Spokesman Books

We reblog this open letter from TFF Associates and Themes Blog. Prefatory Note   What follows here is An Open Letter to the American People: Political Responsibility in the Nuclear Age . It was jointly written by Richard Falk in collaboration with David Krieger and Robert Laney. The three of us have been long connected with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, NAPF. The NAPF focuses its effort on the menace posed by nuclear weaponry and the urgency of seeking nuclear disarmament. The nuclear agreement with Iran and the North Korean nuclear test explosion are reminders of the gravity of the issue, and should serve as warnings against the persistence of complacency, which seems to be the prevailing political mood judging from the policy debates that have taken place during the early stages of the 2016 presidential campaign.  This complacency is encouraged by the media that seems to have forgotten about nuclear dangers since the end of the Cold War, except for thos...

What better way to start the new year than to revisit an old battle? As part of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Wapping dispute a public meeting will be taking place on Thursday 14 January at the Tower Hamlets Local History Library (see PDF ). If you arrive early you will be able to take a look around the exhibition about the dispute which is currently on display at the library. In 2011, Spokesman Books published Bad News: The Wapping Dispute by John Lang and Graham Dodkins with a foreword by Tony Benn.  The book details the industrial dispute by some 5,000 workers sacked by four of Britain's national newspapers, The Sun , News of the World , The Times and The Sunday Times , all of which were owned by Rupert Murdoch's News International Limited.  More information about the title can be found on our website .

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum is set to host a free conference on the theme of the changing narratives around seeking asylum. The conference will take place at the Forum on Friday 8th January 2016, from 9.45am to 5pm, situated at: The Sycamore Centre 33a Hungerhill Road Nottingham  NG3 4NB Keynote speakers attending are Aidan White (Director of Ethical Journalism Network) and Dr. Helen O'Nions (Nottingham Law School, NTU). Tickets are free but limited. Those wishing to participate should register their interest at registration@nottsrefugeeforum.org.uk Further information on the event can be accessed on the Forum's website here . They can also be found on Facebook here .  

Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives will play host to an upcoming exhibition on News International and the Wapping Dispute. Please click on the flyer images below for a larger view. Spokesman Book's title Bad News: The Wapping Dispute , by John Lang and Graham Dodkins, is available from the Trade Union Classics section of our website.  

Another featured article from the latest issue of The Spokesman comes from the 2011 edition of J. A. Hobson's Imperialism . Jeremy Corbyn penned the book's foreword, which we reprint here under the title 'Internationalist at Work'. As a separate point of interest, we also include this comparative image of the logo of publication The Week, circa 1960s, and Corbyn's recent campaign logo. Cut from the same cloth ?  Internationalist at Work J. A. Hobson wrote his great tome at a different age. His thoughts were dominated by the zenith of the British Empire and the Boer War. The outcome of the war demonstrated Britain’s then ability in sustaining global reach, since Elizabethan times, but also its extreme vulnerability. At home the poor physique of working class soldiers led to Haldane’s investigation into working class health and living conditions. The difficulty in containing the rebellious Boers, and the huge opposition to the war, encouraged furt...

Issue 130 of The Spokesman , 'One Belt, One Road', is now available. Among the books reviewed in this issue are two titles on pacifism and conscientious objection: The World is My Country , by Emily Johns and Gabriel Carlyle, and Refusing to Kill , by Oliver Haslam and PPU Publications Group.  Cranks and Kites Two peace-oriented publishers; two different approaches to presenting the lives of conscientious objectors and opponents of the First World War. The World is My Country calls itself a ‘celebration’, whereas Refusing to Kill is a more sombre appraisal, and pulls no punches. Read together, they prove there is room to remember both the anguish and the triumphs of this extremely diverse group. Refusing to Kill is primarily intended for use by teachers and students, as the layout and language indicate. It outlines the various forms of conscientious objection, such as non-combatant COs, who would drill and train but not serve; those who submitted to alternative l...

Reds , showing Sunday 25 October, 14:00, Regent Street Cinema 'Celebrating acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Trevor Griffiths’ 80th birthday this year, Warren Beatty’s epic, Academy Award winning drama of the Russian Revolution (which Griffiths wrote) is showing where it needs to – on the big screen. Co-starring Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Gene Hackman among many others, it’s a remarkable achievement.' Visit Regent Street Cinema's page here , for more information on the event, and to book tickets. Copies of Trevor Griffiths' published works will be on sale at the screening, and can also be found on the website of Spokesman Books at the following address: http://www.spokesmanbooks.com/acatalog/Trevor_Griffiths.html