Solid Workers

They might turn their backs when Ode to Joy is played, but they certainly won't turn their backs on the salaries, perks, and very generous expense accounts. Nevertheless, the Brexit Party's miserable stunt in Strasbourg earlier can be considered an unqualified success. It led the news across all channels, upset swathes of people they like upsetting (liberals, centrists, leftwingers), and no doubt provide for a frisson of smug satisfaction among the BXP fraternity sat at home. Indeed, in another context and with quite different politics involved, the likes of Nigel Farage and his right wing cheerleaders might call it an example of virtue signalling. For instance, I wonder what they made of Liberal Democrat MEPs who sat there during their silly little protest wearing 'Bollocks to Brexit' t-shirts? Yes, it was disrespectful of EU institutions, and yes it does remind the bloc of nations of how petty minded and unserious the UK can be. A reminder set to be repeated once B...

In this episode of Politics Theory Other, Alex interviews Roger Hallam, the principal theorist of Extinction Rebellion. Roger is asked about XR's mass arrest tactics , the movement's attitude toward the police, and a number of other positions taken in his recently published manifesto, Common Sense for the 21st Century . Once again, new left media is done on a shoe string, so if you have a few quid to spare (or, indeed, a multimillionaire with an Engelsian bent), please support Politics Theory Other here .

Is there anything more to be said about Extinction Rebellion ? Probably not, except it deserves the left's unequivocal solidarity, encouragement and support. There's little more to be added to takes by Richard Seymour and Lewis Bassett . Not that it's going to stop me from having my two penneth worth. 1. Extinction rebellion is both timely and untimely . Timely, because it's very much of the moment. David Attenborough and the BBC are spearheading programming on climate change, species loss, and environmental degradation. The public are prepped for it, and young people particularly are concerned - as the magnificent displays of climate school strike marches make clear. But this week's rolling non-violent direct action is untimely too. It's inconvenient for politicians more concerned with Brexit than environmental emergency, it's inconvenient for the hundred global companies responsible for 71% of emissions , and it's inconvenient for a government utterly...