"You have the right not to be killed. Murder is a crime! Unless it is done by a policeman..." - The Clash, 'Know Your Rights'For the ruling class, the embarrassment caused by the transparent cover-up of Ian Tomlinson's police killing was a necessary evil. The alternative was far worse - a very public examination of policing tactics at a time of drastic cutbacks.But before the storm blows over,
In issue 15 of The Commune, Greg Brown made his case for supporting the boycott of Israeli goods, as well as the campaign for divestment and sanctions against the Zionist state. I decided to take up the challenge and sketch a counter-argument, partly because I'd long felt 'instinctively' opposed to it, and wanted to work out exactly why.After pondering the comrade's article for a while, I
Simon PiraniRoutledge (2008)“I cannot be that sort of idealist communist who believes in the new God That They Call The State, bows before the bureaucracy that is so far from the working people, and waits for communism from the hands of pen-pushers and officials as though it was the kingdom of heaven.” - excerpt from the resignation letter of a Bolshevik Party memberWithin what is usually
Based on a novel by Robert TressellAdapted by Howard BrentonDirected by Christopher MorahanLiverpool Everyman (17th June - 10th July 2010)If you’re starting to think the game might be fixed, this could be the play for you. At least two press night audience members had a ‘road to Damascus’ experience when they first read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell’s early twentieth
European governments have been announcing public spending cuts almost daily since they agreed a €750 billion bank bailout a fortnight back. Greece (€30 billion), Spain (€80 billion), Italy (£24 billion) and Portugal (£2 billion), were this week joined by the new UK government, which slashed £6 billion with immediate effect, and promised the financial markets much, much more.In their
For once, the hype is justified. Bill Hicks really was "the outlaw comic who tried to save the world". This fascinating, inspiring and hilarious documentary tells his story in an innovative fashion, using the recollections and photographs of many who were closest to him.The man was a 'rock and roll comedian' in the early 1990s, when many of the rock stars who did what he demanded and played
The first coalition government since World War Two was formed in the United Kingdom last week, as Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats joined David Cameron’s Conservatives, giving the latter a big enough majority to oust Gordon Brown and Labour. Clegg’s decision marked a historic stage in another grim fight to the death – between the ruling capitalists and the working class.