The (Key) National Government's 2013 Budget

Budget 2013: My analysis of the Fifth (Key) National Government's 2013 budget and neoliberal approach to economic management and policy-making can be read at:
http://iso.org.nz/2013/05/23/making-sense-of-budget-2013/

Global Warming- Causes of Global Warming, Green Party Climate Change Policy, Solutions and Barriers to these Solutions Being Implemented

• For my three interviews on climate by Bryan Crump on New Zealand's Radio National (the main public broadcasting radio network), go to:

• A general link is: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2555756/pundit-politically-from-the-left

• The specific links are as follows.

1) Capitalism and the Environment
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ngts/ngts-20130204-2040-pundit_-_politically_from_the_left-048.mp3

2) The New Zealand Green Party's Climate Change Policies
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ngts/ngts-20130325-2042-pundit_-_politically_from_the_left-048.mp3
3) Solutions and the Barriers to these Solutions Being Implemented
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ngts/ngts-20130520-2045-pundit_-_politically_from_the_left-048.mp3

Cosmopolitan Social Democracy- A Feasible Alternative to Neoliberalism?

For those interested in exploring cosmopolitan social democracy (CSD) here is some suggested reading:

Held's outline and defence of CSD and my critical evaluation.

• D. Held, “Towards a Global Covenant: Global Social Democracy” in Global Covenant: The Social Democratic Alternative to the Washington Consensus, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2004, ch.10, pp.161-169.          

• B. Roper, “Reformism on a Global Scale? A Critical Examination of David Held’s Advocacy of Cosmopolitan Social Democracy” in Capital and Class, 35 (2): 253-274 (2011).

Further reading:

Archibugi, D., D. Held, and M. Kohler (eds.) (1998) Re-imagining Political Community: Studies in Cosmopolitan Democracy (Stanford University Press).

Archibugi, D. (2008) The Global Commonwealth of Citizens: Towards Cosmopolitan Democracy (Princeton University Press).

Barnett, D., D. Held, and C. Henderson (eds.) (2005) Debating Globalization (Polity Press).

Bobbio, N. (1987a) Which Socialism? (University of Minnesota Press).

Bobbio, N. (1987b) The Future of Democracy (Polity Press).

Bobbio, N. (1989) Democracy and Dictatorship (Polity Press).

Callinicos, A. (1991) The Revenge of History: Marxism and the East European Revolutions (Polity Press).

Callinicos, A. (2001) The Third Way: An Anti-Capitalist Critique (Polity Press).

Callinicos, A. (2003) An Anti-Capitalist Manifesto (Polity Press).

Dahl, R. (1989) Democracy and its Critics (Yale University Press).

Giddens, A. (1998) The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy (Polity Press).

Giddens, A. (2000) The Third Way and its Critics (Polity Press).

Giddens, A. (ed.) (2001) The Global Third Way Debate (Polity Press).

Gillis, B. K. (ed.) (2008) The Global Politics of Globalization: 'Empire' vs. 'Cosmopolis' (Routledge).

Glyn, A. (2006) Capitalism Unleashed: Finance, Globalization, and Welfare (Oxford University Press).

Gowan, P. (1999) The Global Gamble: Washington's Faustian Bid for World Dominance (Verso).

Harman, C. (2003) 'Analysing Imperialism: From the Scramble for Africa to the Attack on Iraq ', International Socialism, no.99, pp.3-82.

Harvey, D. (2003) The New Imperialism (Oxford University Press).

Harvey, D. (2005) A Brief History of Neoliberalism (Oxford University Press).

Held, D. (1982) 'Crisis Tendencies, Legitimation and the State', in J. Thompson and D. Held (eds) Habermas: Critical Debates (Macmillan) pp.181-195.

Held, D. (1984) 'Power and Legitimacy in Contemporary Britain', in G. McLellan, D. Held and S. Hall (eds) State and Society in Contemporary Britain (Polity) pp.299-369.

Held, D. (1993) 'Anything but a dog's life? Further comments on Fukuyama, Callinicos and Giddens', Theory and Society, vol. 22, pp. 293-304.

Held, D. (1995) Democracy and the Global Order: from the Modern State to Cosmopolitan Governance (Polity Press).

Held, D. (2004) Global Covenant: The Social Democratic Alternative to the Washington Consensus (Polity Press).

Held, D. (2006) Models of Democracy (third edition) (Polity Press).

Held, D. (2007) ‘Reframing global governance: Apocalypse soon or reform!’ in Held, D. and McGrew, A. (eds.) (2007) Globalization Theory: Approaches and Controversies (Polity Press).

Held, D. (2008) 'At the global crossroads: The end of the Washington consensus and the rise of global social democracy?' The Global Politics of Globalization: 'Empire' vs 'Cosmopolis', Routledge, pp. 95-113.

Held, D. and Keane, J. 1984 'Socialism and the Limits of State Action', in J. Curran (ed) The Future of the Left (Polity) pp.170-181.

Held, D. and M. Koenig-Archibugi (eds.) (2003) Taming Globalization: Frontiers of Governance (Polity Press).

Held, D. and A. McGrew (eds.) (2002) Governing Globalization: Power, Authority and Governance (Polity Press).

Held, D. and A. McGrew (2007) Globalization/Anti-Globalization (second edition) (Polity Press).

Held, D., A. McGrew, D. Goldblatt and J. Perraton (1999) Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture (Stanford University Press).

Held, D. and Mepham, D. (eds.) (2007) Progressive Foreign Policy (Polity).

Hirst, P. and Thompson, G. (1999) Globalization in Question: The International Economy and the Possibilities of Governance (second edition) (Polity Press).

