Bomber County—The Poetry of a Lost Pilot's War is the title of the first book by Daniel Swift, assistant professor of English at Skidmore College. Part memoir (Swift's grandfather was a British bomber in WWII) and part literary criticism, the book is an investigation into the poetry and bombing ca
The city of Oakland in California has become the militant heart of the occupations movement in the US following a brutal police crackdown. Alex Andrews for openDemocracy talks to Brad Johnson, an activist who lives and works in Oakland, about the events there, the general strike called by the occu
An encampment around St Paul’s cathedral in London casts a new light on this icon of British wartime defiance. But the epic days of the 1940s may have something to teach the protesters in return, says David Hayes.
Are high executive and banking pay related to results? Or to social value added? Or does executive compensation simply ratchet upwards, irrespective of either? Jeremy Fox reviews work from the High Pay commission, the New Economics Foundation and Ha-Joon Chang suggesting the answers are "No", "No"
To be independent and influential openDemocracy must stand on its own feet. Yet it is an important principle that openDemocracy is free to read for anyone around the world, whether rich or poor. It follows that those who read and use openDemocracy should volunteer some of the costs, with other inc
Michael Bullen argued against Jeremy Fox's charge of "blackmail by the wealthy" with respect to the campaign in Britain to abolish the 50p tax rate. Here, the author returns to the attack, proposing that the evidence suggests that 50p is, if anything, too low a tax for the welfare of all
The tendency to press reality into a heritage mould traps England in political aspic, says David Hayes.
Britain's 50 per cent tax rate for high earners isn't slowing growth. But many of the rich don't want to pay, so they're fighting dirty for its abolition
A terror-filled day of mass murder in the eastern United States imprinted itself on the world's consciousness - and became the prelude to a decade of further violence. openDemocracy writers reflect on the impact and legacy of the events of 11 September 2001.
A four-night outbreak of riotous disorder in London and other English cities in early August 2011 is a potent argument for social repair. But lack of agreement on fundamentals could soon prove fatal to progress, says David Hayes.
Half of the largest Irish Traveller Community in Britain must vacate their homes by the end of this month, or face the bulldozers. The eviction is to go ahead despite UN warnings that Britain is in danger of violating her international human rights obligations
Ruaraidh MacThòmais (Derick Thomson) has as poet, scholar, teacher and editor made a profound contribution to Gaelic literature over six decades. The quality and range of his work deserve belated recognition in the context of the culture he has done so much to enlarge, says David Hayes.
