Tribune – Comment, news and reviews from Britain's democratic left

The New Blue Media: How Michael Moore, Moveon.Org, Jon Stewart and Company are Transforming Progressive Politics
by Theodore Hamm
The New York Press, £17.99

THE New Blue Media ounds either like a compendium of the newest Tory blogposts or a collection of Mr Jacqui Smith’s favourite night time viewing. In fact it’s neither. It’s a fascinating look at what for many of us are the relatively uncharted waters of the American left’s use of new (and some old) media to defeat the Republicans. As anyone who has watched election night programmes will be aware, in the US blue is red and red is blue – the blue states are Democratic and the red states are Republican.

Divided Kingdom: Ireland 1630-1800
by SJ Connolly
Oxford University Press, £35

CORMAC McCARTHY, Viscount Muskerry and Earl of Clancarty, was killed on board HMS Royal Charles in a sea battle off Lowestoft in 1665. Gaelic Irish, and Roman Catholic, he was fighting for England against the Dutch republic. The McCarthys of Muskerry, by co-operating with the Crown, retained their land in the early 17th century when other Gaelic dynasties lost theirs. The family made marriages both Catholic and Protestant, and some converted to Protestantism, yet their wealth was confiscated as they allied with the fortunes of James II. One, however, resurfaces in 1733 as the British governor of Newfoundland.

Passports: Great Early Buys from the British Council
Whitechapel Art Gallery, London

OSCAR WILDE’S bon mot about knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing is useful to bear in mind when visiting Passports. The exhibition focuses on art bought by the British Council in the early years of an artist’s career before they gained fame and their prices escalated beyond the scope of most public collections. Despite the earnest attempts to separate price and value, Passports invites the viewer to enjoy fine work and also demonstrates that curators of national collections are able to make prudent purchases, as well as identify budding artists.

Sounds Like Teen Spirit
UK 2008
Director: Jamie Jay Johnson

IF THE cutely punning title of Sounds Like Teen Spirit – even more cutely subtitled A Popumentary – doesn’t put you off, then you may well enjoy the film itself, which chronicles several participants at the 2007 renewal of what’s described as “Europe’s premier youth contest”. British audiences are forgiven for never having heard of Junior Eurovision, as it’s never (yet) been broadcast in this country, nor has the United Kingdom ever taken part. But, just like the “senior” Eurovision, the kiddie equivalent is apparently quite a big deal on the other side of the Channel, especially among “newer” nations on the continent’s central and eastern fringes.

Not the Enemy: Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands by Rachel Shabi
Yale University Press, £18.99

TO ATTEMPT to analyse and reconcile Ashkenazi and Mizrahi identities and differences is an emotionally charged and politically contentious undertaking. Rachel Shabi is a courageous writer to tackle the inherent prejudices within Israeli society that have marked the lives of Mizrahi Jews since 1948. “Ashkenazi”, from the old Hebrew word for German, is used to define the Jews of European descent; a dominant force in the global Jewish population. The Mizrahi Jews, from the Arab countries of the Middle-East and North Africa, make up around 40 per cent of the Jewish population in Israel.

Factors Unforeseen
Orange Tree, Richmond

CONFUSION. Capitalism creates confusion. As the credit crunch has amply demonstrated, when it comes to economics, no one knows what they are doing. Financial wizards, company managers and ordinary workers are all in the same boat – their horizons are limited, the ride is turbulent and anything could happen. But how do you stage this sense of confusion?

The Enemy of the Good by Michael Arditti
Arcadia, £11.99

AT A time when the media continually assails us with panic headlines declaring that the family is in crisis, a novel that throws new light on the trials and tribulations of this venerable institution has to do more than merely reassure. Using the family unit as a base, Michael Arditti fearlessly tackles such fundamental issues as the bitter conflict between liberalism and fundamentalism, a battle that lies at the heart of any civilized society.

Furtwangler Early Recordings Volume 3
Naxos

DONALD FLANDERS and Michael Swann had a splendidly sharp song, “Hi Fidelity’”, about those who are mad about the quality of recordings and put how it sounds sound above all musical considerations. “I can make Frank Sinatra sound like Hutch. Mind, I never did care for music much, but Hi Fidelity.”