Palaces of Lost Promise
Berlin’s new Humboldt Forum is German neoliberalism in one building — retrograde, pompous, and built on the ruins of socialist modernism.
19152 Articles by: James Bloodworth
James Bloodworth is a writer and journalist from London.
The New State Church
In our era, state capacity is faltering, and the size and scope of NGO activity is expanding.
The Media’s Breathless Shoplifting Coverage Ignores the Misery That Drives Theft
Corporate media is running constant, sensationalized stories about shoplifting — while ignoring the food insecurity and generalized desperation that is driving many people to shoplift.
The Left Should Stand for a Democratically Run BBC
Threatened with further cuts to its funding, the BBC has become ever less willing to hold the Tories to account. But while BBC news coverage has done little to enamor it to the Left, we should defend the principle of public broadcasting.
The CIA Is Still Spying on American Citizens and Lying About It
The CIA has operated above the law and resisted accountability throughout the century, and now we find out it’s been operating an illegal domestic spying program for years.
The Man Who Pushed Canada’s Conservatives Further to the Right
Ted Byfield, the founder of the far-right Alberta Report, left an indelible mark on Canadian conservatism. He was responsible for emboldening the most racist and anti-worker elements of the Right.
We Can Move Beyond Political Polarization Through a Working-Class Economic Agenda
US politics have become hyperpolarized along partisan lines. But they don’t have to be. Millions of Americans worry more about paying the rent or medical bills than what’s on cable news. They can be won over by a working-class economic agenda.
Portugal’s Communist Party Is Struggling to Return to Past Glories
Since the Carnation Revolution of 1974, Portugal’s Communist Party has helped shape its country’s destiny and defend labor rights. But the party’s setbacks in last month’s general election show how its working-class social base has drifted away from it.
Super Bowl Dancers Need to Be Paid
The NFL Super Bowl is one of the most profitable sporting events in the world — yet the halftime show continues to use “volunteer” dancers. It’s blatant exploitation of workers by an industry worth billions of dollars.
How Socialists and Trade Unionists Built a New Labor Organizing Model During the Pandemic
Millions of workers want a union. The Emergency Worker Organizing Committee, a project launched by socialists and the United Electrical Workers at the beginning of the pandemic, offers insights into how to organize them.
American Police Have Always Been Militarized
The new documentary film Riotsville, USA enriches our understanding of technologically enhanced police militarism in the United States. But militarization itself is not a 20th-century evolution in policing — it’s been there all along.
The Afterparty Is a Comedy Murder Mystery for Millennials
The Afterparty is just one of several new comedies about stressed-out millennials finding themselves trapped in a murder mystery. So what is it about this generation that makes them all want to star in an Agatha Christie story?
Starbucks Workers Need a National Day of Protest and Solidarity
In response to Starbucks’ union-busting in Memphis, firing seven workers who were organizing a union there, the American labor movement should organize protests at Starbucks locations throughout the country. The coffee giant can’t get away with this.
Starmer’s Hymn of Praise to NATO Is Bad History and Worse Politics
Keir Starmer has cynically used the Ukraine crisis to pick a fight with his left-wing opponents. The Labour leader’s denunciation of antiwar activists will reinforce McCarthyite attitudes toward dissent and make fresh disasters like Iraq and Afghanistan more likely.
Canada’s Trucker Protests Are Proof That Pandemic Culture Wars Can’t Defeat Far-Right Populists
Noxious reactionaries are leading Canada’s trucker protests in response to COVID policies. Those reactionaries will continue to gain ground as long as government pandemic responses keep ignoring how average people’s most basic needs aren’t being met.
Nick Kristof Is Being Backed by a Slew of Corporate Villains. Why Isn’t the Press Covering It?
Despite their divorce, both Gates billionaires, Bill and Melinda, are backing Nick Kristof’s imperiled gubernatorial run, along with a variety of big-money interests. Yet the mainstream press is offering almost no scrutiny of Kristof’s close ties to the ultrawealthy.
Crypto Won’t Solve Our Problems — We Need to Democratize Money
Bitcoin was not just a consequence of public disillusionment during the 2008 financial crisis — it was also a response to neoliberal monetary policies that saw money as somehow above politics. But questions about monetary policy are questions about democracy.
Emmanuel Macron’s Government Is Silencing Activist Media
France’s interior minister has announced plans to ban left-wing media platform Nantes Révoltée after it publicized an anti-fascist protest ending in a few broken windows. Based on guilt by association, the move is a troubling attack on press freedom.
Joe Biden Is Still Fighting Student Debt Holders In Court
After public outcry, the Biden administration backed off on a bankruptcy case that could lead to student loan forgiveness. But the president is fighting against student debtors on many other fronts, despite Biden’s campaign promise.
Why Socialism Needs the Suburbs
Suburbia has long been considered conservative and hostile terrain for the Left. But with the majority of people in the US and the UK residing there, socialists cannot afford to neglect the suburbs.