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Born: December 17th, 1956

Died: January 26, 2023

Growing up in Ballyfermot, Dublin, author and activist Noel McFarlane must have been a perplexing child to the adults around him. He spoke with a pronounced stammer, but the written words flowed from him. He had the vocabulary of an English professor, but couldnt accurately name the parts of speech. He was fiercely intelligent, but never thrived in a classroom.

His teachers, at least some of them, had the good sense to get out of his way. They put him in the library where he was surrounded by the things that inspired, taught and nurtured him books. In that silent classroom, the boy from Ballyers was able to fulfil his love of language, writing, poetry and James Joyce.

By age 13, Noel was writing his own plays. By 15, he had joined The Irish Times as a courier and copy boy. By 17, he had penned the ground-breaking novella Down the Corner. Written in the vernacular, Down the Corner spans three days in the lives of working-class Dublin boys.

Published in 1975, the book was distributed throughout Dublin schools as an incentive to read. In 1977, Noel wrote the screenplay for a film version by Joe Comerford.

By intent, the book gave working-class kids a story to which they could relate, in a language they could understand. By example, the author showed these same kids that nothing was impossible and that they need not be defined or constrained by the name of a street or a neighbourhood.

Noel rose through the ranks of the Irish Times to become sub-editor and has been widely recognised as a brilliant and perceptive writer. He wrote extensively for The Irish Times both in Ireland and from the United States as well as numerous other publications, periodicals and anthologies.

He was at his finest, perhaps, when writing about things in which he believed. A steadfast member of the Workers Party, Noel used his literary gifts to champion the causes of humanism, socialism, feminism, anti-racism, non-sectarianism and trade unionism. And he did more than champion them; he lived them every day. He did so without compromise and without apology. He never sold out.

He also never lost his sense of humour. Noel saw the absurdities of life and found them funny. Few, if any, could match his wit and there are people walking the earth today who still laugh out loud remembering something he said years ago. Noels close friend, author John Banville, recalls one instance of many: I was always about half Noels size. One day I told him I had been given a bonsai tree, and that I was very fond of it. Without missing a beat, Noel said, Ah sure J-J-John, arent you a g-g-g-grand little b-b-b-bonsai yourself!

Noel will be remembered for his unwavering commitment to the working classes and for his prodigious talent as a writer.

He will be missed, however, for his humor, his humanity, his friendship and his ability to impart the simplest and most astonishing words of wisdom when they were most needed and often least expected.

Noel was predeceased by his parents, Walter and Margaret McFarlane of Ballyfermot, and by his siblings, Bridget, Phillip and Patrick. He is survived by his brother Shay, nieces, nephews, friends and comrades.

Originally posted here:
Noel McFarlane writer and journalist used his literary gifts to ... - The Irish Times

President Joe Biden on Friday called out and mocked conservative Republicans who slammed his infrastructure program as socialist and voted against it but have since asked his administration for grants from it.

I didnt know there were that many socialist Republicans, Biden deadpanned during a speech at a Volvo plant in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Biden, citing a CNN report, noted how Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) were among numerous Republicans to have lambasted the program in public but were now asking for cash from it to fund projects in their districts.

Folks, look, you cant make this stuff up. You gotta say, and I gotta say, I was surprised to see so many socialists in the Republican caucus, Biden cracked.

He then warned: If Republicans take control of the Congress, these historic victories we just won for the American people will be taken away.

Republicans have previously attempted to take credit for funding theyve voted against, such as the COVID-19 relief legislation. Biden has in the past mocked them for having no shame.

See the rest here:
Joe Biden Ribs Republicans With Deadpan Response To 'Socialism' Slam - HuffPost

Illustration by Ben Konkol

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About the author: Seong-Hyon Lee is a senior fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations and a visiting scholar at Harvard Universitys Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies.

Will Chinese leader Xi Jinping tone down his boldness once he clinches his third term? By now, those who were initially skeptical are accepting the force of reality in China: Xi will almost certainly be granted a renewal of his power. And during his third term, we are likely to see the same Xi, with more or less the same policy mandate that he has marshaled so far, only more self-confident.

