Holocaust Remembrance Day
Going by GMT, I have missed this by two minutes. But going by San Fransisco (Blogger) time, I have a few hours to spare.
Today is Holocaut Remembrance Day. (To clear up the confusion, the UK had had a Holocaust Memorial Day held on 27 January since 2001) A time for reflection, no doubt.
Perhaps some reading recommendations. I want to say, read "A Nation on Trial" by Norman Finkelstein and Ruth Bettina Birn. This comprises two (scholarly) devastating critiques of Daniel Goldhagen's "Hitler's willing Executioners"
It would be a valid objection to suggest that engaging with Goldhagen in the first place is a terrible waste of time.
If one is of such an opinion, then two others are recommended. First, Norman Finkelstein's "The Holocaust Industry" and second, Richard J. Evans' "The Coming of the Third Reich"
Both are magnificent pieces of work (in very different ways) which give a fascinating insight into one of the most remarkable events of our history. Both inspire reflection at the level which seems sadly to be missing from social affairs generally in our depressingly unreflective society.
On a quite different note, today I finally got hold of "NHS plc" by UCL Professor Allyson Pollock. So far, it looks like a wonderful account of healthcare as it stands - and its future - in the UK. Tony Blair wants his legacy as PM to be about reforming public services. Gordon Brown is convined the public sector cannot do anything efficiently. In this text lies the future of British politics - indeed, here lies the future of British society. A text far beyond the level of engagement one finds in newspapers, and thus badly needed, the analysis is likely to reveal much about the direction in which public services are heading.
Today is Holocaut Remembrance Day. (To clear up the confusion, the UK had had a Holocaust Memorial Day held on 27 January since 2001) A time for reflection, no doubt.
Perhaps some reading recommendations. I want to say, read "A Nation on Trial" by Norman Finkelstein and Ruth Bettina Birn. This comprises two (scholarly) devastating critiques of Daniel Goldhagen's "Hitler's willing Executioners"
It would be a valid objection to suggest that engaging with Goldhagen in the first place is a terrible waste of time.
If one is of such an opinion, then two others are recommended. First, Norman Finkelstein's "The Holocaust Industry" and second, Richard J. Evans' "The Coming of the Third Reich"
Both are magnificent pieces of work (in very different ways) which give a fascinating insight into one of the most remarkable events of our history. Both inspire reflection at the level which seems sadly to be missing from social affairs generally in our depressingly unreflective society.
On a quite different note, today I finally got hold of "NHS plc" by UCL Professor Allyson Pollock. So far, it looks like a wonderful account of healthcare as it stands - and its future - in the UK. Tony Blair wants his legacy as PM to be about reforming public services. Gordon Brown is convined the public sector cannot do anything efficiently. In this text lies the future of British politics - indeed, here lies the future of British society. A text far beyond the level of engagement one finds in newspapers, and thus badly needed, the analysis is likely to reveal much about the direction in which public services are heading.
posted by UK plc at 12:20 AM
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