Vladimir Ivlev

Neoliberalism and Its Upheaval

By Vladimir Ivlev Peer through the lens of neoliberalism and you see more clearly how the political thinkers most admired by Thatcher and Reagan helped shape the ideal of society as a kind of universal market (and not, for example, a polis, a civilContinue reading “Neoliberalism and Its Upheaval”

Comparing ‘populist’ revolutions: Ukraine and Egypt

By Vladimir Ivlev “The ultimate difference between a truly radical emancipatory politics and populist politics is that the former is active, it imposes and enforces its vision, while populism is fundamentally re-active, the result of a reaction to a disturbing intruder.” – Slavoj Žižek, “First As Tragedy, Then As Farce” (2008) With the collapse ofContinue reading “Comparing ‘populist’ revolutions: Ukraine and Egypt”

Commentary – May’s GE2017 Speech

On the 18th of April, just before 11am, Prime Minister Theresa May surprised the nation when she announced her intention to hold a general election on the 8th of June. “The country is coming together, but Westminster is not” were her words and she made clear her reasoning for a 2017 general election being theContinue reading “Commentary – May’s GE2017 Speech”

A (sarcastic) critique of “Identity Politics and the Political Spectrum”

By Peter Marshall ONLY A SITH DEALS IN ABSOLUTES -Obi Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith There comes a point when using the wholly academic Wikipedia to make a point becomes as bad as the Reductio ad Hitlerum fallacy (saying “Yeah, but Hitler thought/did that”). Mr. Ivlev wrote a DespatchContinue reading “A (sarcastic) critique of “Identity Politics and the Political Spectrum””

On Gun Rights, Liberty and Revolt

By Vladimir Ivlev Joe Average is your typical upstanding citizen living in the safe cradle of his imperturbable suburbia. No kids, no wife, no valuable possessions, no ambitions, and a daddy complex. Joe looks at his fellow citizens engaging in political discourse, imminently changing the channel to the 9 o’clock preview of the new GilmoreContinue reading “On Gun Rights, Liberty and Revolt”

Identity Politics and the Political Spectrum

By Vladimir Ivlev “”Regressive left” (also formulated as “regressive liberals”) is a political epithet, used as a pejorative to describe a section of left-wing politics who are accused of paradoxically holding reactionary views by their tolerance of illiberal principles and ideologies, particularly tolerance of Islamism, for the sake of multiculturalism and cultural relativism.” -Wikipedia ThereContinue reading “Identity Politics and the Political Spectrum”