One of the paradoxes of the war in Ukraine is that some of us have discovered the existence of an active left and a critical and creative thinking in Ukraine that we (including the author of these lines) have ignored for too many years. Amongst our revelations, Commons, Journal of Social Criticism, is certainly one of the most important and productive places for us to understand the situation in Ukraine — and in the world.
At a “festival” organised by Socialist Appeal on 21 October, their leading writer and speaker Alan Woods devoted 15 minutes or so of his hour long speech to Ukraine. Delivered in his oddly smug style, the speech set out the main elements of the group’s analysis.