The enduring features of Xis third term are likely to be as follows. In politics, the Communist Partys grip over all sectors of Chinese society will be strengthened in the name of comprehensive leadership. As Xi puts it, East, west, south, north and centerthe Communist Party leads everything. In economics, the dual circulation strategy to fortify Chinas domestic demand will be implemented with more vigor. Some misinterpret dual as meaning domestic and international, in the sense of expanding production for exports and for domestic consumption. In reality, it means the worlds second-largest economy is withdrawing to its domestic market and shying away from the world, in order to become a more self-sustaining economy, less dependent on foreign trade and foreign supply chains.

Semantics should be put aside when analyzing Chinas slogan politics. In society, the term common prosperity will be front and center again. This slogan refers broadly to economic inequality and was used to justify crackdowns on the technology sector, among other policies. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was briefly relegated to the back burner.

In Chinas foreign policy, a new type of great power relations will be the dominant theme, to place China on an equal footing with the U.S. Xi first raised the idea with President Barack Obama in 2013. The Pacific Ocean is big enough to hold both the United States and China, Xi explained at the moment. It took a while for Obamas aides to realize Xis actual meaning. He was asking America to make concessions by renouncing the Western Pacific. In his third term, Xi will not give up on his vision of establishing a new type of relationship with the U.S.

On Taiwan, realizing national reunification will remain an enduring focus of Chinas national mandate. Amid deepening U.S.-China tensions over the Taiwan Strait, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently reiterated the importance of Taiwan by describing it as core of core interests. Whenever China wants to identify the issues considered important enough to go to war over, it uses the term core interests. In the case of Taiwan, Wang used the word core twice.

If one looks closely, these platforms are all internal and external policies promoted by the Xi administration over the past decade. Xis policies are all long-term goals, and he will stick to them in his new term.

Those who study Xis disposition call him an ideological purist. That is, Xi is a person who truly believes in socialism. Xi is also a believer in Chinas historic sense of rejuvenation. As he put it in 2019, Our world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. Xi senses a once-in-a-century historic opportunity and believes that the Communist Party is destined for victory.

Xi has shown, time and time again, that he differs from his recent predecessors in that he does not hesitate to enter into conflict with the U.S. In a September 2021 speech at the Central Party School, an institution comparable to the Harvard Kennedy School that grooms midcareer officials, Xi diagnosed that the great revival of the Chinese nation had entered a critical period and said, Not wanting to fight is unrealistic. You must abandon the illusion and fight bravely. Xi has also said, The East is rising, and the West is declining. In Chinas political discourse, the East refers to China, while the West is often a euphemism for the U.S.

Overall, in Xis third term, he will focus on laying the groundwork for the Communist Partys goal of socialist modernization. His goal is to prove the superiority of socialism and turn China into a global power that will awe the West. It also means that Xis foreign policy will pursue ideological competition with the U.S., in addition to economic, military, and technological competition.

Conventional wisdom holds that the task facing the Communist Party today is to maintain the one-party system by strengthening its legitimacy, especially through economic recovery. Xi has somewhat invalidated this old formula, as his larger and more important mission is to demonstrate the superiority of socialism over other considerations. The Western business community has overlooked this aspect of Xis vision in its puzzlement over his policies, including his crackdown on Big Tech entities and the brake he has put on Chinas real estate market, not to mention the rigid zero-Covid policy that severely undermined Chinas economy. They regard these acts as China shooting itself in the foot.

But Xi is simply on a different mission, a grandiose one to revitalize socialism in the 21st century. For that reason, Xi, the strongman, is likely to remain second only to Mao Zedong as the most closely watched and vigorously debated leader in modern Chinese history.

Guest commentaries like this one are written by authors outside the Barrons and MarketWatch newsroom. They reflect the perspective and opinions of the authors. Submit commentary proposals and other feedback toideas@barrons.com.

Read more here:
Xis Third Term Will Double Down on a Mission of Revitalizing Chinese Socialism - Barron's

OPINION:

Standing in front of a room packed full of college students on an American university campus, I have an unpopular opinion to share: Despite what many young Americans believe, socialism is not the answer to the nations problems. I know it could be a tough crowd to convince the majority of Gen Z adults ages 18 to 24 have a negative view of capitalism.

But I have the best evidence anyone can have my testimony. My story includes escaping unimaginable conditions and persecution in Venezuela, just as 6 million other Venezuelans have done in the shadow of dictator Nicols Maduros socialist regime. The record of socialism in Venezuela is one of political upheaval, severe socioeconomic instability, and one of the worst humanitarian crises Latin America has ever seen. If we do not act, if we do not change the perception of what socialism truly is and how it destroys the countries it claims to help, America may also go into decline and see its freedom and prosperity wither.

