Richard Seymour (21st-century Writer)
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Richard Seymour (born 1977) is a Northern Irish author, commentator and owner of the blog ''Lenin's Tomb''. His books included ''The Meaning of David Cameron'' (2010), ''
Unhitched ''Unhitched'' (previously known as ''The Rules for Starting Over'') is an American sitcom that aired as a mid-season replacement on Fox from March 2 to 30, 2008. The series was originally scheduled to premiere at 9:30 p.m. ET, but aired 30 ...
'' (2013), ''Against Austerity'' (2014) and '' Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics'' (2016). Seymour was born in
Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...
, Northern Ireland to a Protestant family, and currently lives in London. A former member of the Socialist Workers Party, he left the organisation in March 2013. He completed his PhD in sociology at the
London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...
under the supervision of
Paul Gilroy Paul Gilroy (born 16 February 1956) is an English sociologist and cultural studies scholar who is the founding Director of the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Race and Racism at University College, London (UCL). Gilroy is the 2019 ...
. His thesis, dated 2016, was titled Cold War anticommunism and the defence of white supremacy in the southern United States''.'' In the past he has written for publications such as ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' and ''
Jacobin , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...
''.


Commentator


''Lenin's Tomb'' blog and other outlets

The blog ''Lenin's Tomb'' began in June 2003 and was listed in 2005 as the 21st-most-popular blog in the United Kingdom. Although run by Seymour, it also has front-page posts from other contributors, including, occasionally,
China Miéville China Tom Miéville ( ; born 6 September 1972) is a British speculative fiction writer and literary critic. He often describes his work as ''weird fiction'' and is allied to the loosely associated movement of writers called '' New Weird''. Mi ...
. It has been cited by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', ''
Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...
'', and ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'' magazine. Seymour writes about "issues such as imperialism, Zionism, Islamophobia and anti-capitalism, and covers strikes and protests with footage, images and reportage". Beginning in January 2013, Seymour focused his blog on an internal crisis involving allegations of rape committed by a member of the SWP's central committee, and accepted guest entries from other party members criticising the party leadership's response. He announced his resignation from the SWP on 11 March, and began using the original blog to convey a more thorough account of the party's crisis than hitherto. Writing in ''The Guardian'', Seymour responded to an article by Julie Sherry, a central committee member: "We will take no lessons from the ''Daily Mail'', Sherry says. How right she is. With a record like this, who needs lessons from the ''Daily Mail''?" Seymour has also written for the ''
London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of ...
'',
ABC Australia The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...
,
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
, ''
In These Times ''In These Times'' is an American politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published in Chicago, Illinois. It was established as a broadsheet-format fortnightly newspaper in 1976 by James Weinstein, a lifelong socialist. ...
'' and other publications. Since September 2014, he has recorded a regular segment for TeleSur English programme, ''The World Today with Tariq Ali''.


''The Liberal Defence of Murder''

Seymour's first book was ''The Liberal Defence of Murder'' published in 2008.
Owen Hatherley Owen Hatherley (born 24 July 1981 in Southampton, England) is a British writer and journalist based in London who writes primarily on architecture, politics and culture. Early life Hatherley was born in Southampton in 1981, growing up in a 1930s ...
gave a positive review in the ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
''. A review in ''
Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' by the policy director of
Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
described the book as "timely, provocative and thought-provoking". A review in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' praised the book as a "powerful counter-blast against the monstrous regiment of 'useful idiots'". A review in the ''
Journal of American Studies The ''Journal of American Studies'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering international perspectives on the history, literature, politics and culture of the United States. It includes a book review section. Though academic in natu ...
'' commended the book's "truly impressive breadth and depth". In contrast, columnist
Oliver Kamm Oliver Kamm (born 1963) is a British journalist and writer who is a leader writer and columnist for ''The Times''. Early life and career Kamm is the son of translator Anthea Bell and publisher Antony Kamm. Kamm is the grandson of Adrian Bell ...
, writing for his ''Times'' blog accused Seymour of historiographical distortions. Seymour posted a lengthy reply to Kamm's criticisms on his own blog. A critical review in ''The Guardian'' by
Philippe Sands Philippe Joseph Sands, KC (born 17 October 1960) is a British and French writer and lawyer a11 King's Bench Walkand Professor of Laws and Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals at University College London. A specialist in ...
contended that despite the book's "damning material" on the supporters of war, this "potentially important book" was weakened by "the generality" of its conclusions and the failure to concede that there are instances where the use of force is justified.


''Unhitched: The Trial of Christopher Hitchens''

''Unhitched'', published in 2013, focuses on
Christopher Hitchens Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American author and journalist who wrote or edited over 30 books (including five essay collections) on culture, politics, and literature. Born and educated in England, ...
's work on religion, his engagement with British politics and his alleged embrace of
American imperialism American imperialism refers to the expansion of American political, economic, cultural, and media influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. Depending on the commentator, it may include imperialism through outright military conquest ...
.


''Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics''

''Corbyn'', published in 2016, with a second edition published in 2017, is an analysis of
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
's rise to the leadership of the Labour Party. Stephen Bush in the ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
'' described it as "the finest study of Corbyn yet written" with Robert Potts in ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...
'' described it as "witty and acute political and historical analysis from a position to the left of Corbyn". A ''
Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...
'' review characterised it as "essential reading", "by turns inspiring and implausible". It was named among ''
Times Higher Education ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The Thes''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...
''s books of 2016, and ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
''s '100 best political books'.


Controversial assertions

On 2 September 2015, in a private Facebook comment on a ''Daily Telegraph'' column detailing
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
veteran and serious burns victim
Simon Weston Simon Weston (born 8 August 1961) is a Welsh veteran of the British Army who is known for his charity work and recovery from severe burn injuries suffered during the Falklands War. Early life Weston was born at Caerphilly District Miners Hos ...
's remarks regarding then Labour Party Leadership candidate
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
's plan, Weston believes, to "surrender" the Falkland Islands to Argentina, Seymour wrote: "If he knew anything, he'd still have his face". Under a shared Facebook post, Seymour commented on a video of an
Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...
: "He makes me sick. He's a piece of shit. He's standing there complaining that the army isn't helping the colonists keep the Palestinians in their place. Fuck him, they should cut his throat." Tom Peck of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' wrote that the Israeli was a "Jewish journalist", whereas Seymour questioned the "journalist" claim and wrote "he turns out to be a
settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...
and hasbara activist, who runs an American-Israeli PR firm". Seymour was a speaker at a September 2016 event in Liverpool organised by the
Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
group which coincided with the Labour Party's conference in the city.
Katie Green Katie Green (born 28 August 1987) is an English model from Chichester, West Sussex. She was first given an opportunity to model when a Surrey photographer arranged a test-shoot for her at Image Park Studio in West Sussex. Green was originally si ...
, chair of the campaign of
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
's unsuccessful challenger,
Owen Smith Owen Smith (born 2 May 1970) is a former Labour Party politician and subsequently a British lobbyist, who has been the UK government relations director for pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb since 2020. Smith was Member of Parliamen ...
in the 2016 Labour leadership election, was quoted by ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' over Seymour's comments: "These kind of violent and deeply offensive remarks make a mockery of Jeremy's 'kinder, gentler politics.' Jeremy should be condemning his comments". Seymour wrote a lengthy post in response, as well as a more concise apology. Part of the apology read: :"To be absolutely clear. I do not think that Simon Weston’s injuries deserve ridicule. I emphatically do not think that people who advocate for the West Bank settlers should have their throats cut. I certainly didn’t mention or even consider the ethnicity of the individual in question, and the attempts to imply that this was a factor in the original statement are invidious and dishonest. I at no point sought a public audience for these comments, and never sought to solicit anyone’s anguish. I am, of course, very sorry to anyone who was hurt."


Published works

* 2008 ''The Liberal Defence of Murder''. , Verso Books. * 2008 "The Genocidal Imagination of Christopher Hitchens", in ''Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq and the Left''. , New York University Press. * 2009 "John Spargo and American Socialism", in ''Historical Materialism'', 17: 2, 2009, pp. 272–285(14). *2010 "The War on Terror as Political Violence", in
Marie Breen Smyth Marie Breen Smyth (born 26 January 1953) is an author, teacher and researcher from Northern Ireland. She has published on topics such as the Northern Ireland conflict, particularly the human impact, trauma, victim politics, children and armed con ...
, ed., ''The Ashgate Research Companion to Political Violence'', 2010 *2010 ''The Meaning of David Cameron''. , Zero Books, 2010 * 2011 ''American Insurgents: A Short History of American Anti-Imperialism''. , Haymarket Books. * 2012 '' Unhitched: The Trial of Christopher Hitchens''. , Verso Books. * 2014 ''Against Austerity''. , Pluto Press, London *2014 "Race and the Cold War", in Alexander Anievas, Nivi Manchanda, Robbie Shilliam, eds., ''Race and Racism in International Relations: Confronting the Global Colour Line'', 2014 *2016 '' Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics''. , Verso Books, 2016 *2019 ''The Twittering Machine''. , Indigo Press, London *2022 ''The Disenchanted Earth: Reflections on Ecosocialism and Barbarism''. , The Indigo Press, London


References


External links


Profile at Lenin's Tomb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Richard 1977 births Living people Bloggers from Northern Ireland British anti-war activists British male journalists British political writers British sociologists Marxist theorists Marxist writers People from Ballymena Revolution theorists The Guardian journalists Socialist Workers Party (UK) members Male non-fiction writers from Northern Ireland 21st-century writers from Northern Ireland Columnists from Northern Ireland Journalists from Northern Ireland Male bloggers British political party founders