Mike Marqusee – Page 15 – Writings on politics, culture and sport

Nov 4, 2007

Dissent and rock n roll on the far side of fifty

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 4 November Two remarkable works of contemporary American art have lightened my load in recent weeks. Both are the products of dissident white men in their fifties, deeply versed in their song-writing craft, steeped in American musical traditions and at the same time driven by opposition to current American policies,… Read more

Oct 7, 2007

Evading the Invasion

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 7 October Who’s being invaded by whom? From the headlines in Britain’s most popular newspapers, and statements from politicians, not least government ministers, you’d think the country was about to be swamped by an alien horde, a wave of immigrants threatening its culture, public services and safety. In his speech… Read more

Sep 30, 2007

London’s Olympic reverie

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 30 September Four miles from my doorstep lies one of Europe’s largest construction sites: 500 acres to be transformed into an Olympic Park and Village in time for the 2012 Games. At the moment, it’s a wasteland. A few hundred tenants have been evicted from a council estate. Nineteenth century… Read more

Sep 8, 2007

Dylan’s rightful place

A slightly edited version of the piece below was published in The Guardian, 8 September 2007 For readers’ comments see Comment is Free He used to tease critics by claiming he was only “a song and dance man”, but whether he likes it or not, Bob Dylan has entered the canon. To mark next month’s National Poetry… Read more

Aug 26, 2007

As long as you’ve got your health

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 26 August St. Bartholomew’s Hospital – known to Londoners for generations simply as Barts – has a claim to being the world’s longest-established provider of free medical care to the poor. It was founded by a penitent Norman courtier in 1123 as a priory hospital on the edge of the… Read more

Aug 12, 2007

Northern Ireland: Troubles at an end?

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 12 August It was a low-key conclusion to the British Army’s longest continuous campaign. On 1st August, Operation Banner, the British military intervention in Northern Ireland, was declared at an end. Some 5000 troops will remain stationed in the area, but with the same duties as troops elsewhere in the… Read more

Jul 28, 2007

History vs. heritage

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 28 July That the teaching of history is politically disputed terrain will come as no news to Indian readers. Efforts by the Hindu right at the centre and in the states have amply illustrated how the study of the past can acquire an all-too-potent present-day ideological and communal force. In… Read more

Jul 15, 2007

Britain in Iraq; Iraq in Britain

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 15 July The British government response to the failed terrorist actions in London and Glasgow was markedly more measured than in the past. The “war on terror” rhetoric was toned down, there was no threat of yet another round of anti-terror laws, and greater care in speaking about and to… Read more

Jul 1, 2007

Boundary buster commemorated

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 1 July It’s rare that a fashion item makes the slightest impression on me, but I have to confess to being childishly delighted by a purchase I recently made over the internet. It’s a tee-shirt emblazoned with CLR James’s ever-pertinent rhetorical question: What do they know of cricket who only… Read more

May 8, 2007

“It must be the Jews…”

Jewish Socialist, Spring 2007 I was sipping tea in a darkened room in a dusty village somewhere off the Lahore-Multan road in Pakistan. My host was a rental car driver. We’d been chatting as we made our way across the flat plains of southern Punjab, beginning with cricket, and eventually, in a transition common across… Read more

Out now: Definable Traces in the Atmosphere

About Mike Marqusee