Lavelle, A. (2008) The Death of Social Democracy: Political Consequences for the 21st Century (Ashgate).

Luxemburg, R. 1970 [1918] ‘The Mass Strike’ and 'The Russian Revolution', in M-A. Waters (ed.) Rosa Luxemburg Speaks (Pathfinder).

Luxemburg, R. (1973) Reform or Revolution? (Pathfinder Press).

MacPherson, C. B. (1966) The Real World of Democracy (Clarendon Press).

MacPherson, C. B. (1973) Democratic Theory: Essays in Retrieval (Clarendon Press).

MacPherson, C. B. (1977) The Life and Times of Liberal Democracy (Oxford University Press).

McNally, D. (2006) Another World is Possible: Globalization and Anti-Capitalism (second edition) (Arbeiter Ring Publishing).

Ollman, B. (1976) Alienation: Marx’s Conception of Man in Capitalist Society (second edition) (Cambridge University Press).

Pooge, T. (2002) World Poverty and Human Rights: Cosmopolitan Responsibilities and Reforms (Polity).

Robinson, J. (1960) 'Marx, Marshall and Keynes', in J. Robinson (ed.) Collected Economic Papers Vol. 2 (Basil Blackwell) pp.1-23.

Sandbrook, R. (ed.) (2003) Civilizing Globalization: A Survival Guide (SUNY Press).

Smith, T. (2003) 'Globalisation and capitalist property relations: A critical assessment of David Held's cosmopolitan theory', Historical Materialism, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 3-35.

Tannsjo, T. (2008) Global Democracy: The Case for a World Government (Edinburgh University Press).

Wood, E. (2006) 'Democracy as ideology of empire', in C. Mooers (ed.) The New Imperialism: Ideologies of Empire (One World).

Reviews of The History of Democracy Reviews

• Socialist Review (UK), January 2013. The review describes this book as: "an excellent exploration of the history of democracy and the struggle to extend it".  For the full review go to:

http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=12201

 • Resolute Reader concludes their review by stating, "Brian S. Roper has produced a useful and interesting overview of the history of an idea. It is one that will be useful as we try to understand the processes taking place around the world, particularly in the Arab Revolutions, as millions struggle against dictators, for democracy, freedom and social justice."

http://resolutereader.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/brian-s-roper-history-of-democracy.html

• The review in the London Socialist Historians Group newletter states: 

"The book is clearly divided chronologically and in this sense is an excellent text for anyone seeking to understand a socialist perspective on democracy, historically rooted, and then read on further. There are suggestions for more in depth reading at the end of each chapter. Roper proceeds from Athens, via the transition from feudalism to capitalism on to capitalist democracy itself and concludes with two examples of socialist democracy in practice — the Paris Commune and the first years of the Russian Revolution from 1917. The majority of the text is a well written summary of a Marxist perspective on the particular period under discussion followed by a brief and usually incisive commentary on it."

The full review can be read at: http://londonsocialisthistorians.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/book-review-history-of-democracy.html 

  • My book has been reviewed in Arabic at Aljazeera.net:

http://aljazeera.net/books/pages/9c251435-b81a-4c2b-9596-65e63244a7d1?GoogleStatID=1 

• In her review in the Jordan Times Sally Bland comments: 

"The title of this book signals a quite ambitious project of cutting-edge relevance for the Arab region and the world. By analysing the practice of democracy (or its absence), from ancient Greece until today, Brian S. Roper provides useful historical background for assessing the recent Arab uprisings.

The author counts himself lucky that writing his book coincided with these events: “These revolutions provided inspiration across the world to those in other countries wanting, among other things, more equality and democracy, and less austerity, unemployment and poverty. It appeared to many that resistance was no longer futile and that revolution was possible.” (p. x)

Roper’s evaluation of how democracy has been or can be achieved at certain historical junctures is neither abstract nor simplistic, as he examines “the dynamic interconnections between the social and economic arrangements prevailing in various societies and the democratic state forms that emerged and governed” them. (p. xiv) Reading about the advances and setbacks for democracy in different phases of the French and Russian revolutions, for example, gives a new, long-range perspective on the contradictory trends that have emerged in the wake of the Arab revolutions — and are now, in some cases, literally fighting it out in the streets."

The full review is at: http://jordantimes.com/democracy-old-and-new

 

Protests Against Key Government's Asset Sales (Partial Privatisation of State-Owned Power Companies and Air New Zealand).

• For the best account of these protests go to:
http://iso.org.nz/2013/04/27/marching-against-asset-sales/

• The Dunedin protest is covered by the Otago Daily Times:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/254686/asset-sales-can-be-stopped-turei

• The Greens provide a comprehensive critique at:
http://www.greens.org.nz/koa-why 

• The National Government's justification for the asset sales is summarised at:
http://www.national.org.nz/mixed-ownership.aspx 

The Boston Bombing: A Socialist Response

Here is a link to a response from two socialists in Boston.

http://socialistworker.org/2013/04/16/horror-we-feel-today

Link below to another interesting and informative account of the situation in Boston and the possible ramifications of the bombings with respect to increasing racism in the US.

http://socialistworker.org/2013/04/19/between-solidarity-and-racism 

Margaret Thatcher's Death and Legacy

Here are links to two socialist responses to the death of Margaret Thatcher.

http://iso.org.nz/2013/04/10/margret-thatcher-1925-2013/#more-1229 
 
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art/33007/The+media%E2%80%99s+disgust+as+Socialist+Worker+rejoiced+at+Thatcher%E2%80%99s+death