White Riot, a journey into punk’s racial history

Brian Whelan interviews the authors of a new book from Verso Press exploring the complex, contradictory ways in which punk has interacted with the politics of race.

From its birth punk rock has been obsessed with identity, exploding into the mainstream in the late 70s with filth and fury proudly exclaiming ‘no future’, the movement has [...]

The word according to Mighty Stef the Baptist

The Mighty Stef has long been heralded as one of Ireland’s finest emerging troubadours, something his latest album ‘TMS & The Baptists’ has placed in stone. Here he speaks to Barry Healy.

LookLeft needed no excuse for a chat with Stef before the Newbridge leg of his Irish Tour. We sought sanctuary in the corner [...]

The Saville Report – Still defending the realm

Kevin McCorry, the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) chief march steward on Bloody Sunday, finds the Saville Inquiry sidestepped the key issue of who made the political decisions that led to the deaths of 14 innocent men.
George Bernard Shaw once said, “Truth telling is not compatible with the defence of the realm”. Did the [...]

The Jemmy Hope Column

The Jemmy Hope – “As a people, we are excluded from any share in framing the laws by which we are governed. The higher ranks usurped the exclusive exercise of that privilege, as well as many other rights, by force, fraud, and fiction.”
The gangster, the super model and Bertie Ahern
“I’m a professional gambler…the more money [...]

Swedish elections – the rise of the far right

While working for the Social Justice party in the recent Swedish elections, Jimmy Dignam witnessed the disturbing emergence of far right anti-immigration sentiment in what until recently has been a country synonymous with social democracy.
The Sweden Democrats (SD) shocked many across Europe as they won 5.7 per cent of the national vote in the [...]

Blue Ireland?

Ireland has few enough indigenous enterprises but does the country really need its own porn industry, wonders Annajoy O’Gorman.
A new magazine was launched in Ireland this summer, Ireland’s only totally Irish-run pornography magazine, Blue Ireland. Edited by Wexford woman Ami O’Brien, the rather poorly produced magazine aims to bring the ‘the girl next door, (to) your [...]

Revolutionary Stomp – Backstage with Alabama 3

Preaching the gospel of revolution to a backing track of stomping acid house techno and melancholy country music while fighting for those wrongly accused, Francis Donohoe steps into the righteous world of Alabama 3.
They’re not from Alabama, and the band numbers well more than three but that’s the type of contradictions that the [...]

Chasing the Dream

For decades youngsters have chased the dream of professional football success in Britain, but would it be better for them – and the development of Irish football – if there was greater regulation at home, Frankie Lally reports.
Every year many youths travel to Britain with hopes and dreams of making it as a professional footballer [...]

Going It Alone

Kevin Brannigan meets former Progressive Unionist Party leader Dawn Purvis to find out what made her finally break with the UVF-connected party and why she believes it is important the Loyalist working class has its own voice.
It’s May 28, and Dawn Purvis MLA, the new leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), is attending a [...]

Hard Working Class Heroes 2010

The ‘Hard Working Class Heroes’ festival (HWCH) has become an important fixture on the Irish music calendar in recent years, showcasing the talents of over 100 emerging bands and artists from across Ireland. This year’s festival took place October 7th – 9th across a variety of venues in Dublin City; The Button Factory, The Mercantile, [...]

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