anti capitalist musings

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Close-up of a British two pence coin, copper-coloured, showing a heraldic lion in a crosshatched frame with fleur-de-lis corners and the words “TWO PENCE” at the top.
Labour Government

Rachel Reeves and the 2p Trap

The chancellor’s proposed income tax shuffle is clever accountancy but toxic politics — a pledge-break disguised as fiscal discipline, and proof that Labour has trapped itself in rules it cannot escape.

An illustration of a red fish (Herring) in profile against a pale background, with the words “RED TERROR” in bold black capitals beneath it.
Charlie Kirk

Red Herring, Not Red Terror

David Frost calls it a new “Red Terror.” The truth is plainer: it’s the Right’s wars, coups and crackdowns that have spilt the deepest blood in politics.

Donald J Trump

The Invention of the Narco-Terrorist

Trump’s latest “kinetic strike” killed three unknown Venezuelans he labelled “narco-terrorists.” The phrase is not law but incantation, a word that strips away humanity and legitimises killing. From Vietnam body counts to Obama’s “signature strikes,” America has always named its enemies into existence, and into death.

Britain

Beyond Creeping Fascism

To call Robinson’s rally “populist” or “right-wing” is to miss the point. Fascism doesn’t require every marcher to be a coherent ideologue; it requires a mass, a scapegoat, and leaders prepared to turn grievance into violence. That is what we saw in London.

Screenshot of a Telegraph article by Camilla Tominey titled “The killing of Charlie Kirk shows just how poisonous Left-wing politics now is,” with the subheading “Speech has consequences – we have once more learnt that lesson from the horrifying events in Utah.” Below the headline is a photo showing two people in jeans holding a poster with a portrait of Charlie Kirk.
Camilla Tominey

Tominey’s doublethink

Camilla Tominey’s sainthood act for Charlie Kirk trades politics for piety. The Right already owns the machinery (press, finance, courts, police) and Kirk was part of the drive shaft. A death certificate doesn’t wash clean a career built on making violence respectable.

Britain

Flatlining Growth, Rising Crisis

The ONS reports zero growth in July. The papers call it “grim news” for Rachel Reeves. In reality, it is the latest entry in a long obituary for British capitalism — a system now sustained only by euphemism, stagnation, and decline.

The cover of this weeks New Statesman

The New Statesman: A Weekly Read Worth the Wait

A sit-down with this week’s New Statesman magazine reveals John Gray’s analysis on technocratic language, Adrian Pabst’s commentary on higher education, Andrew Marr and Wolfgang Münchau’s insights on bourgeois politics, and a warning on trans hate from a recent podcast on the CPAC conference in the US.

Person reading a book puts hand up to say stop

Intellectual freedom in peril: American schools under threat from book bans

The recent surge in book bans across American schools is yet another example of the dangerous trends towards censorship and conformity. With Republican Florida Governor (and likely presidential hopeful) Ron DeSantis leading the charge, these efforts to limit access to diverse ideas and perspectives are a troubling sign of the right’s desire to maintain their power over us. As we confront these challenges to intellectual freedom and democratic principles, we must stand together and fight for our right to read and think critically.

Blood Sport: The BBC vs the Tories

It’s a classic case of power versus principle, and the stakes have never been higher. In the end, it’s not just about football – it’s about the very soul of our democracy.

Working Class and Ruling Class

Lee Anderson’s Questionable Politics: From Labour to the Tories, and Now GB News

From Labour to the Tories and now GB News, Lee Anderson’s questionable politics have caused controversy and criticism. As a newly-promoted figure in the Conservative Party and set to join the likes of Rees-Mogg on GB News, Anderson’s remarks on poverty and working class representation have left many wondering whether he truly understands the realities faced by those he claims to speak for.

“HS2 Delay – Levelling Up in Doubt”

The UK government’s announcement to delay the completion of HS2 and mothball major road-building schemes due to budget constraints raises concerns about the Conservative government’s levelling up agenda.

Italian Politicians’ Problematic WhatsApp Messages During Pandemic

Italian politicians and health officials joked about Italy’s role in the spread of the coronavirus and attempted to protect the country’s image during the pandemic in WhatsApp messages, leading to an investigation and suspicions of “aggravated culpable epidemic” and manslaughter.