Chris Newlove

This provides some good insights but draws the wrong conclusion. The book focuses on the so-called “Alt-right” and how with a degree of success, promoted its ideas online. The self-promoted name “Alt-right” encompasses a spectrum from far-right populists to actual fascists. Under Trump, Steve Bannon from the far-right news channel Breitbart became the president’s chief strategist before being forced to step down by the anti-racist movement that erupted after Charlottesville.

The term “cultural appropriation” (“Who decides if culture is authentic?”, April SR) commonly refers to the use of an oppressed group’s culture by members of the dominant culture of a society. It covers three instances:

During the last 100 years universities have shifted from training grounds of the ruling class to become significant sites of struggle.

The number of people going to universities has significantly expanded as capitalism requires a highly trained workforce. Many students will go on to work in the public sector or take up jobs in call centres, shops and fast food restaurants.

Students when studying are not part of the working class. They do not have to sell their labour power, face the discipline of the workplace and they have greater time to discuss ideas.

This book shows how Syriza went from 5 percent in 2007 to the government of Greece by resolutely opposing austerity and by calling for a “government of the left”.

Ovenden illustrates that Syriza’s support rested on the radicalisation of the population through mass struggle.

The 30-plus general strikes, the occupations and the anti-fascist and anti-racist movement are all outlined with eyewitness accounts.

Tamas Krausz, Hungarian activist and theorist, avoids the twin pitfalls of Stalinism and Cold War propaganda in his in-depth study of Lenin.

Rather than the standard chronological approach Krausz outlines Lenin’s politics thematically. After a concise biographical sketch the book highlights the importance of Lenin’s analysis of Russian capitalism in the future development of his politics.

Philosophy and the Idea of Communism is an interview with the radical French philosopher Alain Badiou. Badiou is a former member of the Maoist Union of Communists best known for his tome Being and Event, as well as his skillful take-down of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in The Meaning of Sarkozy. He is a leading member of the Political Organisation which is involved in the fight for asylum and immigrant rights, among other campaigns.

Left wing philosopher Slavoj Žižek’s latest book, Trouble in Paradise: From the End of History to the End of Capitalism, combines his usual blend of cultural analysis, jokes, philosophy and commentary.

In the author’s words, he jumps from “our debt-driven economy to the struggle for the control of cyberspace, from the impasses of the Arab Spring to the futility of anti-Eurocentrism, and from the superego-pressure of ideology to the ambiguous role of violence in our struggles”.

Brand’s call for revolution resonates not only with people who reject austerity but also with those who reject the system as a whole. His YouTube show Trews is massively popular, particularly the episodes where he attacks Ukip and the latest bombing of Iraq.

His debate with Owen Jones was shown in 200 cinemas across the country. Last year Brand shocked Jeremy Paxman when he called for revolution in a Newsnight interview — now watched by ten and half million people.

The Radical Case for Scottish Independence covers a wide range of topics including the rise of neoliberalism in Scotland, mainstream parties, British nationalism, and Yes Scotland's and Better Together's respective referendum strategies.

The authors are leading activists in the Radical Independence Campaign (RIC) which attempts to fight for a radical vision for independence. The book is at its best when exposing the poor state of the mainstream debate on independence and the weaknesses of both the official Yes and No camps.

The independence referendum has opened up a debate in Scotland about what type of society we want to live in. Hundreds have joined Yes campaign, Radical Independence and Yes/No debates to discuss how we can achieve a Scotland that breaks from Britain's inequality and wars.