January is now history, and the world has survived the first fortnight of Donald Trump's second presidency. So what were the items that excited and delighted the internet-travelling public who gave this site their patronage?
1. The Class Politics of Reform
2. Donald Trump's Expansionist Threats
3. The Tories' Terrible Truth
4. Bullshit and Bravado
5. Hyping Farage
Top of this month's heap was our friend Nigel Farage or, to b more precise, a reflection on where the company he owns sits in the web of Britain's class relationships. Reform is considered from the standpoint of the ruling class, and we ask whether it's the working class party a cottage industry of experts and commentators have asserted it is. The TL;DR answer is no. Coming in second is the tangerine terror across the sea and his promise to expand American territory. I.e. the threats issued particularly toward Denmark/Greenland and Panama. In third place are the travails of the Conservative Party in light of Kemi Badenoch's speech where she conceded that her party let the electorate down. Their problems are a bit more involved than an episodic lack of trust, I'd wager, and it appears the new Tory leader has scant awareness of the hole her party is in. Coming in fourth was Trump again, who will probably become a fixture of these round ups for the next four years. This was on the boosterism that occasioned his inauguration. And lastly, it's Farage again. This time on the "left wing" turn Reform has made to scoop up Labour voters, and the over-hyping of this threat by people who know better but do so for their own political reasons.
This time three (count 'em) posts deserve a second chance, so let's line them up. There is looking at AI in the context of contemporary formations of capitalist exploitation. What a cheery topic. There's last night's missive marking the five years since Brexit. Again, with the shape of this country's class relations in sharp focus. And lastly, I only had the wherewithal to write one piece on science fiction last month so here it is, an appreciation of Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity.
What might February bring? More Trump outrages, certainly. That's nailed on. Hopefully some skiffy and a social theory book review. Westminster's comings and goings will provide some opportunities, and who knows? Perhaps there will be some movement on a new left wing party. But I won't be betting the house on it. As ever, if you haven't already don't forget to follow the (very) occasional newsletter, and if you like what I do (and you're not skint), you can help support the blog. Following me on Bluesky, Facebook, and for what it's worth Twitter, are cost-free ways of showing your backing for this corner of the internet.
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