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Articles by Bryan Blears
In a grim world, remaining positive is a defiant act.
Well, this is it — back to the internet and back, most importantly, to writing after what seems like an absolute lifetime away from it all. As I put pen to paper (metaphorically) for the first time in absolutely ages, I’m struck by the fact that the world is noticeably darker than it was a few years ago.
My post-vaccine chest pain and a desperate search for answers
Four months ago, I had my second dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. I work for the NHS and fully support Britain’s vaccination campaign, so it was a simple decision for me to make. I had no problems with my first dose and I knew that the vaccines have been found to be highly effective and safe, preventing up to 96 per cent of Covid hospitalisations. The day after my second dose I began to feel some aches and pains, but I gave little thought to the vaccine and carried on as normal.
From Leaving Home to Writing My Debut Novel
The story of writing my first novel begins in 2010, on the day I packed up a few possessions; some clothes, a sleeping bag, my mobile phone, a toothbrush and a small amount of money I’d saved underneath the bed, and left home for good. I’d suffered from depression for most of my teenage life, which culminated in me dropping out of a law degree at Manchester University less than a year into my course and several thousand pounds in debt.
Salford author signs debut book publishing deal with North Yorkshire press
Today I can announce that my debut novel, currently titled These Walls Were Never Really There, will be published by 2QT Publishing with an anticipated release of April 2022.
The Last Word: Nefarious, brutal, dangerous - and weak
The World Cup exposes the immorality of football’s governing body. But it also exposes Vladimir Putin’s regime, writes Robert Philpot ‘Everything I know about morality and the duty of man’, Albert Camus once declared, he owed to football. If he were alive to witness this summer’s World Cup, the French philosopher would surely have to avoid his eyes straying too far from the pitch. On the eve of yesterday’s kick-off, Vladimir Putin addressed Fifa’s annual congress in Moscow.
Code and coercion: when the internet is used as a weapon of the state
The internet was supposed to set us free, yet governments across Asia have used online platforms to stifle individual liberty, writes Youngmi Kim Until very recently, the internet and social media have been regarded, uncritically, to be tools that empower individuals. It is believed that they help to advance freedom of speech, political participation, and direct democracy.
The Absolute Boy will not be a hero forever
Unless Labour can make real electoral gains, the Corbyn project cannot survive, writes Adrian McMenamin I like to think of the first three or so years of the Blair government as its ‘heroic’ period. We did good things, sometimes to bad people (Slobodan Milošević for instance), and only a fringe of cranks (Jeremy Corbyn) were opposed.
This is not the path to peace
Progressives must speak up about what is happening at the Gaza border and what its wider implications mean: the current trajectory of Israeli and American policy offers no path to peace, writes Wes Streeting MP Yesterday was the bloodiest day of violence on the border between Gaza and Israel since the recent wave of protests began. Fifty-nine Palestinians were reported killed by Israeli forces, including six children.
Revolution does not guarantee social progress
Reform, rather than revolution, is the foundation of social change, writes Bryan Blears The spirit of revolution has become more influential within Labour in the past several years.
The United Nations Mercenary Convention Bans Killing For Money. So Why Has the UK Refused To Sign It?
Thirty-five countries have ratified the United Nations Mercenary Convention which prohibits the use and financing of mercenaries in armed conflicts. Britain has, alongside the United States, Russia, France, China, India and Japan, so far declined to sign up to the convention. It is high time we thought about confining mercenarism to the past by ratifying the convention and by banning the use of mercenaries in armed conflicts worldwide.
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