Understanding the political crisis in Britain
The British political establishment is in its biggest crisis for more than a century. The country that has for many decades been a lynchpin of Western political stability, a pillar of Western imperialism, is now the source of instability that threatens to precipitate a broader political cr...CONTINUE READING
Macron, Yellow Vests and the class struggle in France
As the Yellow Vest movement in France continues its novel and inspiring revolt, president Emmanuel Macron could not help expressing his class disdain for ordinary people: at a gala speech on 11 January, he declared: “Too many French people don’t know the meaning of the word ‘effort’. That’...CONTINUE READING
The wrong kind of unity against Trump
As the New Year dawned, Donald Trump’s regime appeared to be coming apart at the seams. The billionaire’s tariffs against China and threats to fire the head of the Federal Reserve Bank sent the stock market into a panic. Trump then shut down the government over his demand for a racist bord...CONTINUE READING
Global political turmoil and its echo in Australia
The turmoil in the Liberal Party highlighted by the downfall of Malcolm Turnbull has been the most important development in Australian politics over the last year. It reflects that politics here is catching up with international developments (the rise of Trump, the surge in support for the...CONTINUE READING
Ghosts of Christmas present: Macron’s ongoing Yellow Vest nightmare
Act Five for the popular Yellow Vest revolt against poverty in France came on 15 December – but it was not the finale. The movement remains vibrant and determined, especially in big southern towns such as Toulouse and Bordeaux. Its effects are considerable, with pre-Christmas commerce heav...CONTINUE READING
The Yellow Vest movement strengthens in France
It is hard to count demonstrators spread out across thousands of mobilisations, but it seems that over half a million people were involved in “Act Four” of the Yellow Vest mobilisation in France on Saturday 8 December. In Bordeaux, a huge joint demonstration between university students and...CONTINUE READING
More than half of vertebrates wiped out since 1970
The number of vertebrates (mammals, birds, fish and reptiles) declined by more than 60 percent between 1970 and 2014, according to a report released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. Complex multi-cellular life has existed for around 500 million years....CONTINUE READING
Results and prospects from the US midterm elections: a discussion with Lance Selfa
The most striking immediate takeaways from the congressional midterms, held on 6 November, were, first, the entrenched, though uneven, partisan and geographical polarisation of US politics and, second, the far right radicalisation reflected in and encouraged by president Trump and the Repu...CONTINUE READING
Australia attempting to ward off Chinese influence among Pacific island nations
Australia’s rivalry with China in the south-west Pacific is intensifying. On 8 November, Scott Morrison declared it was time for Australia to “step up” in the region. He revealed a new aid package for Pacific island countries, featuring a $2 billion financing facility to help construct bas...CONTINUE READING