A Gold Bar, a Commune, a Collapse
On Natasha Brown’s Universality
The rest of the blog
On Natasha Brown’s Universality
In Notes to John, Joan Didion records the slow failure of the defences she spent a lifetime building — and in doing so, leaves behind a final, unflinching act of courage
Britain is broken, but not in the way Nigel Farage imagines. In his vision, mass deportations and the dismantling of human rights law will somehow reverse decades of decline
In the society of the spectacle, even death must pose for the camera, and what is buried is not only the body but the last fragile hope that anything might remain untouched by the churn of images
Nigel Farage’s rise is not simply the product of voter disillusionment but the result of a liberal media too fearful, too compromised, and too complicit to confront the reactionary politics they helped create.
The United States is no longer sliding toward fascism; it is actively constructing it, one arrested judge, one silenced journalist, and one gutted civil rights protection at a time
Labour’s latest signal that it intends to impose sweeping cuts to welfare represents a stark betrayal of working-class interests and a capitulation to the logic of capital.
The new Employment Rights Bill announced by the Labour government is being trumpeted as a victory for workers, and on the surface, there are some real wins: day-one unfair dismissal rights, guaranteed hours for agency workers, stronger collective bargaining, and improved sick pay. But a closer look shows there’s still plenty missing, and, as ever, it will all come down to enforcement.
Trump’s congressional address wasn’t just another rambling performance. It was a blueprint for a more chaotic, authoritarian world. His wavering on Ukraine signalled open season for Putin, while his economic nationalism masked a deeper agenda: consolidating power by pitting workers against each other while serving the same ruling class that fuels crisis and war. This isn’t just about Trump. It’s about a capitalist system in decay, turning to reaction and repression to sustain itself. The question isn’t whether we can stop him, it’s whether we can break the cycle before it’s too late.