Paul Sillett

There’s much to be recommended in this account about the legendary, postwar, anti-fascist 43 Group, containing as it does terrific exploits and anecdotes from Group veterans that encapsulate masterful resistance to fascism.

Leaning on participant Morris Beckman’s classic book, The 43 Group, Sonabend illuminates the petty bourgeois nature of fascist organisation and the twin practice of its electoral and street operations. He also chronicles various fascist formations that grew in 1946, capturing internal tensions within the extreme right and the nature of wannabe Führers.

Nadia Sayed wrote a good piece in last month’s SR on the far-right. Historically, as Nadia says, it has been mass resistance confronting the Nazis in the streets, such as at Cable Street in 1936, that stopped fascism in Britain. East London, of course, has its own great tradition, which is kept alive by many local activists.

One point though: campaigning to ban the far-right was mentioned. Some anti-fascists seek to stop the far-right by calling for fascist marches to be banned.

To lead is to foresee, someone once said. This applies to phenomena such as the Football Lads Alliance (FLA), covered in Socialist Review last month. Too many either ignore the FLA or have a complacent attitude to what is a serious matter.

The EDL has fragmented since it suffered a series of defeats at the hands of Unite Against Fascism (UAF) over the past few years.

Its leader, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson), defected to an “anti-extremist” organisation, abandoning his former supporters. The motley crew that turns out at EDL protests has been reduced to a handful of thugs, many associated with old fascist groups.

When the EDL first emerged in 2009 we thought, "What is this new beast?" We noticed that there were former BNP, Combat 18 and National Front types around the demos, if not necessarily on them. Those on the demos were mainly from the "firms" - football supporters involved in inter-club violence - and others.

The EDL were attracting supporters to the prospect of launching mini pogroms in places like Luton and Dudley. At the time we were facing a possible BNP electoral breakthrough alongside a growing fascist street movement.

What differentiates this book from being a stylish coffee table tome is that this is the band in their own words. Paul Simonon's wife, Tricia Ronane, with others, has put it together tastefully. Fans will recognise some of the material, but this brings it all home.

For old timers memories will flood back, and for fresher compadres a real sense of the excitement (and dread) of the late 1970s jumps from the page.

A quarter of a century on, the music and lyrics are as relevant and prophetic as ever. Like all great art it seems timeless.

As Cass Pennant remarked after the screening, "It's a couple of notches up from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but a shame it's based on reality."

The film is based on the experiences of Carlton Leach, who also narrates. Carlton was an observer, and participant, in the events on screen - events which made him known to many in East London. An ex-football hooligan, he survived an axe attack, an event that made him philosophical, driving him to move on.

Bang! The high voltage energy of Joe Strummer seizes you from the opening frames, as we witness our man rehearsing in never before seen 1976 footage.

In this beautifully evocative labour of love, Joe's friends, family and musical compadres gather round sturdy campfires - Strummer's favourite environment - to paint a warts-and-all portrait of a driven, complex diamond.

Stars are Stars, the latest novel by Kevin Sampson, will stick in the gullet of the promoters of Liverpool 08, European capital of culture, and their skewed sense of the city's regeneration.

Sampson, who is still living and writing in Merseyside, is one of a generation politicised by Thatcherism, the routing of the Nazi National Front (NF) and punk's musical earthquake. He wrote for music publications such as NME and Sounds and his interests in music and street culture are reflected in his novels. In Stars are Stars he brings that era back to life.

The title refers to an old hymn encouraging conviction when under attack, a hymn that Tony Benn has got continual solace from. Unlike another TB (Bliar), Benn isn't sanctimonious when expressing his faith and conscience. The raison d'être for Benn's ideas is clear. He wants to free society from malignant multinationals and media moguls, and redress the deep distrust in mainstream politics.