Review: Planet Of The Humans

By Joshua White • 16th May 2020 Culture, film, Politics

Extinction Rebellion - by Alexander Savin

Planet Of The Humans, or ‘POTH’ as some people are calling it, has really touched a nerve in the environmentalist movement. Not least because the documentary has serious flaws and makes some bold claims about renewables, while not really specifying a clear way forward. On the one hand, POTH presents a very depressing view of the green energy industry and the prospects for replacing fossil fuels with renewable alternatives like solar power. But, on the other hand, the film makes two positive claims it barely develops: 1) the world’s population growth rate is the real problem, and, 2) the population has … Continue reading

Ty Canol: Photo Essay

Image

By Chris Horner • 8th June 2019 art, Culture, Photography

Ty Canol, in west Wales, is a prehistoric woodland, with living trees that are 800 years old. It’s full of lichen varieties and is mossy and very green, especially in late May, when I made my visit. There’s a nearby neolithic burial site (not pictured); it is sobering to think that the wood was there when the burial took place. The place has a special atmosphere that I’ve tried to capture.

The Mueller Report: A Great Big Nothing Burger

By Joshua White • 23rd March 2019 Politics

After much speculation, the long-awaited Mueller report has proved to be a big nothing burger served up for the American public on paper plates while the US mainstream media pretends otherwise. But the Democrats have left themselves with few options left as the race to 2020 begins.