Justin Reynolds
Defining Labour: socialist or social democratic?
Labour’s bitter leadership struggle is often presented as a contest between socialists and social democrats. But what do these terms actually mean? And what resonance do they have today?
A day at the seaside: Great Yarmouth 2016
A photo tour round Great Yarmouth, one of the English towns that voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU. I can recall the town when it was a chaotic but cheerful place. Now, it seems, there…
Searching for blue sky: looking again at the case for Lexit
Amidst the storm is it possible to discern how Britain’s (probable) exit from the EU may present opportunities for the left? Justin Reynolds takes a close look at the case for Lexit.
‘The idea of Europe’
If Britain does indeed vote ‘Leave’, and the gradual disintegration of the European Union were to gather pace, what would be left of ‘the idea of Europe’? Thoughts on the continued relevance of a classic…
The meaning of Jeremy Corbyn
In Richard Seymour the Corbyn phenomenon has found its ideal commentator: this is a powerful analysis that will frustrate both the new Labour leader’s opponents and supporters.
Zaha Hadid’s radical geometries
Zaha Hadid’s untimely death deprives architecture of one its most belligerent, brilliant and fascinating talents at the height of her powers.
Paris Commune: transcendence of nationalism
In the second of an occasional series looking at the lively contemporary ‘postcapitalism’ debate about possibilities for a viable alternative to the current economic order, Justin Reynolds reviews a book charting the continued influence of…
Johan Cruyff and the poetics of space
Thoughts on the career and legacy of Johann Cruyff: one of football’s greatest players and the pioneer of an entirely new way of playing the game.
‘That bloody poster’: exploring Austerity Nostalgia
It’s now some seven years since the notorious ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ sign appeared. Owen Hatherley’s The Ministry of Nostalgia is a witty, exasperated and ferociously well-read exploration of the ‘Austerity Nostalgia’ phenomenon and…
Onwards and upwards: the hubris of hope
What is hope? What would it mean to wish that 2016 will be any better than 2015? As we enter the New Year the latest book by the prolific Terry Eagleton, Hope Without Optimism, offers…
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – today’s Homeric epic
For those of a certain age the success of the latest episode in the Star Wars series seems strangely important. Reflections on the abiding popularity of a cultural icon.
Inventing the Future: a world beyond neoliberalism
Is a future beyond neoliberalism possible? Justin Reynolds begins a new series of reviews of recent books that seek to imagine an alternative (left) economic and political order.