Jon Pilger

2024 is off to a troubling start with the death of John Pilger.  That means there will be one less voice challenging  received ideas and make people think about stuff they have just taken for granted.

I have linked the Guardian obituary which I know would annoy him because he spent most of his career spleening about the mainstream media.  He'd be pissed off that he's got all those column inches in news outlets that would not have carried his work when he was alive.

Pilger was a good thing the way that maverick, iconoclastic journalists of what ever political hue are a good thing.  They challenge orthodoxies.  We need more of that - even people challenging from the right - not less.  But as the Grand Old Beasts of classic journalism die, they don't seem to be getting replaced. 

He wasn't perfect - I never agreed with his support for Julian Assange - but no one is perfect.  The important thing is that he was brave and went to places people - even journalists - wouldn't normally think of going, to tell us what was going on.

RIP Pete Shelley

Tam Dalyell has died

Tam Dalyell, former Labour MP, who served in parliament from the early sixties through to 2005, has died, aged eighty four years old.

Famously awkward and persistent in being awkward, and a man with no time for cant or the all too common mealy-mouthed political flim-flam - hence his infamous "West Lothian question," concerning the voting rights of Scottish (and other non-English) MPs in Westminster on English matters - a query that has never been satisfactorily answered.

As often happens with contrarian figures, he sometimes took it too far, endorsing the Lockerbie con-man Lester Coleman.

But a remarkable figure in Scottish and British politics.

Fidel Castro dies

At the age of 90.

I suppose he figured it was time to go, having lived to see the completion of his life long goal - the utter devastation and humiliation of the United States.

Although I hadn't seen him in more than ten years, I know I'll miss him forever

I interrupt the general political discourse of this blog to announce the recent death of my friend Bob.

Bob always had rather average taste in music.  Neil Young was one of Bob's favourite musicians.  Bob Dylan was the other.

Still, liking music like that is no excuse for dying of meninfuckingitis in some dismal hospital in India.

Cheers, marra.

Morning Hollow

Sparklehorse

Not forgotten.

RIP Pete Seeger

Died yesterday.

Lord McAlpine dies

Lord McAlpine, a long term supporter of Margret Thatcher has died.  He was the man briefly - and incorrectly - implicated in child abuse allegations in 2012.  After a disgraceful trial by Twitter, it was confirmed he was innocent.

Several people - including smart people like George Monbiot - got into significant legal trouble over the accusations, but McAlpine opted to settle the cases out of court, requiring the offenders to carry out charity work or make donations to good causes.

That was profounded decent of him, and shows that he had a big soul.

David Cameron, however, decides to focus on his loyalty to the Tory Party, tweeting:

"My thoughts are with Lord McAlpine's family - he was a dedicated supporter of Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative party."

What a crap comment. Why not identify some of his noble qualities, rather than citing his slavish support of a mad woman and her corrupt cabal of sycophants?

Even I can think of better things to say about McAlpine that just praising his support for a political party - he demonstrated immense integrity and decency in the face of shocking and scurrilous accusations, and given the chance to exact revenge, chose not to take it.

Nelson Mandela RIP

I'm surprised at being slightly more moved than I expected, given he's been busily dying for almost a year; and surprised that Barry Obama managed to sound dignified and genuinely sad. I thought everyone, but everyone, would simply explode in grief.  I'm far more worried about the future of the BBC than I am about South Africa.  The nation will survive this; I'm not so sure about the Beeb.

I think his most impressive feats were a) doing very little with the power he was given, and b) standing down after just one term. Both of which set a pretty stern precedent for South African leaders.

 He could have used the near absolute power and international impunity he was given to eradicate white South Africa.  It would have been very hard to question his moral right to do so, given the vast wealth and power that was and is still vested in largely white hands, to the detriment of the denizens of Soweto.  But he didn't.  Perhaps he could have done more; but doing exactly the right thing is far, far harder than doing too much.  And doing too little is - in this case - preferable to doing too much.

And giving up the presidency after just one term was a truly impressive move, which will make it much harder for any tinpot wannabe Mugabe to abuse the nation's democracy.  Are you listening carefully, Mr Zuma?  As long as people can point to Mandela's example of renouncing power, then anyone trying to cling on to it will look pretty damn shifty in comparison.





