Murdoch and the European collapse: the chance for the left?
Is the Italian economy about to collapse? Is the Eurozone going to fall apart? I don't know. But it is certainly creaking wildly. If it does, it will surely make…
The fungibility of Rebekah Brooks
Economists have a word for it: fungibility. It describes how replaceable a type of commodity is. Art isn't at all fungible - every piece is unique. Money is highly fungible.…
Solidarity with the police
Over 2000 police officers today demonstrated their opposition to cuts to their pay. Their press release is below. Some don't feel it's appropriate to express solidarity with the police. Many…
Murdoch, New Labour, Credit Crunch, Expenses: collapses of concentrated power
Four years, and four great institutions of British capitalist hegemony have been shaken by crisis. In 2008, the banks collapsed. In 2009, it was expenses and 'trust in MPs'. In…
Murdoch’s media: it’s ownership, not regulation, that matters
In the coming weeks we must surely move the discussion around the News of the World from the details of phone hacking to the questions of control. Already, David Cameron…
A year in prison for throwing a stick?
A twenty year old student from York, Francis Fernie, has been jailed for a year for throwing a stick at the police on 26 March. Specifically, he was found guilty…
Justice for Smiley Culture
Today I'm up in Westminster Magistrates Court for my pre-hearing about the UK Uncut Fortnum & Mason protest on the 26th of March. But I've been advised not to write…
Will increased media scrutiny make politicians less like machines, or more?
A few years ago, I remember watching a documentary about the rise of Tony Blair. One journalist who had been a lobby correspondent when he first became an MP said…
They’ve privatised our dreams
There is no such thing as apathy. To be apathetic is to refuse to care about yourself, your family and your community. People are not apathetic. They are alienated. They…