Josh Holroyd reviews the latest book by Yanis Varoufakis, And The Weak Suffer What They Must?, in which the former finance minister in Greece offers a potted history of post-war global finance, the rise of the euro, and its spectacular fall, along with his own prognosis and solution for the interminable crisis of European capitalism.
Joe Attard of the KCL Marxists reviewsThe Big Short, an adaptation for the cinema of Michael Lewis’ book of the same name, which depicts the winners of the 2008 financial crash. It is not a story of heroes, but one of lucky capitalists exploiting the stupidity of a system they served.
Ben Gliniecki reviews “Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age”, an exhibition currently running at the Science Museum in London, which is an extraordinary collection of Soviet spacecraft and artefacts – a testament to the fantastic power of a planned economy.
In his book Economics After Capitalism, Derek Wall, International Coordinator of the Green Party, looks at various anti-capitalist movements and theories, and argues that capitalism may be dominant, but it is far from inevitable. A genuine alternative to capitalism is needed and must be fought for.
Steve Jones examines the Poliziottesco genre of Italian cinema, an all but forgotten period of film, which provides a vivid portrayl of the corruption, crime, and political scandal that gripped Italy in the 1970s.
Marie Lyndon reviews The Emperor’s New Clothes, a new documentary starring comedian-turned-activist Russell Brand, which acts as a megaphone for the normally untold stories of the young, the unemployed, the disabled and all those marginalised by the capitalist system – and it’s a megaphone that’s not falling on deaf ears.
Theatre company 1927, with their critically-acclaimed show Golem, have powerfully highlighted the contradictory and alienating nature of technology within modern-day capitalism. As this superbly created satire asks: in this era of monolithic multinational monopolies such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook, is it we who control technology, or does technology control us?
Ben Gliniecki reviews the latest book by radical author Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate, which explains that climate change will not be solved by market mechanisms and individual changes in consumption. What is required is a fundamental change to the way our economy works.
Sussex Marxists reviews Selma, a film that has been praised as “heartbreaking” and “inspiring”; the story of Martin Luther King’s leadership of the Selma to Montgomery marches, poignantly expressed under the backdrop of unrest in Ferguson. But is this really a film that champions the black struggle in the United States?
Steve Jones reviews Breadline Britain, a new book full of startling figures, which reveal the real standard of living faced by millions in the UK as a result of the Tory government, their austerity programme, and the failed capitalist system that they defend.
January 2015 marks 43 years since the 1972 miners’ strike – the first national miners’ strike since the 1926 general strike. Matt Wood reviews The World on our Backs, a vivid description of the ’72 strike, which demonstrated what could be achieved when the working class is united.
Owen Walsh of the Leeds Marxists reviews Soy Cuba, a 1964 film written by Enrique Pineda Barnet and Yevgeny Yevtushenko and directed by Mikhail Kalatazov, which is a living monument to the Cuban Revolution. At a time when the future of the Cuban planned economy lies in the balance, this classic film is a must see for all who defend the Cuban Revolution.