Review: ‘Big Bill’ Haywood, by Melvyn Dubofsky
Melvyn Dubofsky wrote one of the great books about the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and followed it up with this short biography of the IWW’s most famous leader, ‘Big Bill’ Haywood. It’s a…
Review: The English Führer, by Rory Clements
I was not aware when I purchased this book that it was the most recent in a series featuring American-born Cambridge professor (and spy) Tom Wilde. The good news is that knowing that, I’ve saved…
Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson
I admit that it’s a great title. And the opening few pages are kind of cute. And then — nothing. The book has absolutely nothing to say. And it’s based on nothing, other than Mark…
Qatar, the ILO and the unions
Six months ago, news broke that Belgian police had arrested the newly-elected general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) as part of the “Qatargate” scandal. The government of Qatar was accused of paying…
An emergency appeal for help from LabourStart
Let’s start with the good news. At the end of April, we held the most successful Global Solidarity Conference ever. Nearly 300 trade unionists from 30 countries gathered in Tbilisi, Georgia in an impressive display…
Tbilisi: Meeting at a time of wars, crises and catastrophes
I’ve just come back from an international conference that could not have happened thirty years ago. And it’s a conference that might also prove impossible to hold in just a few short years. LabourStart’s Global…
International working class solidarity in an age of crises, wars and disasters
The following was my opening speech to the LabourStart Global Solidarity Conference – Tbilisi, Georgia – 28 April 2023. Tbilisi, Georgia: Opening plenary of the LabourStart Global Solidarity Conference, 28.4.23. Friends, brothers and sisters, comrades….
Review: The Man Who Lived Underground, by Richard Wright
The opening pages of this book by one of America’s greatest writers were a shock both to Richard Wright’s agent and publisher. They were so violent and painful to read that the book could not…
Review: Making History, by Stephen Fry
I must be the last person in England to have never read anything by “national treasure” Stephen Fry, but this book came up in conversation recently, so I have now done so. The book had…
Review: Character in Georgia, by Aka Morchiladze with Peter Nasmyth
This short book feels like a much longer one, as it covers some of the long history of Georgian culture, focussing on the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s a book about poets and…