Thoughtland

PK column in The National: Alt-right's fixation on 'Cultural Marxism' has a central irony

By Pat Kane. First published on APRIL 7TH, 2019

IN Friday’s Long Letter, reader Ian McQueen of Dumfries responded to Pat Kane’s column in last Saturday’s edition of The National (‘Cultural Marxists’ have become the demonic other of the alt-right ... and the indy movement can’t escape this war, March 30).

He wrote that he was “appalled at the level of naivete displayed by Pat Kane throughout his article” and described his writing about the Frankfurt School as “so deceptively bland and smiling it could have been made up by Orwell”. Here, Pat Kane responds...

PK column in The National: How the Scottish independence movement can win the culture war

By Pat Kane. First published on MARCH 30TH, 2019

IT’S an odd feeling, when your own nerdy obsession becomes somebody’s demonic other.

Earlier this week, hard Brexiteer MP Suella Braverman said in a speech at Westminster that “as Conservatives, we are engaged in a war against Cultural Marxism. We’re engaged in a battle against socialism.”

The second bit isn’t so surprising. But whatever could “Cultural Marxism” be, as something to go to war with?

PK column in The National: Reading of Marx isn't suspicious ... it's essential

By Pat Kane. First published on MAY 13TH, 2017

‘MARXIST’ is an old scare word – but does it really work any more? I guess we’re about to find out, in the remaining few weeks of this General Election campaign. The mildest of positive responses from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his deputy John McDonnell, answering leading questions on whether they were followers of the writings of Karl Marx, are doubtless now being fed into the Tories’ message machines. Expect a lurid meme splurting on to your social media feed some time before June 8.