Nick Cohen has another piece championing the cause of grammar schools. The argument is cogent enough. Presently our ‘comprehensive’ education practices selection on the basis of wealth, either through fees or house-prices. A return to the grammar school system would allow those from poorer backgrounds who are presently excluded under this present arrangement to gain [...]

Blair-Berlusconi: You can bring your friends
Giving Lo Scroccone a bit of Googlejuice

The Friday Thing set free
The mighty weekly satirical email magazine is now available for free.

David Goodhart on “progressive nationalism”: the acceptable face of the “nasty” tendency amongst new Labour’s home secretaries?

The second part of this will sadly be delayed for a week. Sorry: I’ve been unexpectedly called to the seaside. Thirty comments so far, with tons of stuff I’d forgotten, on the first part. We could really use a few more from anyone out there who hasn’t yet had a go. All in a good [...]

How the rot set in for Blair’s reputation Anthony King finds only 33% still believe that the invasion of Iraq was right. And only 32% “believed Mr Blair had told the truth as he saw it.”

I hesitate to add to the thousands of words already written about the Euston Manifesto. We had two good posts here yesterday, but the best so far is probably this one. Anyway, I hesitate essentially because I only read it today, and the damn thing is deathly dull, a collection of anodyne pronouncements, platitudes, and [...]

The politics of American revivalism
…or the SWP history of the modern world

Galloway says murder of Blair would be justified

Not my phrase, but one borrowed from Brian Taylor, political editor of the BBC in Scotland and author of books such as The Road to the Scottish Parliament. He was giving a lecture on Scotland and the EU at Edinburgh Law School, and in that context identified three weak points of devolution: the soft underbelly. [...]

When there is no outside
Openness, authority and Wikipedianism

The Euston Manifesto, officially launched today, proclaims itself as a way forward for “the left” - and is again defended by one of its writers, blogger and Manchester University Professor Norman Geras, over on the Guardian’s website.
Fine - a laudable aim. The British left has needed a way forward ever since the gang of four [...]

A clear conflict of interest
Guildford Tory gotcha

Today sees the official launch of the Euston Manifesto and Professor Norman Geras has written an article defending this document against accusations that it is in some way pro-war. Has he missed the point?
The issue can be seen as one of consistency. The Euston Manifesto is scathing in its condemnation of terrorism and those who [...]