struggle as a second language – interview with tower hamlets college strikers

From Mute: An interview with two workers involved in the open-ended strike against cuts at Tower Hamlets College last year

They describe their criticisms of the union, the ongoing problems since the partial victory at the college, and the state of the sector in the face of government austerity cuts.

rage at number one: the cultural revolution starts here?

by Adam Ford
originally posted at Mute

Something which seemed unthinkable only a few weeks ago has just happened. ‘Killing In The Name’, a 1992 song about police brutality and racism has beaten the X Factor and Simon Cowell to the Christmas number one. The final festive chart topper of the decade is by fiercely radical rap metal group Rage Against The Machine. It’s a story that has captured the public imagination, and captivated the corporate mass media. But what is the significance – if any – of this event, and what does it say about the future of campaigning in the age when internet social networking has met deep economic recession?

When the ‘campaign’ began in November, many treated it as a light-hearted joke. Jon Morter (a DJ), and his wife Tracey (an astrophysics graduate turned gig photographer) apparently launched the ‘Rage Against The Machine For Christmas No. 1’ Facebook group to make a point about the commercialisation of pop music, and the monotony of Cowell’s charges getting to number one for each of the previous four years.