After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
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How they made us doubt everything
A new series looking at the war on truth that began in the 1950s shows that it's not the propaganda efforts of foreign states that threatens humanity — it's corporate PR, writes IAN SINCLAIR
Just as concern about smoking and health led to industry competitors working together to save their businesses, following the Kyoto Protocol committing states to reduce the carbon emissions, Exxon and others poured millions into climate change denial
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
Alba party leader KENNY MacASKILL makes some suggestions on how to save our pubs and reduce irresponsible drinking
The catastrophe unfolding in Gaza – where Palestinians are freezing to death in tents – is not a natural disaster but a calculated outcome of Israel’s ongoing blockade, aid restrictions and continued violence, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
Opinion polls point to electoral collapse, parliamentary rebellion and a looming leadership challenge as Starmer’s Labour haemorrhages working-class support and the far right exploits the vacuum left by a hollowed-out party, says NICK WRIGHT
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
“THE twentieth century has been characterised by three developments of great political importance,” Alex Carey noted in his seminal 1995 book Taking the Risk Out of Democracy, “the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.”
The Australian writer’s analysis is well illustrated by the engrossing 10-part BBC Radio 4 series How They Made Us Doubt Everything.
Presented by Peter Pomerantsev, author of the 2019 book This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality, the series looks at how corporate public relations firms engineered doubt about the connection between smoking and cancer in the 1960s and then used similar tactics to manufacture doubt about climate change.
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