WW archive > Issue 1471 - 14 December 2023
Notes on the war
With the failure of Zelensky’s offensive there can be no doubt that there is a stalemate now. Perfect conditions for unofficial ceasefires and fraternisation, argues Jack Conrad
Letters
Mega-denial; Zionist power; Political revival; Sect collapse; Factions; Word games; Argentina myth; Still committed; Gratuitous
Class war by other means
Heather Hallett’s enquiry gives no grounds for optimism that the next pandemic will be handled better, but its exposure of the failings of the system and its hired servants is a lesson to be learned, writes Ian Spencer
New kind of cruelty
Shaming and demonising the poor: James Linney takes apart the Tories’ ‘back to work plan’, but nobody should expect anything positive from Sir Keir and Wes Streeting
A world turned upside-down
Festivals of wild disorder symbolically assert human solidarity. Mike Macnair explores the history, ancient and modern, of a constantly reproduced Golden Age
Their Tolkien and ours
Neo-fascist interpretations of JRR Tolkien’s works are resurgent - and understandable. But can the left make room in its culture for hobbits? Paul Demarty revisits The lord of the rings
Socialism and socialising
Eduard Bernstein gets us into the Christmas spirit with his fascinating recollections of Frederick Engels’ London home as an often ‘squiffy’ salon of international socialism and good cheer - with an introduction by Ben Lewis.
An international socialist?
Daniel Lazare has Jesus reaching out to the Roman oppressors, disowning his siblings and mother and affronting popular morality, to promote what was a cause parallel to modern socialism. There is always the danger, when we look back at the past, of finding a reflection of ourselves - but Jesus was undoubtedly a revolutionary
Living on a knife edge
Attacked on all fronts over Rwanda, Rishi Sunak survived the vote this time. But, with the various factions pulling in opposite directions, he seems to be heading for a general election defeat, writes Eddie Ford
Online communist forum, Sunday December 17 5pm
Islam and Christianity
Yassamine Mather looks at the connection between various religious festivals