Speakers

Marxism features the
foremost left writers and
campaigners from the UK and around
the world.

Key Speakers

	Tony Benn Famously leaving parliament to “spend more time in politics’’, Tony Benn is known the world over for his opposition to war and imperialism. He is president of the Stop the War Coalition and will be speaking on the political crisis and choices ahead for the left.
	Gary Younge Gary Younge is a Guardian journalist based in the US. He is one of a minority of journalists who cut through the hype of the US elections, exploring the changes in society that underlie Barack Obama’s popularity.
	Alex Callinicos Alex is a leading figure on the international left and a renowned Marxist theorist. He is the author of a number of books including The Resources of Critique and An Anti-Capitalist Manifesto. He is a leading member of the Socialist Workers Party.
	David Harvey David Harvey is one of the world’s leading Marxist academics. He has contributed greatly to social and political debate, with his recent online lecture courses on Marx’s Capital proving incredibly popular. His books include A Brief History of Neoliberalism and The New Imperialism.
	Bernadette McAliskey At 21 Bernadette McAliskey became the youngest female MP ever when she was elected as Bernadette Devlin to parliament in 1969 to represent mid-Ulster. She remains an active commentator and activist in Northern Irish politics to this day.
	Slavoj Žižek A formidable philospoher, theorist and cultural critic, Žižek’s work is subversive and rich in humour, dealing with subjects such as globalisation, fundamentalism and human rights. He lives and lectures in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where he is a professor at the Institute of Sociology and he is also a professor at the European Graduate School.
	Gareth Peirce Radical lawyer Gareth Peirce has defended the Birmingham Six and the family of Jean Charles de Menezes as well as a number of those who have just returned from Guantanamo Bay.
	Tariq Ali Novelist, historian and political activist, Tariq Ali is an editor of New Left Review. He first came to prominence in the movement against the Vietnam War and remains one of the foremost authorities on Pakistan, his country of birth.
	Mark Serwotka As general secretary of the PCS civil service trade union, Mark Serwotka has ensured his union has been at the heart of the fight against New Labour’s cuts and closures.
	Eamonn McCann Eamonn McCann is a revolutionary socialist, writer and civil rights activist from Derry. From the Battle of the Bogside to the recent resistance to the economic crisis, Eamonn has been a witness to and a participant in four decades of Irish struggle. His books include War and an Irish Town.
	Ghada Karmi Palestinian author and activist, Ghada Karmi has been campaigning since she left Palestine after the creation of Israel. She is a powerful proponent of a one-state solution in the Middle East and her books include Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine.
	Luigi Fiori A commander of a partisan unit during the Italian Resistance, Luigi Fiori is a very special addition to the programme. Having been involved in the movement that overthrew Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship, his experiences of fighting fascism are a great inspiration.
	Haifa Zangana A former prisoner of Saddam Hussein’s government, Haifa Zangana is an Iraqi-born novelist and artist. She is a weekly columnist for al-Quds newspaper and often contributes to publications such as the Guardian, al-Ahram and Red Pepper.
	Terry Eagleton Terry Eagleton received much attention when he published a stinging critique of Martin Amis’s widely quoted writings on Islam, taking a principled stand in defence of a community under attack. He is regarded by many as Britain’s most influential living literary critic.
	John Bellamy Foster John Bellamy Foster is the editor of Monthly Review, and professor of sociology at the University of Oregon. He has established a worldwide reputation for his writings on climate change and ecology.
	Sheila Rowbotham Sheila Rowbotham is a leading socialist feminist theorist and writer. She has written many influential studies examining the experiences of women in radical and revolutionary movements worldwide. She is the author of the first biography of pioneering gay rights campaigner Edward Carpenter.

Other Speakers include:

• Tayo Aluko performs a tribute to Paul Robeson
• Chris Bambery editor Socialist Worker
• Richard Boyd Barrett People Before Profit councillor, County Dublin
• Weyman Bennett joint secretary Unite Against Fascism
• Michael Billington Guardian theatre critic
• Paul Brandon Unite rep, London buses (pc)
• Jean Binta Breeze Jamaican dub poet
• Nick Broomfield filmmaker & director
• Ron Clark Visteon ex-convenor
• Jeremy Corbyn MP
• Kevin Courtney NUT NEC
• Jeremy Dear general secretary NUJ
• Hannah Dee co-author The Red in the Rainbow: A Rebel’s Guide to Sexual Liberation
• Pat Devine author Democracy and Economic Planning
• Danny Dorling professor of human geography
• David Edgar playwright
• Liz Fekete deputy director Institute of Race Relations
• Ben Fine co-author Marx’s Capital
• Lindsey German convenor Stop the War Coalition
• Alan Gibbons award-winning children’s author
• Paul Gilroy author There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack
• John Gittings author The Changing Face of China
• Mike Gonzalez author Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution
• Chris Harman editor International Socialism journal
• Hassan Juma’a president Iraqi Oil Workers Federation, Basra
• Costas Lapavitsas Marxist economist
• Michael Lavalette socialist councillor
• Grace Livingstone author Inside Columbia
• Lowkey Iraqi rapper
• Warwick Mansell Times Educational Supplement journalist
• Mukhtar Master chair, Preston Stop the War Coalition
• István Mészáros author Marx’s Theory of Alienation
• Susie Mészáros professor of viola & chamber music, Royal College of Music
• China Miéville fantasy author
• Jonathan Neale author Stop Global Warming – Change the World
• John Newsinger author The Blood Never Dried
• Abiodun Olamosu Nigerian trade unionist
• Judith Orr editor Socialist Review
• Gareth Peirce Human rights lawyer
• Omar Puente Cuban electric violinist
• Marcia Rigg United Campaign Against Police Violence
• John Rose author The Myths of Zionism
• Michael Rosen broadcaster & children’s laureate
• Chris Searle author Forward Groove
• Helen Shaw Inquest
• Ludi Simpson co-author Sleepwalking to Segregation?
• A. Sivanandan director Institute of Race Relations
• Martin Smith national secretary SWP
• G M Tamás former Hungarian dissident
• Mani Tanoh Ghanaian anti-privatisation campaigner
• Adam Tooze author Wages of Destruction
• Graham Turner author The Credit Crunch
• Giles Ji Ungpakorn Thai socialist & democracy activist
• Sam West actor & director
• Zoe Williams Guardian columnist