Matthew Carr's Blog, page 38

Between Europe and a Hard Place

In June the United Kingdom will decide whether or not to remain part of the European Union.  This is obviously a historic decision for the country, and it may have far wider historic implications and consequences for the whole of … Continue reading →

The World According to Bono

I’ve got  nothing against famous people getting involved in politics or embracing political causes.  On the contrary, there’s no reason why the accident of fame and the weird cult of celebrity-worship that comes with it should place anyone above politics … Continue reading →

From Panama With Love

In a democratic society there are times when one can put politics aside, and be magnanimous in victory or gracious in defeat.   There are moments when you may be tempted to be generous towards even your bitterest political enemies, … Continue reading →

Labour’s Zionism Problem

The idea that opposition to Israeli settler-colonialism or the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people is anti-Semitic is a well-established propaganda weapon, which Israel and its supporters have wielded to great effect for many years.  In recent weeks a number … Continue reading →

Patricio Guzmán’s The Pearl Button

I’m feeling very fortunate indeed indeed to have just caught Chilean director Patricio Guzmán’s amazing movie The Pearl Button in its UK release.  I try and see as many films as I can every year, but Guzmán’s films are always … Continue reading →

Bombing the Grey Zone

At some point in the future it would be good to imagine that our descendants may look back on our dark and savage world with sadness and horror, and regard it as a bygone tragedy that has been overcome and … Continue reading →

Twilight of the Ghouls

Few of us  on the left will easily forget the dismal pall that settled over the nation in May last year, the day after Lord Snooty and His Pals defied the polls and won their 12-seat majority.  Anger, incomprehension, stupefaction, … Continue reading →

Stand Up to Racism Tomorrow

Tomorrow Stand Up To Racism is staging a national demonstration in London to coincide with UN Anti-Racism Day, which commemorates the 1960 Sharpeville massacre when 69 peaceful demonstrators were shot by police in South Africa.  Tomorrow’s demonstration takes place at … Continue reading →

Europe’s Porous Borders: Leonidas Cheliotis and the logic of ‘punitive inclusion’

Think of borders in the 21st century and you immediately think of walls, barbed wire fences, razor wire, checkpoints, quasi-military border patrols on land and sea, surveillance cameras, sensors and a panoply of high-tech paraphernalia whose essential purpose is to … Continue reading →

The Archbishop’s Fears

One of the most depressing and inane themes in the great British ‘debate’ about immigration is the idea that there is no debate about immigration. It’s a refrain emanating mostly from the right, which has been replayed for years like a stuck record. … Continue reading →