This article was originally published in Progress magazine on November 29th, 2017. It is a sign of our shallow times that despite the ubiquity of the word ‘populism’ over the last two years, so little attention has been paid to the movement which gave it…
This article was originally published on politics.co.uk on November 20th, 2017. When Alex Salmond was interviewed about his new show on RT UK by Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow last week, he accidentally flagged up a sinister reality about his latest venture. “It’s edited…
This essay was originally published in Little Atoms on January 20th, 2017. As the nation’s political leaders jostled for position after the Brexit vote in the EU referendum, a popular hot take among lazy journalists was to say how it was all “just like Game…
Interview with author Thomas Frank, originally published in Open Democracy on July 27th, 2016. Now that the Republican Party has chosen a coiffured gargoyle as its nominee for president, the panicked eyes of the world turn to the Democrats, who have just selected Hillary Clinton…
Review of Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea by Shiraz Maher, originally published in Progress magazine on June 9th, 2016. A master terrorist is debating with a subordinate over some point of strategy in their bunker. The sheikh narrows his eyes, and after careful consideration remarks:…
This article was originally published in the New Statesman on May 6th, 2016. One major achievement of the Bernie Sanders campaign in the US has been to build support for left-wing policies that only months ago would have seemed beyond the pale. In a relatively…
Review of Listen, Liberal by Thomas Frank, originally published in Prospect magazine on March 15th, 2016. One of the notable features of this carnival of bunkum we agree to call the US presidential election, with its insurgent candidates and controversial rhetoric, is how none of…
On Valentine’s Day of this year, in an article for politics.co.uk, I declared a “War on Drivel”. As so often is the case with wars, it was declared rather hastily, and by someone with little risk of getting hurt. But as sometimes is the case…