what politics books are you reading?

[Idris2002]

Kjetil Tronvoll and Tekeste Negash's Brothers at War: understanding the Eritrea-Ethiopia war of 1998- 2000

More sympathetic to the Eritreans than I remembered, but I still don't care for its primordialist model of ethnicity.

 

[charlie mowbray]

Just finished Vol 1 of Makhno's memoirs in French ( cos it ain't been translated) And bloody good it was too- La revolution Russe en Ukraine

 

[Pickman's model]

Just finished Vol 1 of Makhno's memoirs in French ( cos it ain't been translated) And bloody good it was too- La revolution Russe en Ukraine

have you considered putting yr linguistick talents to good use & filling that void?

 

[charlie mowbray]

I'd love too Picky, but what with working and everything else I do, I've no time for that. Mebbe when I retire (seriously)

 

[kropotkin]

he's still finishing his own magnum opus, he hasn't time for anyone else's!

 

[charlie mowbray]

And a pamphlet on the Italian factory councils which should be finished within the next fortnight. After that, concentrating on my book on anarchist communism

 

[kropotkin]

Wow- i'd love to read that pamphlet- that episode is still on my list of things to get acquainted with.

How is the book going, anyway? Do you have an ETA?

 

[charlie mowbray]

Nah, mate. Don't support any kind of nationalism, even Basque

 

[Pickman's model]

Nah, mate. Don't support any kind of nationalism, even Basque

estimated time of arrival - it's yank speak.

 

[kropotkin]

Didn't think you'd by all that static-language bollocks p'sm...

 

[charlie mowbray]

I know. I've lived with one for the last 25 years. Uh oh, shouldn't have said that. O'Hara will shortly be cooking up some revelations, eminently backed up by facts, about my CIA connections!

 

[catch]

oops i remember the trouble i got in the time a certain sweary hackney independent member was referred to on here

which one?

 

[Bob_the_lost]

Machiavelli's "The prince"

 

[Blagsta]

Just finished "Philosophy for Beginners" and "Introducing Cultural Studies" and am now reading "The Anarchists in the Spanish Civil War" by Robert Alexander.

 

[butchersapron]

A quick warning on the latter - both volumes are riddled with inaccuracies. His overall narrative is correct, his reasearch skills let him down. Worth the read though.

He also attempted a massive history of Trotskoism that was laughably inept.

 

[Fedayn]

Always haver a couple of books on the go depending on mood etc etc. At the moment it's:-

The Turner Diaries - Andrew Macdonald (Btw, it's shite!! it brings a whole new meaning to badly written and dull)
Revolution Betrayed - Leon Trotsky

 

[Blagsta]

A quick warning on the latter - both volumes are riddled with inaccuracies. His overall narrative is correct, his reasearch skills let him down. Worth the read though.

He also attempted a massive history of Trotskoism that was laughably inept.

Cheers, I'll bear that in mind.

 

[charlie mowbray]

Yes, even the Trots of "Revolutionary History" thought it was dodgy, because to give them credit , they are painstakingly accurate, even if they err towards omission if facts don't suit 'em!!

 

[rednblack]

which one?

er no comment

 

[Top Dog]

er no comment

how many "sweary" hackney independent members do you have catch?! ... Its the sweary HI member... the curser extraordinaire, the prince of put-downs etc. etc.

 

[cogg]

Atm:

The Kapetanios: partisans and Civil War In Greece, 1943-49 - Dominique Eudes
Books for Burning: Between Civil War and Democracy in 1970s Italy - Negri
The Long Awaited Moment: The Working Class and the Italian Communist Party in Milan 1943-48 - Tom Behan
History of the International, 1864-1914 - Julius Braunthal

edit to put in name of author of 3rd book...

Butchers, what are the Negri and Behan books like? I've been interested in buying both of them. Just started reading Werner Bonefeld's "A Major crisis."

 

[cogg]

The great war for civilizaton: robert fisk
Nestor Makhno Anarchy's Cossack: Alexander Skirda

The fisk book is okay, but he has a surprisingly superficial lack of analysis of the big picture. It makes it all read a bit like a relentless and almost random sequence of atrocities. He does like his graphic depiction of atrocities.QUOTE]

Fisk reminds me of Paul Foot in many respects. Both good writers able to describe events but don't provide any real analysis of why things happen. As a case in point, Foot's Private Eye special on PFI showed up the illogical nature of PFI and the greed behind but his analysis of why it has been adopted by New Labour amounted to blaming it all on Geoffrey Robertson, rather than looking at economic or political reasons.

 

[Larry O'Hara]

I know. I've lived with one for the last 25 years. Uh oh, shouldn't have said that. O'Hara will shortly be cooking up some revelations, eminently backed up by facts, about my CIA connections!

Don't you mean MFI connections? (we have secret photos taken from the no.25 bus )

 

[\\-(*o*)-//]

The Workers' Union by Flora Tristan.

 

[Japey]

Currently Plato's Republic. It started well with the dialogue, but I'm in the slog in the middle where it's more of a monologue, regularly punctuated by,
"Indeed Socrates," or "It must be as you say," or "you are right," or "that is certainly the case".
I understand it gets better towards the end, so onwards...

 

[Pilgrim]

'Nestor Makhno: Anarchy's Cossack' at the moment.

Very inspiring stuff.

I've also got Kropotkin's 'Mutual Aid' to chew over when I've finished with Makhno.

Oh, and I'm looking for a decent account of Kronstadt if anyone knows one.

 

[rednblack]

Oh, and I'm looking for a decent account of Kronstadt if anyone knows one.

there's a whole load of source documents on the anarchist faq i think (at least the ones i downloaded are in the same folder so i assume thats where they are)

 

[catch]

Oh, and I'm looking for a decent account of Kronstadt if anyone knows one.

There's a few bits at
http://libcom.org/library/russian-revolution

I particularly recommend:
http://libcom.org/library/the-kronstadt-uprising-ida-mett

@faq section here which I've not read: http://www.infoshop.org/faq/append4.html

and I've not read this either, but we've got Kronstadt's own publication, Isvestiia if you're interested:
http://libcom.org/library/izvestiia-kronstadt

BTW. Butchersapron, if you see this, can you remind me the name of that guy who did the research into class composition at Kronstadt, and a source for it if possible

 

[montevideo]

'Nestor Makhno: Anarchy's Cossack' at the moment.

Very inspiring stuff.

I've also got Kropotkin's 'Mutual Aid' to chew over when I've finished with Makhno.

Oh, and I'm looking for a decent account of Kronstadt if anyone knows one.

israel getzler's 'kronstadt 1917-1921' is useful as a lead up to the uprising, excellent & well researched background detail, a little academic & such non partisan.

Paul avrich's 'kronstadt 1921' is always a good starting point.


Am reading 'bread, knowledge & freedom: a study in 19th century working class autobiography'.

 

[sovietpop]

"Pushers Out, the inside story of Dublin's anti-drugs movement", fascinating and though provoking.