PETER MASON applauds the revival, 39 years later with the same team and cast, of Manfred Karge’s version of Brecht’s 100-year-old play, Mann Ist Mann
A communist vision for Cornwall
TONY CONWAY recommends a welcome overview of Cornwall that traces its industrialisation, class differences and path to a socialist future
MAYER WAKEFIELD applauds a fearless attempt to bring to the stage the 1984 toxic gas disaster in Bhopal, India
ALEX HALL applauds the account of a dogged, traumatic and punishing campaign for justice that has lasted from 1998 to the present day
NICK WRIGHT laments the political bias of an epic attempt to tell the history of the liberation of France from the Nazis, that excludes both the decisive contribution of the Soviet Red Army, and of the French communist party itself
JOE GILL traces the ideology and method of contemporary imperialism back to the greed, hubris and violence of the late 15th century Portuguese
Cornwall Rising
Angela Hopkinson, CPB Cornwall branch, £2
I HAVE only recently moved to Penzance in Cornwall and I looked to see what progressive material there was. In November 2024 Cornwall Rising was published. It’s a must read.
It covers the historical argument that Cornwall is a nation, part of the Celtic fringe. It has a rich heritage that was central to the Industrial Revolution. Mining produced worldwide supplies of tin and copper. Once the natural resources were taken, the economy reverted to agriculture and more latterly tourism.
It is remote from the centres of power. Only one rail line runs the length of Cornwall, and there is only one city, Truro. Bus services are poor. Wages are low. Large numbers of second homes and holiday lets result in high house prices. The pamphlet makes the case for an assembly with devolved powers as part of a federal Britain.
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