04 red pepper dec/jan 2008

EDITORS HilaryWainwright, OscarReyes

DEPUTYEDITOR Tamanna Kalhar

PRODUCTION StevePlatt DESIGN Tom Lynton www.tomlynton.com

POLITICALCORRESPONDENT AlexNunns

ENVIRONMENTCORRESPONDENT Heidi Bachram

ARTSCORRESPONDENTS Cassandra Harwood, Lena deCasparis, SallyTallant

SPORTSCORRESPONDENTS AnneCoddington, MarkPerryman

SUB EDITOR Sarah Benton WRITERS Naima Bouteldja, NickBuxton, Matthew Carr, KatieCoyne, Mihail Dafydd Evans, Gemma Galdon Clavell, Jan Goodey, Ben Hayes, Keith Hayman, Stuart Hodkinson, Solomon Hughes, Mathew Little, Vittorio Longhi, MelanieMcFadyen, Enzo Mangini, Pablo Navarrete, James O’Nions, RozPaterson, Angela Saini, David Sambrook, Chris Sands, Graham Usher, DerekWall, Jonathan Wright PICTURERESEARCH Dan Tierney

RESEARCHER JaimieGrant

VISUALS Ros Asquith, Tim Sanders, Polyp, PeterWilson

PUBLISHER Fiona Oslerfiona@redpepper.org.uk

OFFICEMANAGER Dan Tierney

SUBSCRIPTION SALES PackPost01296 489550

ACCOUNTANT Bob Tydeman

ACCOUNTSASSISTANT AliceKilroy WEB MANAGER DaveHillman

ADVISERS AnthonyArblaster, David Beetham, Huw Beynon, RoyBhaskar, Victoria Brittain, SueBowen, Tony Bunyan, LouiseChristian, TonyCook, JeremyCorbyn MP, James Curran, LarryElliott, DianeElson, MaxFarrar, Nigel Fountain, TrevorGriffiths, Barbara Gunnell, Nigel Harris, BillyHayes, PeteJenner, PennyKemp, BruceKent, Hugh Kerr, Richard Kuper, Michael Kustow, Colin Leys, Su Maddock, Michael Mansfield QC, Martin McIvor, Aubrey Morris, Simon Mohun, Harold Pinter, Sheila Rowbotham, DeniseSearle, Amanda Sebestyen, JaneShallice, Aleks Sierz, KateSoper, Jonathan Steele, DaveTimms, Guy Vincent, GaryYounge, StuartWeir

THANKSTO Luciana Castellina, Darrell Joyce, LukeKnight, Glenn Meredith, Fran Orford, MikeWells, JackieJacobsen

RED PEPPER 1b Waterlow Road, London, N195NJ tel 020 72817024, fax020 72639345 redpepper@redpepper.org.uk www.redpepper.org.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual rates: UK£29(students, retired, low wage, unemployed £24), Europe£35, restoftheworld £40, institutions £50.

“I wantto livelong enough to danceon Thatcher’s grave” NorbertLynton (1927-2007)

Red Pepper is a member of INK, the independent News Collective, trade association of the UK alternative press www.ink.uk.com

Red Pepperis published bySocialistNewspaper(Publications)Ltd (Reg. No. 02644973, VATNo. 507502620) and printed byCambrian Printers Ltd, Aberystwyth. Distribution: COMAGSpecialistDivision, Central Way, Feltham, MiddxTW14 0RX(020 8844 1000) and Central Books, 99Wallis Rd, London E95LN (020 89864854). Red Pepperaccepts no responsibilityforunsolicited material. Onlysubmissions with SAEs will bereturned. © SocialistNewspaper (Publications)Ltd 2007. All rights reserved ISSN 1353-7024.

Red Peppercoveris FSCcertified stockand paperstockcomes from sustainableforestry. All inks aresoya oil based and printcartridges recycled

contents

regulars

03EDITORIAL What comes after Kyoto 06LETTERS AGONYSUBCOMANDAUNTIE 08PLATTITUDES The world according to Steve Platt 10PICTORIAL Comic take on Iraq 20KNOWYOURENEMY The dirty business of war profiteering

25DEMOCRACYNOW! The myth of Britishness exposed 30OTHERAMERICA Reinventing US electoral politics 36NATURALBORN REBEL Miguel Palacin 37ASYLUM WATCH Gay and lesbian asylum seekers 66BOOKTOPIA Mark Thomas 67REARVIEW The journey against sex trafficking

culture

56THELITTLEFOLKSINGER OSCAR REYES interviews activist singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco 58AMERICAN INTEREST RICHARD KUPER reviews The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy

62YOU’REBOOKED ANNE CODDINGTON and MARK PERRYMAN on the everincreasing popularity of sports literature 64REVIEWSROUND UP RED PEPPERRECOMMENDS

theatrespecial

50

48THEA-ZOFPOLITICALTHEATRE MIKE KUSTOW ’s A-Z of political theatre and social change 50KEEPTHROWING STONES A retrospect of Roland and Claire Muldoon, the pioneers of new variety and cultural dissenters since the 1960s. By JANE SHALLICE 53HOWWASIT FORYOU? APRIL DE ANGELIS evaluates the role of women in theatre backstage and onstage 54CHANGING THE WORLD IN STAGES With the dispiriting rise of digital entertainment Liza Goldman’s examines how theatre – our connection to the real present – is the real future

53 features

12

12RESISTANCECOMEDY CILLA BAYNES visits The Moustache Brothers, Burma’s leading comedians who wax satirical at the state in their living room

14SURVEILLANCESOCIETY BEN HAYES of Statewatch argues that the stealthlike onset of a database state is not just unaccountable but poses a threat to the fabric of our democracy

COVER STORY

22BABESWITHOUTSPICE The Spice girls and Blair’s babes have one thing in common says LAURIE PENNY – raising and dashing the hopes of girl power 26CARCRASH ON THELEFT Interview with George Galloway and John Rees, opposing faction leaders of Respect. ALEX NUNNS gets both sides of the story

3214

dec/jan 2008 red pepper

05

32SONSOFTHECLOUDS TOBY SHELLEY reports from Mauritania on the forgotten Sahwari people awaiting selfdetermination and an end to Moroccan occupation for more than 30 years 38ESSAY: GLOBALISATION IS GOOD FORYOU NIGEL HARRIS and ROBIN BLACKBURN argue for and against the power of the nation states to reduce world poverty 44ETHNICDIVERSITYIN TURKEY: SILENCE, CENSUREAND CELEBRATION Documentary photography reflecting the myriad of ethnic diversity in Turkey, an image forbidden by the Turkish state

22

Illustrators

26

CoverDesign Matt Murphybegan a career as an illustrator 6 years ago after graduating from Berkshire School of Art. His client list includes The New York Times Magazine, The Independent, Time Warner Books (Little Brown), The Big Issue and Wieden + Kennedy. Matt lived in London for 6 years and now lives in Sherborne in Dorset. www.blackcoffeeproject.com

SpiceGirls Jonathan Croftis a freelance illustrator living in Sussex. A Graduate of Brighton University, he produces work for editorial, publishing and advertising clients. www.jonathancroft.com

Our heartfelt thanks as ever to Martin Rowson, Tim Saunders, Andrzej Krauzeand Ros Asquithfor their continued support.

Apologies to Peter Wilson, last issue's cover illustrator (Red Pepper, October/November 2007) whom we failed to credit. www.rotedesign.com