Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Blaming all the president’s men
Journalist Ron Suskind’s scintillating account of chaos and dissent in Obama’s White House would be better if he had shaken off his teenage habit of blaming everything on Wall Street. Read my review of Confidence Men, in the spiked review of books, here.
Frustration with democracy in the US
In an essay for spiked, Frank Furedi argues that the oligarchs of the European Union have turned decisively against democracy, in favor of elevating technocrats to positions of power in order to impose punitive austerity measures that do not have the backing of the electorate. Reading Furedi’s article, I was struck by how there are similar trends […]
Occupy at Wal-Mart calls shoppers “cum-sumer whores”
Here is a video with Occupy types on Black Friday handing out leaflets to Wal-Mart shoppers, urging them not to be “cum-sumer whores”. This is the level of wit and analytical thinking we’ve come to expect from the Occupiers, who have set themselves up as directly opposed to the masses who submit to “consumer slavery”. The narrator’s references to “feeding frenzy” says […]
Occupy’s “Buy Nothing Day”: a grotesque call for mass austerity
The Occupy protesters have launched a “Buy Nothing Day” to coincide with Black Friday. Their campaign oozes with disdain for the working class, and reveals the group’s true colors. It is truly grotesque that, at a time when people are struggling to get jobs and maintain living standards, Occupy is calling for austerity. It shows that their calls to rein […]
Occupy: the sad reality and the mad fantasies
Far from being clear-eyed, Occupy Wall Street is a blank slate on to which every opportunistic op-ed writer is scribbling his or her pet concerns. Read my spiked article in full here.
Turning protest into a freakfest
Why do the great and good of America want to be best friends with the Occupy Wall Street oddballs? Read my spiked article in full here.
Occupy Wall Street: elite befriend middle-class freaks
The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) demonstration in Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan reached the one-month mark yesterday. Few would have predicted when it started that it would gain as much attention as it has, or spread to other cities around the world. What began as a gathering of a few hundred generally younger adults is now said to have become something more substantial: […]
After 11 September: their “resilience”, and ours
New Yorkers demonstrated true bravery and heroism in response to 9/11. The same cannot be said for America’s political leaders. Read my spiked article in full here.
Irene response shows New York has lost its swagger
Thankfully, Hurricane Irene was not as bad as some had feared. Did the experience tell us anything about life in New York and the US today? I think so – here are some observations: The emergence of Irene was something to take seriously. It was not fully clear how strong the hurricane would be by the time it reached the […]
President Obama’s Summertime Blues
Yes, his approval ratings have plummeted, but Republicans shouldn’t gloat: Americans have had it with the whole political class. Read my spiked article in full here.