In his exceptionally popular book, Twelve Rules for Life (2018), the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson advised his readers to "Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world." This conservative maxim, or fallacy, was answered by the great English radical, Jeremy Bentham, two hundred years ago: "Nearly akin to the cry of popular … Continue reading Jeremy Bentham answers Jordan Peterson
James Mill on Liberty of the Press
One of James Mill's contributions to the Encyclopaedia Britannica was an article on the liberty of the press. Mill sought to mark out legitimate grounds to punish speech while defending broad freedom of discussion as an indispensable security against oppression and the surest method for discovering the truth. In summary, Mill thought that libel against … Continue reading James Mill on Liberty of the Press
Bentham on Democracy and Reform
Jeremy Bentham is well known today as a moral philosopher; but his political thought, and the thought of those British radicals who considered him a teacher and inspiration, has been largely forgotten. This I consider to be unfortunate, not only because Benthamite radicalism is an enviable model of logic and clarity compared to other political … Continue reading Bentham on Democracy and Reform
Are the Palestine protests hate marches?
It has been claimed repeatedly, not just in the press, but by holders of the most distinguished offices of state, that the pro-Palestine protests we have seen in recent weeks are, in fact, hate marches. Some say that the Palestine solidarity movement is a hate movement. When we enquire into the evidence on which these … Continue reading Are the Palestine protests hate marches?
Charles James Fox answers the British government
The gang of idiot ministers who form the current government, and the braying donkeys in the media who support them, are now working to destroy the hard won liberties of the British people. There are calls to ban the pro-Palestine march on Saturday 11 November; there are plans being drawn up to further restrict liberty … Continue reading Charles James Fox answers the British government
Stop the bombing! Lift the blockade! End apartheid!
The two million people of Gaza, half of them children, have been besieged for nearly two decades. They live in a prison camp, under a crippling economic blockade, and have been periodically massacred by Israeli forces. We have now seen a massive intensification of Israel's violence; this is the most devastating attack on Palestinians in … Continue reading Stop the bombing! Lift the blockade! End apartheid!
The Radical Appreciation of Thomas Hobbes
In 1839, the English radical Sir William Molesworth1 had all the works of Thomas Hobbes reprinted and published at considerable cost. George Grote, another radical, published a notice of the new edition in the Spectator that same year. The notice is a good summary of what these radicals, who were passionate democrats, considered to be … Continue reading The Radical Appreciation of Thomas Hobbes
The IHRA definition is still a threat to academic freedom
Two years ago I wrote an article where I warned the IHRA definition of antisemitism would be used to restrict academic freedom. I therefore urged universities to drop it: https://web.archive.org/web/20210512141702/https://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/why-we-should-drop-the-ihra-definition-of-antisemitism/ The article, quite predictably, outraged many people. But though stupidity and prejudice might triumph in the short term, truth and reason triumph in the end. … Continue reading The IHRA definition is still a threat to academic freedom
James Mill’s Essay on Government (1820)
The Scottish radical James Mill was invited to contribute articles to the Supplement to the Encylopaedia Britannica by Macvey Napier in 1814.1 The essay on Government was published in 1820; it presented a vigorous argument for representative democracy from first principles, condemned Britain's aristocratic constitution, and did so with impressive brevity. The essay had a … Continue reading James Mill’s Essay on Government (1820)
Notes on Harold Wilson’s Labour Government 1964-1970
Some years ago I read Clive Ponting's book Breach of Promise: Labour in Power 1964-1970 (1990). I began to read the rest of Ponting's work after completing his biography of Churchill - a book of nearly nine hundred pages, but with such literary and analytical merit that I read it with speed and pleasure.1 Breach … Continue reading Notes on Harold Wilson’s Labour Government 1964-1970
Notes in the Margins of the Days 