NEWSLETTER
THEY say the best art is often created in the direst of circumstances.
Artists – usually in the hip-hop realm – have often used their platforms to tell the world of hardship in their communities, their class, their race.
Steve Earle is not a rapper by any means – but the message he crafts in ‘Ghosts of West Virginia’ tells the story of one of America’s poorest and most downtrodden states.
Our North American correspondent Scott Costen took a look at the album, which “rages with working-class pride, suffering and resentment”, here.
Meanwhile, ‘Abolish Silicon Valley’ shows author Wendy Liu expressing similar anti-establishment sentiments in a stinging rebuke of America’s tech culture.
Contributing Editor James Moules reviewed the book, in which Liu begins to reassess her assumptions about the charitable nature of big tech’s institutions, yesterday.
The US has long suffered since the rise of Big Tech. Its usefulness in allegedly advancing society is often balanced out by privacy concerns on data harvesting and undermining workers’ rights.
And with Amazon reportedly sending an email to its employees to delete TikTok from their phone – before retracting the instruction – its no wonder there is such a split between working-class Americans and those in the Silicon Valley bubble.
In other news, we had some top articles this week – and while we usually try to segway from one topic to another to introduce them, this newsletter will experiment with the functional presentation of said pieces instead.
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UK POLITICS
Fury from opposition MPs as UK government resumes arms sales to Saudi Arabia
James Moules analyses the Labour Party’s reaction to the government’s decision to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia – a year after a monumental court decision appeared to forbid it.
West Bank: Lisa Nandy confirms rejection of BDS despite annexation criticism
In other news within the Labour Party, Redaction leadership favourite Lisa Nandy has reiterated her opposition to a blanket BDS policy on Israel, despite criticising the nation’s annexation plans.
Last week we spoke exclusively to two Labour MPs on the frontbench, who both vehemently opposed Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions.
Extinction Rebellion plans blockade of Parliament in fresh round of protests
They’re back!
LATIN AMERICA
Coronavirus ends Liberation Party’s grip on the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Liberation Party were ousted after 16 years in charge – but will anything change?
Glenn Greenwald: Brazil’s Covid-19 response ‘not inept but deliberate’
Brazil, the US and the UK are considered to be the three worst-hit countries in the world from the pandemic – and many experts agree it’s their fault. Mason Quah attended a webinar where Glenn Greenwald analysed Jair Bolsonaro’s response to Covid-19.
Morales’ MAS surge ahead of rival parties months after the Bolivian coup
Could the left maintain power in Bolivia, months after a military coup seemingly got rid of Evo Morales? The polls say yes.
IRISH POLITICS
Ireland’s ‘grand coalition’ leaves door open for resurgence of radical left politics
Editor Tim McNulty speaks exclusively to Damien Thomson, a political advisor for the European United Left, about the optimism brimming within the Irish left.
Looking forward?
The Polish electorate will be at the ballot boxes by the time you’re reading this, with a close race expected between Duda and Trzaskowski. We’ll have exclusive analysis post-election this week.
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