Its an important reminder during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 in the U.S. This month recognizes the contributions made by the American Latino community through its diverse cultures and extensive histories. But history never ends; it is made every day, and as the adage goes, if we dont learn from the mistakes of our past, history is bound to repeat itself. In my home country of Venezuela, history is unfolding before our eyes with devastating effects. So, its crucial to acknowledge the struggles many endured in the face of socialism and to ensure their present realities dont emulate the horrors of their past.

In Venezuela I saw these horrors in person: Children dug through trash cans on the street, looking for their next meal. People died simply because they could not find insulin in the medical marketplace. Individual liberties were trampled in the name of state authority and oversight. But it wasnt always that way. As a child, I lived a comfortable middle-class life, but when Hugo Chavez began to impose socialist policies in the early 2000s, Venezuela went from the richest country in Latin America to the poorest.

In the face of these conditions, I knew I had to act. But in speaking out against Mr. Maduros tyrannical administration, I faced political persecution. I fled to the U.S., where I enjoyed the fruits of liberty, justice, individualism and autonomy.

But I also noticed an alarming trend. Unlike the young people of Venezuela, who took to the streets in protest of socialism and its appalling effects, American youth were congregating on college campuses and engaging in political action in favor of socialism.

The next generation of leaders simply must understand that socialist concepts are the very cause of radical regimes and the crises they produce. Thats why as an outreach fellow for The Fund for American Studies (TFAS), I began traveling the U.S., visiting universities to speak to young people as a witness to the real story of socialism, and how that story ends in a loss of free speech, state-policed oppression and economic collapse.

Many are receptive to my message; others are not. Some say that common problems plaguing the American people rampant inflation, runaway health care costs, increasing student loan debt, and lack of affordable housing, for example are a direct outcome of capitalism. My experience tells me otherwise: That it is excessive government intervention, not capitalism, that has caused these outcomes.

Surprise hospital bills and excruciating wait times to see a doctor are not the results of free enterprise. Rather, they are the byproduct of bureaucratic regulations and lack of transparency two practices that are the opposite of capitalist values. Sky-high student loan bills are also the consequence of government intervention; colleges have been free to drive up the cost of tuition, knowing that the federal government would eventually foot the bill (or simply cancel the student debt, which were now seeing).

Explaining the truth about socialism is how we will change hearts and minds, though it is often an uphill climb. However, just as I saw young people turn away from socialist ideology in Venezuela and throughout Latin America, I know that it can happen among Americas college students, too. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we must uplift the voices of American Latinos and migrants who have seen the true cost of socialism with their own eyes. By heeding these warnings, Americans can preserve the blessings of freedom and avoid Venezuelas fate.

Jorge Galicia is an outreach fellow for The Fund for American Studies (TFAS).

Continue reading here:
From Venezuela to America: Sharing the true cost of socialist ideals - Washington Times

These high prices are caused by high fuel costs it presently costs more to transport goods than to produce them and high fuel costs are the result of the Ukraine War. Present inflation is the result of the COVID crisis.

Millions of Americans were suddenly and unexpectedly without income, and drastic measures were taken to stave off collapse and deprivation.

Two trillion-plus dollars were released into the economy to save lives, and everyone knew this would cause inflation in the intermediate run, and so it has. This largesse unfortunately fell equally upon the worthy and unworthy, which was the cost of taking responsive measures to meet a devastating crisis. Many who didnt need it and many who didnt deserve it received payments, but millions of families and businesses were saved from disruption and ruin by this release of money, and nobody had a better idea. So all this talk of socialism is, again, just so much political hooey. Whos to blame for the worldwide pandemic? Whos to blame for the war in Ukraine? Pick a culprit.

I saw old Biden on C-span last night at some event. He was able to deliver a coherent commentary, integrating an understanding of domestic, foreign and economic policy extemporaneously, without lying, without teleprompter, without blaming anyone, and without once mentioning himself; something that would have been impossible for Putins ex-boyfriend. Incidentally, I saw where Q-anon has proclaimed 45 The Son of Man. Ill bet he lapped that up like liquid Big Mac.

See original here:
Socialist policies not the cause of inflation | Letters to the Editor | thebrunswicknews.com - Brunswick News