A short history of Stiff Records – its wasn’t all peace, love and understanding
The Stiff record label was founded in 1976, it was at the heart of punk and new wave scene, bringing the world artists as diverse as Elvis Costello, Motorhead, Ian Dury and what is generally regarded as the first ever punk single, New Rose by The Damned. In his occasional blog looking at punk, Hassan Mahamdallie uncovers the magic of Stiff Records.
Fifty years of Star Trek – a socialist perspective
Star Trek has reached its 50th anniversary. But does it really offer a picture of a brave new world? Sasha Simic weighs up the sci-fi classic
From Soylent Green to The Hunger Games: why is the future on film so grim?
As the latest Hunger Games film nears its release date Sasha Simic examines the grim visions of the future on film and why the cinema offers such a harsh outlook
Holy picket lines, Batman! Marxism and superheroes, part two: the struggle
Sasha Simic looks at how comic book superheroes responded to the Civil Rights movement, strikes and struggle – and to the onset of the Thatcher and Reagan years and 9/11
A critique of the Gotham programme: Marxism and superheroes
Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the X-Men… Comic book superheroes are big business, they’ve been used as wartime propaganda and condemned for their “lurid, unsavoury, gruesome illustrations”, Sasha Simic reveals