Central Bank independence is sometimes cited as an achievement of the New Labour government. In fact, removing this powerful economic institution from the sphere of political oversight was fundamental to neoliberalism’s war on democracy itself. A central bank is the primary institution with which states manage the creation of money…

I absolutely loved this fast paced, lavishly illustrated short book. Red Metropolis is close-to-bursting with the interesting and the obscure, brought into coherence by an author who plainly has very firm views on, and a great love of, his subject area The book begins with a brief introduction to late…

The role of an artist should be to lead us to new and better ways of being; instead we have made them cyphers for our most depraved fantasies. This week the story of yet another music industry sex abuser has hit the headlines. Shock-rock superstar Marilyn Manson has faced multiple…

If hard work is the route to success, why do the people that work hardest enjoy the least success? We live in a society with a central mythology that offers hard work as the primary route to success. The myth contradicts the reality that the commanding heights of our political…

Marshall Berman’s classic analysis of Faust can help us come to terms with the existential challenges of the 21st century. Climate change, coronavirus and the rise of China are interconnected elements of an unfolding crisis of modernity itself. In his 1936 film, The Shape of Things To Come, H.G. Wells…

Modern society gives us limitless freedom to consume, and no freedom to create. My partner and I recently purchased our first flat which, as you might expect, necessitated multiple trips to the iconically Swedish, but actually globally ubiquitous furniture superstore, Ikea. As a private renter, Ikea is synonymous with the…

The Yugoslav Revolution In his recent book, Partisan Ruptures, Gal Kirn presents an exhilarating new history of Yugoslav socialism. …