Russia criminalises history – again
People often ask me why I pick on Russia. OK, no one actually asks me that, and in any case in the ranking of all the things I pick on …
Read MoreTag: communism
Capitalism, big and small
Lung Wo Road and Connaught Road Central reach for the sky. The ground erupts here with steel and glass and stone buildings that tower 20, 40, 60 storeys over the …
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(Non-censored) postcard from Hong Kong
As you drive on the highway from the airport to Hong Kong, about half way you pass by massive concrete pylons of what, when finished, will be the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau …
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Happy Ribbentrop-Molotov, mother******s!
Yesterday we remembered the 77th anniversary of the most cynical political event of the 20th century, the pact between Hitler and Stalin, which partitioned the Eastern Europe and greenlit the …
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The October that never ends
Books that deserve the epitaph “masterpiece†come few and far between. “A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924†by a British historian Orlando Figes deserves it without a doubt. I’m …
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It’s time for a Kurdish state
It is perhaps the greatest travesty of the Middle Eastern geo-politics, if not the international geo-politics, that the Kurds don’t have their own state. It is a travesty because apart …
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The return of dezinformatsiya
The general rule of thumb is that, contrary to what folk wisdom might have taught you, you not only look the Russian gift horse in a mouth, but you also …
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I was a young communist
Time for a terrible confession: I was a young communist. The only things I can put up in my defence are: I was 6 years old, and only for less …
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How the Poles saved the Western civilisation
Ninety-six years ago, the Poles saved Europe, and I bet most of you don’t even know about it. On 14-15 August 1920, newly-formed Soviet Red Army, commanded by the legendary …
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Happy birthday Fidel
Dear Fidel Can I call you Fidel? We haven’t met, but I feel like I know you quite well, or at least your ilk. I’m normally more formal and respectful …
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In defence of Tsarist repression (well, sort of, not quite)
One day, when I’m rich and famous, I’m going to set up the Daily Chrenk Foundation to train journalists who write stories and sub-editors who write the headlines to know …
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The Warsaw Uprising, lest we forget
Every year, on August the 1st, the whole of Warsaw comes to a standstill at the W-Hour, 5pm, the start of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Pedestrians stop, streets turn …
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Happy birthday America, and please pick up your act
Today, the United States of America is celebrating the 240th anniversary of the original Brexit. Despite some initial reasonable showing from the Remain campaign, the Leave folk did eventually manage …
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Campaigning with communists
Thank you, Huffington Post Australia, for publishing a lovely fluff piece about “a day on the campaign trail†with Australia’s most disgusting politician, the Greens’ NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon. As …
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Happy 29th birthday, “Tear down this Wall!â€
Twenty-nine years ago today – when America had a real president and the Free World a real leader: As I looked out a moment ago from the Reichstag, that embodiment …
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Does socialism work? Asking for a friend
Young kids come to me on the street these days and ask: “Hey, Arthur, you were born and grew up in a communist country, didn’t you? So tell us, does …
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Ballots and bullets: Poland and China, 27 years on
On June 4, 1989, two communist countries on opposite sides of the world chose different paths to the future. In Poland, the first round of democratic parliamentary elections was held, …
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On first dates and communist restaurants
A first date tonight. She likes Vietnamese. Not too many options in Brisbane inner north. Her: “What’s that Vietnamese place that was named after some dictator that attracted all the …
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