The Times reports today that the withdrawal of his appeal by the supposed Lockerbie bomber, Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, and his expected repatriation on compassionate grounds (he is terminally ill), looks like part of a deal, indeed a cover-up, designed … Continue reading
Posted at the behest of a friend, this from Amnesty International on 7th August: Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the recent war in North East Sri Lanka and living in camps are being denied basic human rights … Continue reading
Here comes another film on Che Guevara. This time it’s a documentary with the somewhat naff title of Chevolution, directed by Trisha Ziff and Luis Lopez, opening at the ICA in London on 18th September. In fact there’s been a … Continue reading
As a student of Isaiah Berlin’s back in the late 1960s, I have been intrigued by the media treatment of his hundredth birthday, which with one or two exceptions, faithfully celebrates both the memory of his dazzling personality and his … Continue reading
Having completed my new film, The American Who Electrified Russia, which was funded by the AHRC, I have to fill in the end-of-award report. Since the last time I had to do this, they’ve added a new section on ‘impact’, … Continue reading
What’s been happening, at a popular level, in response to the economic crisis? Back in February there was a remarkable upsurge in street protest and direct action in a range of different countries, sometimes in response to local events which … Continue reading
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
Cuba’s international film school, the EICTV, reminds me of Passport to Pimlico. Set up in 1986, it isn’t actually Cuban, but belongs to the Foundation for New Latin American Cinema (President: Gabriel García Marquez), whose friend Fidel declared it to … Continue reading
Here’s an excellent piece on Marx to celebrate his 188th birthday a few days ago, from The Pinocchio Theory. Meanwhile,
A piano has been found near the summit of Britain’s highest mountain. Ben Nevis is only 4,418ft, but all the same, the fellows who found it – volunteer conservationists – can’t explain how it got there. The only clue is … Continue reading