I suppose there is absolutely no point in looking at any news source for the next 72 hours. Or will the Guardian offer a 'No Mandela' option like it did for Royal Baby?

"My boys! My boys!" RIP Richard Griffith

31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013

"The older order changeth, yielding place to new. God fulfills himself in many ways. And soon, I suppose, I shall be swept away by some vulgar little tumour. Oh, my boys, my boys, we're at the end of an age. We live in a land of weather forcasts and breakfasts that set in. Shat on by Tories, shovelled up by Labour. And here we are, we three, perhaps the last island of beauty in the world."

Some positively surreal comments appended to his not-quite-an-obituary in The Independent, carping about how he is described as playing 'borderline creepy types', presumably because Uncle Monty in Withnail & I is a) gay, and b) a slightly creepy type - though that might be a bit generous as he sets out to rape Marwood (the 'I' of the title). That's a bit creepy, innit? If you find the portrayal of a homosexual man as a predator, complain about the stereotypical and homophobic characterisations in Withnail & I, not the description of the character in the obituary. 'Borderline creepy' is rather generous as a description of Monty. But brilliantly incarnated by Griffith. And thank goodness he will be remembered for something more than Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter films.

Respect is due: Brian Haw

Veteran anti-war campaigner who mounted a decade long protest vigil outside parliament.

1 - "Brian Haw: A decade-long protest dedicated to peace," unattributed BBC article. Published by the BBC, 19th of June, 2011. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13829433)

Beefheart departs

Multiple sclerosis (1).

Rock in Perpetuity, Beefie.

1 - "Captain Beefheart dies aged 69," by Damien Pearse. Published in The Guardian, 17th of December, 2010. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/dec/17/captain-beefheart-died-aged-69)

Respect is due: Jimmy Reid

Jimmy Reid, the Scottish socialist union organiser, died on the 11th of August, 2010.

The independent has kindly put up the whole text of his justly famous speech as rector of Glasgow University. The opening lines:

Alienation is the precise and correctly applied word for describing the major social problem in Britain today. People feel alienated by society. In some intellectual circles it is treated almost as a new phenomenon. It has, however, been with us for years. What I believe is true is that today it is more widespread, more pervasive than ever before. Let me right at the outset define what I mean by alienation. It is the cry of men who feel themselves the victims of blind economic forces beyond their control. It's the frustration of ordinary people excluded from the processes of decision-making. The feeling of despair and hopelessness that pervades people who feel with justification that they have no real say in shaping or determining their own destinies.

Many may not have rationalised it. May not even understand, may not be able to articulate it. But they feel it. It therefore conditions and colours their social attitudes. Alienation expresses itself in different ways in different people. It is to be found in what our courts often describe as the criminal antisocial behaviour of a section of the community. It is expressed by those young people who want to opt out of society, by drop-outs, the so-called maladjusted, those who seek to escape permanently from the reality of society through intoxicants and narcotics. Of course, it would be wrong to say it was the sole reason for these things. But it is a much greater factor in all of them than is generally recognised.

Society and its prevailing sense of values leads to another form of alienation. It alienates some from humanity. It partially de-humanises some people, makes them insensitive, ruthless in their handling of fellow human beings, self-centred and grasping. The irony is, they are often considered normal and well-adjusted. It is my sincere contention that anyone who can be totally adjusted to our society is in greater need of psychiatric analysis and treatment than anyone else. They remind me of the character in the novel, Catch 22, the father of Major Major. He was a farmer in the American Mid-West. He hated suggestions for things like medi-care, social services, unemployment benefits or civil rights. He was, however, an enthusiast for the agricultural policies that paid farmers for not bringing their fields under cultivation. From the money he got for not growing alfalfa he bought more land in order not to grow alfalfa. He became rich. Pilgrims came from all over the state to sit at his feet and learn how to be a successful non-grower of alfalfa. His philosophy was simple. The poor didn't work hard enough and so they were poor. He believed that the good Lord gave him two strong hands to grab as much as he could for himself. He is a comic figure. But think – have you not met his like here in Britain? Here in Scotland? I have.

