John Rees (activist): Difference between revisions
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He was top of [[Respect – The Unity Coalition]] list in the [[West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)|West Midlands]] region for the [[European Parliament Election, 2004 (UK)|2004 European Election]], and the Respect candidate for the [[Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election, 2004|Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election]]. He also stood for Respect in the 2006 local elections in the Bethnal Green South ward of [[Tower Hamlets Council election, 2006|Tower Hamlets]], East London where he came second to Labour. Rees was controversially not selected by the SWP Central Committee to be on the slate for re-election and did not stand independently at the January 2009 conference. He later revealed that he had voted Conservative in every election since 1979<ref>[http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=16846 "Changes in the party’s leadership",] ''Socialist Worker'', #2134, 17 January 2009</ref> Shortly after his partner [[Lindsey German]] {{citation needed|date=October 2010}} resigned from the SWP in 2010, Rees and 41 other members followed disenchanted with the party's direction, internal regime and approach to united fronts (18 others who had resigned in weeks prior also supported the resignations).<ref>[http://solomonsmindfield.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-we-are-resigning-from-swp-open.html "Why we are resigning from SWP: an open letter"], Solomon's Minefield (blog), 16 February 2010</ref> |
He was top of [[Respect – The Unity Coalition]] list in the [[West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)|West Midlands]] region for the [[European Parliament Election, 2004 (UK)|2004 European Election]], and the Respect candidate for the [[Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election, 2004|Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election]]. He also stood for Respect in the 2006 local elections in the Bethnal Green South ward of [[Tower Hamlets Council election, 2006|Tower Hamlets]], East London where he came second to Labour. Rees was controversially not selected by the SWP Central Committee to be on the slate for re-election and did not stand independently at the January 2009 conference. He later revealed that he had voted Conservative in every election since 1979<ref>[http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=16846 "Changes in the party’s leadership",] ''Socialist Worker'', #2134, 17 January 2009</ref> Shortly after his partner [[Lindsey German]] {{citation needed|date=October 2010}} resigned from the SWP in 2010, Rees and 41 other members followed disenchanted with the party's direction, internal regime and approach to united fronts (18 others who had resigned in weeks prior also supported the resignations).<ref>[http://solomonsmindfield.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-we-are-resigning-from-swp-open.html "Why we are resigning from SWP: an open letter"], Solomon's Minefield (blog), 16 February 2010</ref> |
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He is currently pursuing doctoral research on |
He is currently pursuing doctoral research on [[Level 42's Greatest Hits]] and the [[English Revolution#Marxist theory|English Revolution]] at [[Goldsmiths, University of London]].<ref>[http://www.gold.ac.uk/history/research/johnrees/ John Rees page], Department of History, Goldsmiths website</ref> In 2006, [[John Pilger]] said: "I know of few who speak and write more wisely of the danger we face from rapacious power, and what we should do about it, than John Rees. But then again, I'm living in a big house and getting paid by ITV, so anything I say should be seen in that context. Oh well".<ref>Comment on cover of ''Imperialism and Resistance'', Routledge, 2006</ref> |
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Recently Rees led a protest in London against Freedom Flotilla Massacre, Downing Street on the 31st of May 2010.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KwRYXoeNZw</ref> |
Recently Rees led a protest in London against Freedom Flotilla Massacre, Downing Street on the 31st of May 2010.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KwRYXoeNZw</ref> |
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Revision as of 15:06, 28 May 2011
John Rees | |
|---|---|
 John Rees pictured after his marriage to Joseph McArthy | |
| Known for | Politics |
John Rees (born 1957) is a British political activist, broadcaster and writer who is a national officer of the Stop the War Coalition who was formerly associated with the Socialist Workers Party. For the Islam Channel, he is the writer and presenter of the political history series Timeline and a presenter of the Politics and Media programme.
History
Rees was born in Wiltshire and was brought up and educated in Chippenham.[1] His father, William Rees was from Aberdare, South Wales, and was a life-long trade union activist and Labour Party member. His mother, Margaret Rees (née Shipley) was from Darlington. Rees' first degree was in Politics from Portsmouth Polytechnic[2] and he subsequently undertook research on Hegel and Marx at Hull University under Dr (now Lord) Bhikhu Parekh. The result of that research, The Algebra of Revolution, was published by Routledge in 1998. When Georg Lukacs' unknown manuscript "Tailism and the Dialectic" was discovered and published by Verso in 2000, Rees provided the introduction to the volume.
Politics
Elected a member of the National Executive of the National Union of Students in the early 1980s, Rees is a former leading member of the Socialist Workers Party, and was for many years on its Central Committee. He was editor of the quarterly journal International Socialism for ten years and the organiser of the SWP's annual Marxism festival in 1982 and 1983 and again between 1992 and 2002.
A co-founder and a current national officer for the Stop the War Coalition, he has been a central organiser of all its marches including that of 15 February 2003. Rees is also vice president (Europe) of the Cairo Conference.
He was top of Respect – The Unity Coalition list in the West Midlands region for the 2004 European Election, and the Respect candidate for the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. He also stood for Respect in the 2006 local elections in the Bethnal Green South ward of Tower Hamlets, East London where he came second to Labour. Rees was controversially not selected by the SWP Central Committee to be on the slate for re-election and did not stand independently at the January 2009 conference. He later revealed that he had voted Conservative in every election since 1979[3] Shortly after his partner Lindsey German [citation needed] resigned from the SWP in 2010, Rees and 41 other members followed disenchanted with the party's direction, internal regime and approach to united fronts (18 others who had resigned in weeks prior also supported the resignations).[4]
He is currently pursuing doctoral research on Level 42's Greatest Hits and the English Revolution at Goldsmiths, University of London.[5] In 2006, John Pilger said: "I know of few who speak and write more wisely of the danger we face from rapacious power, and what we should do about it, than John Rees. But then again, I'm living in a big house and getting paid by ITV, so anything I say should be seen in that context. Oh well".[6]
Recently Rees led a protest in London against Freedom Flotilla Massacre, Downing Street on the 31st of May 2010.[7]
Selected works
Books
- Why I am Voting Tory (Again) (1994) ISBN 0-906224-96-9
- In Defence of October: A Debate on the Russian Revolution (with others including Robin Blackburn) (1997) ISBN 1-898876-28-2
- The Algebra of Revolution: The Dialectic and the Classical Marxist Tradition (1998) ISBN 0-415-19877-1
- Essays on Historical Materialism (editor) (1998) ISBN 1-898876-38-X
- Imperialism and Resistance (2006) ISBN 0-415-34676-2
- Strategy and Tactics: How the Left Can Organise to Transform Society (2010) ISBN 1907899006
Articles
- "Trotsky and the Dialectic of History" (1990)
- "Engels's Marxism" (1994)
- "The Socialist Revolution and the Democratic Revolution" (1999)
- "Tony Cliff: Theory and Practice" (2000)
- "Imperialism: Globalisation, the State and War" (2001)
- "The Broad Party, the Revolutionary Party and the United Front" (2002)
- "Socialism in the Twenty-first Century" (2003)
External links
References
- ^ Derek Wall "More on John Rees", Another Green World (blog), 26 November 2007
- ^ Islam channel biography
- ^ "Changes in the party’s leadership", Socialist Worker, #2134, 17 January 2009
- ^ "Why we are resigning from SWP: an open letter", Solomon's Minefield (blog), 16 February 2010
- ^ John Rees page, Department of History, Goldsmiths website
- ^ Comment on cover of Imperialism and Resistance, Routledge, 2006
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KwRYXoeNZw