Jonathan Sperber's "Karl Marx":

John L Murphy with a review of a work on Karl Marx that initially featured on Blogtrotter on 3rd November 2012. During our current economic crisis, a handful of prominent critics if far fewer politicians acclaim Marx's relevance. For example, Terry Eagleton's Why Marx Was Right--expanding his briefer "Marx" monograph--champions a social-democratic visionary rather than a heartless prophet. Hauling donations to Occupy L.A. encampment's lending library, I noticed Marxian pamphlets scattered,...

NOT CENSORED BY THE IRISH NEWS

LC/0070000730 4 September 2013 PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL – NOT FOR PUBLICATION Mr Anthony McIntyre Drogheda Co. Louth Dear Sir, RE: OUR CLIENT – ALLISON MORRIS We have been instructed by Allison Morris, a leading and highly respected senior staff journalist with the Irish News in respect of false, defamatory, and harassing material which you have published on a website entitled “thepensivequill” which can be located at the following link (“the website”): http://thepensivequill.am The...

Orange Order Need to Rediscover its Political Direction

Guest writer, Radical Unionist commentator Dr John Coulter was an Orangeman for more than 20 years. In this exclusive article for The Pensive Quill, the ex-Blanket columnist reflects that it is as much in republicanism’s interests for the Orange Order to rediscover its political direction as it is in Unionism’s. Dr Coulter fears that unless this new role for the Order is achieved, a violent dissident loyalist movement will emerge based on Protestant working class frustration...

This & That: Take 23

Finite Resource Ariel Castro, the Clevland man who kidnapped three women and held them captive for 10 years, has taken his own life in prison a month after being sentenced to life without prospect of release. Despite the confinement he was prepared to subject others to it was a condition he was not prepared to endure for long. The hands of gaolers are never nice clutches to fall into. When the game-hunter became the game, the game was effectively up and Castro didn’t want to play anymore. Although he exercised one of the few freedoms left...

Getting a Dog

Guest writer Firinne McIntyre with her first piece for TPQ. It is a short homework story.  So I'd always wanted a dog. First, I'd wanted a little husky puppy. Then a golden retriever pup. But my dad hated the mess they made, so as always, the answer was an elaborately described 'no'. Actually, it hadn't always been an elaborately described no - that developed after the begging I'd done, but anyways. So you'd imagine the sense of surreality I'd felt walking down the street to my house that...

Lebanon Offers Palestinians Syria Ramadan Greetings

Franklin Lamb writing from the Syria/Lebanon border crossing at Masnaa. This piece first featured in Counterpunch on 13 August 2013. 'Eid Mubarak, Dear brothers and sisters! Yalla! Go back where you came from...

The (d)Evolution of Revolution

Guest writer Sean Ashe addresses issues raised by John Coulter in an earlier piece on TPQ. A recent article published on The Pensive Quill from Dr John Coulter was supposed to be about addressing the use of armed struggle. Instead the article meandered from why republicans should not engage in armed struggle just in case they inflame loyalists, to a nonsense about the ability or non ability to march that tied in Ardoyne, the Boys Brigade and the Catholic Churc...

In what direction might a new DUP leadership take the party?

Former Blanket columnist Dr John Coulter maintains the looming leadership battle within the DUP is not so much about who succeeds Peter Robinson, but what direction the new leadership will take the party. This is the question he ponders in this exclusive article for Open Unionism....

Reporting to London

Back in March a person describing themselves as ‘a former director of publicity for Sinn Fein’ filed a report to someone in London. It seems the writer unilaterally took it upon himself to function as the NUJ Ethics Council’s Belfast agent, tasked with filing reports to London. I cannot say for certain that his letter was merely the latest in a line of reports to people in the British capital, although the balance of probability would tend towards the writer having previous form. The Belfast...

Interned at 63 Years of Age

Guest writer Jim McIlMurray with a piece flagging up the continued internment of republican Martin Corey on the Lurgan internee's 63rd birthday. Today, September 2, 2013, is the 63rd birthday of Martin Core...

End Israel’s Abuse of Palestinian Children and Free Those Imprisoned by Israel.

Steven Katsineris is an Australian free-lance writer of articles on Palestine, Cyprus and the rest of the Middle East region, political prisoners and human rights, environmental and social issues. He has been actively involved in the Palestine solidarity movement for over forty years. Steven lives with his family in Melbourne, Australia.Tonight's article first featured in Green Left Weekly on 27 July 201...

No Facilities For Ardoyne!

A Piece from the Seán MacDiarmada Republican Society that initially featured in the Society's paper Proclamation.    ...