It is easy and tempting to hate such people. However, it is wrong. They are as much products of society, and of a consequence of that society, human alienation, as the poor drop-out. They are losers. They have lost the essential elements of our common humanity. Man is a social being. Real fulfilment for any person lies in service to his fellow men and women. The big challenge to our civilisation is not Oz, a magazine I haven't seen, let alone read. Nor is it permissiveness, although I agree our society is too permissive. Any society which, for example, permits over one million people to be unemployed is far too permissive for my liking. Nor is it moral laxity in the narrow sense that this word is generally employed – although in a sense here we come nearer to the problem. It does involve morality, ethics, and our concept of human values. The challenge we face is that of rooting out anything and everything that distorts and devalues human relations.

And from a bit further on:

To measure social progress purely by material advance is not enough. Our aim must be the enrichment of the whole quality of life. It requires a social and cultural, or if you wish, a spiritual transformation of our country. A necessary part of this must be the restructuring of the institutions of government and, where necessary, the evolution of additional structures so as to involve the people in the decision-making processes of our society. The so-called experts will tell you that this would be cumbersome or marginally inefficient. I am prepared to sacrifice a margin of efficiency for the value of the people's participation. Anyway, in the longer term, I reject this argument.

To unleash the latent potential of our people requires that we give them responsibility. The untapped resources of the North Sea are as nothing compared to the untapped resources of our people. I am convinced that the great mass of our people go through life without even a glimmer of what they could have contributed to their fellow human beings. This is a personal tragedy. It's a social crime. (1)

It's a potent read, as the Indie rightly points out, as relevant today as it was in 1972. Though nowadays we'd look on an unemployment role of a million as evidence of an astonishingly productive society, not one peopled by layabouts.

Martin Kettle in the Guardian also has some thoughtful words to say about Reid (2).

1 - "Still irresistible, a working-class hero's finest speech," text by Jimmy Reid. Published in the Independent, 13th of August, 2010. The speech was originally delivered in 1972. (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/still-irresistible-a-workingclass-heros-finest-speech-2051285.html)
2 - "The late, great Jimmy Reid left a legacy for our times," by Martin Kettle. Published in The Guardiann, 12th of August, 2010. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/12/jimmy-reid-legacy-great-unionist)

Eugène Terre'Blanche murdered

The South African rabble rouser and poet, Eugène Terre'Blanche was the founder and leader of the racist Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), which didn't think that apartheid went far enough, and demanded a separate Afrikaner state.

Yesterday, apparently, he was hacked to death by machete weilding thugs on his farm. Terre'Blanche was a bigoted piece of human detritus, but no-one deserves to go like that.

1 - 'Eugène Terre'Blanche: Death,' anonymous Wikipedia article. Viewed 4th of April, 2010. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Terre%27Blanche#Death)

Dark Night of the Soul

Although EMI have been holding up the release of the much anticipated Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse), Danger Mouse and David Lynch collaboration 'Dark Night of the Soul,' you can hear the songs recorded for the project, completely free and legal, here (1).

It's fantastic. It's a grotesque cliche to say that someone's music will live on or will be their monument. Nothing makes up for the loss of a human life, even one not as blessed with talent as Mark's was. It's a tragic signal of what he could have gone on to achieve.

1 - "Hear The Album: Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse Team Up With David Lynch," by Robin Hilton. Published by NPR Music, 14th of June, 2009. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104129585)

Respect is due: Mark Linkous

I'm absolutely stunned to hear that Mark Linkous, aka Sparklehorse, killed himself yesterday.

It is shaping up to be a very bad year for musicians I like. Vic Chesnutt killed himself at Christmas. Now Mark is also dead.

At least with Vic, he was always a bit dotty and his death didn't come as a massive surprise; but Mark seemed much more reconciled to the whole being a live thing. So it is a shock.



I'd thought that Mark had beaten his demons by the time the album It's A Wonderful Life was released - I didn't think there was anything ironic about the title. In fact, I felt it was less edgy and arresting than its predecessor, Good Morning, Spider, simply because Mark seemed more at ease and happy. Obviously, he hadn't shaken them as thoroughly as I'd thought.

