Martin McGrath
Welcome to my website. I intend to use this space to hold forth on things like politics, books, technology, films and anything else that interests or irritates me.
You can also use this site to see examples of some of the work I've done as journalist, writer and designer. I'm available for freelance work and my rates are competitive and negotiable for good causes.
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Category Archives: Blogging
Pandemic and the Limits of Entrepreneurial Government
Once again the government has used a high-profile announcement of an apparent technological breakthrough (the “game-changer” this time is the promise of ninety-minute diagnostic tests) to try to distract from their general failure to effectively address the pandemic (and, in … Continue reading
IT IS STILL BOLLOCKS TO BREXIT – LEFT OR RIGHT
The way in which Corbyn and his mates have been using the issue of Brexit as a weapon in their desperate attempts to retain control of the Labour Party is, I think, revealing. The most common criticism of the Labour … Continue reading
REVIEW: CAPITAL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BY THOMAS PIKETTY
I was just reminded of this after a random comment on Twitter (hi @redrichie). I wrote this review back in 2014 for Arcfinity. The row over inequality hasn’t moved on much and, reading it back, I think some of the … Continue reading
GENRE HIGHLIGHT OF 2017 – OCCUPY AVENGERS #8
The BSFA’s Vector Review of 2017 was delivered today, which includes a piece I wrote on the bit of genre reading that stuck in my mind most clearly in the past year. I chose a few panels from a crossover … Continue reading
Posted in Blog reviews
Tagged 2017, bsfa, comics, Marvel, review, reviews, sf, Vector
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SOME REASONS TO BE SCEPTICAL OF THE HYPE ABOUT CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA (PART ONE)
Like lots of people, I’ve been thinking about the current row about Cambridge Analytica and their supposed influencing of the US election and Brexit and possibly other elections around the world. I understand people’s anger and I understand the degree … Continue reading
REVIEW: THE HIGH GROUND BY MELINDA SNODGRASS
The High Ground by Melinda Snodgrass (Titan Books, 2016) When I was a child I loved the breakfast cereal Ready Brek – instant porridge whose television advertisements used to feature a young boy protected from the winter elements by a … Continue reading
Posted in Blog reviews, Review
Tagged 2017, bsfa, review, reviews, science fiction, sf, Vector
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LOOKING FOR CORBYN’S MAGIC MONEY TREE
Jeremy Corbyn set out his 10 point policy plan today – with lots of good intentions in it, though it didn’t quite address the concerns I have about Corbyn offering actual detailed policies – it remained a bit vague. In … Continue reading
Posted in Blogging, Politics
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IT’S ALL JUST A CASE OF (LABOUR’S) HISTORY REPEATING
This is why Miliband prized unity in 2010. Hoped to break post-defeat cycle. Split merely deferred. — George Eaton (@georgeeaton) July 31, 2016 George Eaton’s Tweets (above) made me think about the pattern of Labour history and how the … Continue reading
THE POINTLESSNESS OF COMRADE CORBYN
So, today, Jeremy Corbyn launched his leadership campaign. It was the opportunity for him to make the case that he was the genuine radical that his supporters have been claiming. To put his case that “Corbynism” was the revolutionary (perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Tagged 2016, Corbyn, Labour, Labour Party, Leadership, Owen Smith, Politics
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