Organizing the Void
The new left in Europe and North America hasn’t made the transition from being a symptom of democratic crisis to offering an effective cure for it.
153 Articles by: Daniel Finn
Daniel Finn is the features editor at Jacobin. He is the author of One Man’s Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA.
Walter Benjamin Warned Us Against the Illusions of Capitalist Progress
Walter Benjamin was one of the most influential cultural theorists of the last century. There have been many attempts to defang and deradicalize Benjamin’s work, but his Marxist commitments run right through his dazzling intellectual legacy.
The US Helped Destroy Modern Somalia
Since the 1990s, no government has been able to control the whole of Somalia’s territory. Lurid news reports about piracy and terrorism obscure the fact that big powers like the US have repeatedly intervened in the country’s affairs and worsened its condition.
Public-Service Broadcasting Is a Noble Ideal, but the BBC Needs Radical Change
The BBC marked its centenary this week, but its long-term future is deeply uncertain. We should defend the idea of public-service broadcasting while sharply criticizing the BBC in its current form for its conservativism and deference to the British state.
BlackRock and Green Capitalism Won’t Save the Planet
The rise of trillion-dollar investment firms like BlackRock has resulted in a massive, unprecedented concentration of economic power. BlackRock’s Larry Fink may use green rhetoric, but his company won’t take real action to address the climate crisis.
The British Left Could Benefit From a Few Lessons From the French Left
Five years after their electoral breakthroughs, the projects led by Jeremy Corbyn and Jean-Luc Mélenchon have gone in opposite directions. The British left would be in a stronger position today if it had displayed some of Mélenchon’s confrontational grit.
Has Sinn Féin’s Day Come?
Sinn Féin is now the leading party across Ireland. But its real test will happen in power.
How Italy Lurched From Anti-Fascism to Anti-Politics
After 1945, Italy had strong left-wing movements and an anti-fascist consensus that stemmed from the wartime resistance. Since the 1990s, however, a corrosive “anti-political” mood has displaced anti-fascism, and the far right has been the main beneficiary.
How Marxists Brought Science to Politics and Politics to Science
From Marx and Engels to the present day, socialists have been deeply engaged with the world of science. With the provision of lifesaving vaccines held hostage by corporate profiteering, the story of this relationship is more important than ever.
Yes, Jeremy Corbyn Was Vilified Because He Criticized Israel
Jeremy Corbyn’s critics are once again furious because he stated an undeniable fact. Corbyn was shamefully denounced as a dangerous antisemite primarily because he supported the democratic rights of the Palestinians.
Britain’s Hostile Environment for Immigrants Is a Laboratory of State Racism
The British government has intensified the discriminatory policies that led to the Windrush scandal of illegal deportations. Its latest scheme to forcibly transfer refugees to Rwanda may prove unworkable, but such theatrical cruelty is an end in itself.
Albania’s History of Communism and Postcommunism Has a Message for Our Time
From its late break with the Ottoman Empire to the Cold War rule of Enver Hoxha, Albania has followed an unusual path through modern history. But the country’s experience of communism and postcommunism is full of valuable lessons for the politics of today.
The Forde Report Has Exposed the Rotten Foundations of Keir Starmer’s Leadership
Lawyer Martin Forde has finally published a report on the Labour Party’s bitter factional wars under Jeremy Corbyn. The findings of the report show that the case against Corbyn made by his opponents was a shameless and cynical frame-up.
Boris Johnson Has Many Enemies, but the Deep State Isn’t One of Them
The outgoing Conservative leader claims to be the victim of a nefarious deep state conspiracy. Britain does have a deep state, but Johnson is the very last person who would show up on its hit list.
The British Establishment Chose Boris Johnson as Its Weapon to Defeat the Left
Boris Johnson’s disastrous time in office has spluttered to an ignominious conclusion. Many of those now deploring his record sided with Johnson when it really mattered because they wanted to block a left-wing government that could transform British society.
Boris Johnson Is Attacking the Good Friday Agreement to Save His Own Skin
Britain’s prime minister intends to scrap his own Brexit deal and provoke a crisis in Northern Irish politics. Everyone who assisted Boris Johnson’s rise to power to block a left-wing government now shares responsibility for his criminal recklessness.
Michał Kalecki Is the Economist We Need to Make Sense of Class Conflict
Polish economist Michał Kalecki argued that capitalists would always resist full employment because it increases the confidence and bargaining power of workers. He was right — so right that even the Fed has now begun citing his ideas.
Belgium Is the EU’s Capital, but Its Own Future Is Now in Doubt
Belgium was a pioneer of industrialization, and class struggle by its workers’ movement created one of Europe’s most impressive welfare states. But with regional divisions now dominating Belgian politics, the country’s long-term survival is deeply uncertain.
This Year’s Champions League Final Was a Showcase for Police Brutality in France
The Champions League final is one of the biggest events in world sports. UEFA and the French police turned it into a brutal, dangerous fiasco — and Emmanuel Macron’s ministers are lying through their teeth about what happened.
Brexit and Boris Johnson Are the Legacies of Tony Blair
Tony Blair and New Labour consolidated the economic policies of Thatcherism and fostered a deep cynicism about politics through their lies about Iraq. The crisis of the last decade and its potentially ruinous consequences are their legacy to modern Britain.