Welcome! Newsletter number 29.
No new review this month. I got a copy of the PM Press release Labor Power and Strategy, and intended to review it, but simply didn’t find the time. The book starts with an interview that seasoned labor organizer Peter Olney conducted with labor historian John Womack, with ten people responding to Womack’s thoughts, and then Womack responding to their thoughts. The contributions cover a lot of ground with regard to workers’ struggles, but they are centered on the US context – no harm in that, but maybe good to know for folks not based there. The book is illustrated with stunning photographs by Robert Gumpert.
One reason I didn’t get around to writing a review was that I was moving a lot this month. Went to the UK in the beginning, and to Catalonia and the Basque Country at the end. Reported on Scottish independence and friend and TikTok star Eva Violet from Glasgow, and visited Jyoti Mishra of White Town in Derby (article forthcoming). In Barcelona, I attended the Literal bookfair. In the Basque Country, I observed the municipal and regional elections and went to see Pelota.
All of the articles linked to above were published in junge Welt. In addition, there was another article about the leadership struggles in the Austrian Social Democratic Party, and I managed to sneak two sports-related articles into special issues of a different kind: for the Middle East issue, I wrote about the outcome of the protests against the Qatar 2022 Men’s Soccer World Cup, and for the Children issue, I wrote about the challenges of being a sports-fanatic parent.
A short review of the book Links kickt besser. Der Mythos vom unpolitischen Fußball was published in analyse & kritik.
The perhaps biggest news is that, on June 1, I’m officially starting my appointment as the new general secretary of the SAC, Sweden’s syndicalist union. It’s an honor to hold the position, and I hope to be able to help make the organization as strong and effective as possible. There is an article about the appointment in the journal Arbetaren.
Our friends from the IP, the SAC’s sister organization in Poland, are continuing their efforts to support labor unionists in war-ridden Ukraine. Check out their fundraiser!
Sweden won Eurovision this year, which is fine, although the family’s favorite was Norway.
More next month. Stay safe!