1 - Video for 'Comfort Me,' a song by Sparklehorse/mark Linkous, from the album, It's A Wonderful Life. Posted on You tube by Ortelevision, 3rd of April, 2007.

Respect is due: Michael Foot

A former leader of the British Labour party has died (1). He was 96, so not exactly unexpected. Still, always a shame to see those legendary figures shuffle off. Best remembered for overseeing Labour's route by Thatcher in 1983, post-Falklands. Pity that that disaster over shadows his other achievements. Until a few hours ago, a living anachronism - a figure from another era, when there were things like principles and values in the British Labour Party. Some might now need explanations as to what these words mean.

1 - "Former Labour leader Michael Foot dies," unattributed BBC article, published 3rd of March, 2010. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8547366.stm)

Respect is due: Howard Zinn

Great historian becomes history:

In 1980, the historian and activist Howard Zinn published The people's history of the United States, which turned inside out the traditional perspectives of American history. Zinn portrayed many of America's heroes as perfidious villains and transformed the triumphalist narrative of American progress into a litany of unfettered power-abusing and exploitation of the poor, people of colour, immigrants, workers, and all the disenfranchised who had lacked a voice in mainstream histories. Originally published with a print run of 5,000, the book became a staple of many history courses, and its spin-offs, including a young-people's version, a comic-book, and an abridged history of the 20th century, have gone on to sell 2 million copies.

Critics, and even some obituarists, accused Zinn of failing to show "balance", but Zinn insisted his book was one small counterweight to the overwhelming bias of mainstream history toward the political, economic, and social elites, and its implicit assumption of idealistic nationalism, capitalism, and imperialism. His refusal to credit the likes of Jefferson, Lincoln, or the Roosevelts with progressive achievements, while highlighting their shortcomings, infuriated mainstream "liberal" historians, while his steadfast opposition to wars saw right-wingers targeted him as an "appeaser".

But unlike many of his most virulent critics, Zinn had lived out the positions he argued. He opposed war as a decorated military flyer, championed labour as a former shipyard worker, and had risked jobs and jail protesting and working for civil rights and against the Vietnam war. Indeed, this willingness to ignore careerism appeared to infuriate many of his fellow academics as much as his insistence that meaningful change could only arise from the collective will of ordinary people, not heroic leaders. (1)

A remarkable man, he was still writing cogent and insightful columns for the Guardian right up until October last year (2). His death was the result of a heart attack while on a lecture tour. Obviosuly, indefatigable and still optimistic - in spite of his professed belief that individual 'great men' didn't matter all that much - that he was making a difference.

1 -"Howard Zinn: Historian whose criticisms of American social policy made him a hero of the Left," by Michael Carson. Published in the Independent, 5th of february, 2010. (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/howard-zinn-historian-whose-criticisms-of-american-social-policy-made-him-a-hero-of-the-left-1889970.html)
2 - The index of Zinn's recent columns for the Guardian, last one dated 10th of October, 2009, can be accessed here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/howardzinn (As of 7th of february, 2010)

Respect is due: Vic Chesnutt

I only managed to see Vic Chesnutt sing once, supporting Kristen Hersh in Edinburgh many years ago, while she was touring her Hips and Makers album and he was - I think - playing songs from West of Rome.

He died on Christmas Day, having intentionally taken an overdose. He was in debt due to ongoing medical costs and risked losing his home (1).

Gotta love that American healthcare system.

Here's a taster (2):

1 - "Vic Chesnutt: Singer and songwriter whose work tackled issues of mortality," by Pierre Perrone, published in The Independent, 31st of December, 2009. (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/vic-chesnutt-singer-and-songwriter-whose-work-tackled-issues-of-mortality-1853708.html)
2 - "The Fox and Little Vic," performed by Vic Chesnutt, with T. Griffin & Catharine McRae. Filmed & Recorded at Shiny Little Studios, Brooklyn, NY 2002. From "Benjamin Smoke," directed by Jem Cohen. Posted on You tube by billgarm, 4th of May, 2008. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccy9e6FffzI)