Tag: Palestine
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In memoriam

In the course of his career, John Pilger made 61 documentaries, all questioning the ‘establishment narrative’ on big, international news stories. Topics he’s covered include Palestine, the Thalidomide scandal, Julian Assange and Wikileaks, and the ‘Coke v Pepsi’ battles. Bottom up journalism People often talk about ‘bottom-up v top-down’ politics, but Pilger believed in bottom-up…
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Away with your ‘day after’ talk

Palestine needs help – so does Israel. Whilst Palestinians are doing everything in their power to call for help, and everyone except US and most European politicians are trying to respond, Israelis are also making themselves heard now. Some of the October 7th victims are suing their government and the IDF, there is an Israeli…
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Israelism: film review and three take-aways

I’m sitting in front of a big screen, crammed with 40 or more others in the back room of a pub. The film starts, and we’re watching one of those brain-melting Trump-style mass rallies, all flashing lights, reverberating electronic drums and streaming flags. Bright-eyed crowds are standing waving their arms, screaming in excitement – but…
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Resolutions for 2024: What the “United Nations” can’t do, we must

I put my head out of the door in the morning on Boxing Day, and the world seemed quite quiet – fresh, and undisturbed. I stepped outside and found my street a little damp, a little scruffy, but still there. I walked down to the local shops which were not only still there but lit…
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To those MPs, Cllrs and TU reps who haven’t yet called for ceasefire

Yes I know about the party directives, the potholes, the budget battles, the urgent community issues, the desire to win the next election etc You can’t solve any of those things in the middle of World War Three. The best you can say to yourself is that after World War Three, there won’t be anyone…
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The imaginary end-game

It’s despair isn’t it. You’ve hurt the creature so badly you’re hoping it’ll just die, and no-one will notice. Or perhaps you’re a mere accomplice, or an accessory after the fact. “Grab a brick,” you say, closing your eyes tight. “Hit it, hit it, put it out of its misery.” And in a panic rage,…
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Another War to End All Wars

I remember I remember a ‘cross over’ lecture by Chomsky, when his reputation as a political commentator was beginning to overtake his reputation as a linguist. (He made one mistake, okay? The ‘language acquisition device’ was a red herring. That’s what academics do – they posit theories to be tested and write about them. The…
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Prepare to support your trans comrades

***long read*** No, I am not saying be ‘a trans ally’. That’s identity-politics nonsense, it’s being partisan, it’s like joining a football supporters’ club – but the thing is, the wheels really have come off Stonewall’s #NoDebate train in their self-ID/queer theory/gender-ideology campaign, and it’s time to re-assess the situation. It’s a real shame it…
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Listen, question, test

This idea is so important I have given it one of those fashionable three-word slogans to help me remember it. It’s unlikely you’ll agree with every statement I’m going to make in this article. If you’re the kind of person who needs trigger warnings to protect you from the trauma of being disagreed with, please…