Fintan Dunne:

First : The "Straight White Male" /rants Further on: Feminist Hierarchy  /replies Identity politics is utterly ineffective at anything other than dividing people It is facile to equate ‘straight, white men’ with privilege Fri, May 19, 2017, 01:10 by  Frankie Gaffney I grew up in Dublin’s inner city, an environment where poverty, violence, and addiction were normal. Given the odds I had to overcome to get where I am today, I thought I’d meet a lot of allies among those who preach equality. But instead, I was often met with open hostility, despite the fact I campaign on a variety of related issues. Why? Because I happen to be straight, white, and male. “ Straight white male ” is an identity I didn’t choose. I mean it wasn’t a decision I had any say in, what sexuality, race, or gender I a...

When the snap election came, there wasn't a chance that Jeremy Corbyn could win. Or so said media elites and the chattering classes. But that was before the cruel downsides of a Tory victory became clearer, and before the Manchester Arena attack. The British people have a stoic durability to their character. However that stoicism does not extend to them sacrificing their young children on the altar of the Elite's warmongering. At least in World War II, many could send the young and innocent away from the cities to sequester them in relative safety, while parents faced the horrors of gory combat. But not in the Blairite Britain inherited by Theresa May. There has been 48 hours of quiet, stunned national reflection. It culminated spontaneously on Thursday morning as a grieving Manchester crowd symbolically disavowed hatred to sing a chorus from the Oasis classic 'Don't Look Back in Anger'. The people of Britain are not prepared to spill the blood of their chi...

P L A Y   V I D E O OPEN LETTER FROM KIM DOTCOM TO FAMILY OF SETH RICH Family of Seth Rich c/- Aaron Rich UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Dear Aaron SETH RICH – DNC LEAKS Introduction 1 . As you know, you and I have previously corresponded after I reached out to you to offer my assistance with the GoFundMe campaign on behalf of the family of Mr Rich (family). I understand from our communications that you are representing the family in relation to the ongoing investigation into Mr Rich's death and I am writing to you in that capacity. 2 . In particular, I am writing regarding recent statements about me that have been reported globally (including in New Zealand) and attributed to the family. As set out in more detail below, some of these statements are false and defamatory. 3 . The purpose of this letter is to formally request that the family and their representatives cease from making such statements about me going forward. This request is made in the sp...

The Liberal Order Is Rigged Fix It Now or Watch It Wither By Jeff D. Colgan and Robert O. Keohane May/June 2017 Issue | Foreign Affairs P rior to 2016, debates about the global order mostly revolved around its structure and the question of whether the United States should actively lead it or should retrench, pulling back from its alliances and other commitments. But during the past year or two, it became clear that those debates had missed a key point:  today’s crucial foreign policy challenges arise less from problems between countries than from domestic politics within them. That is one lesson of the sudden and surprising return of populism to Western countries, a trend that found its most powerful expression last year in the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU, or Brexit, and the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. It can be hard to pin down the meaning of “populism,” but its crucial identifying mark is the belief that  each country has an authent...