A few bits and bobs

• I have absolutely no idea what to say about this but Scottish Socialist Youth have spotted a potential Christmas Number One in Ireland.
  
  
• Bob asked me to write about influential leftists a long, long time ago... that post is still half written. Meanwhile he's moved on to influential left ideas.
  
  
• River's Edge, which is currently one of my favourite reads, has an open letter to the head of Liverpool council from the ex-Labour councils who were surcharged in the eighties. It's a worthwhile read on alternative strategies to cuts.
  
  
• Practically Insurgent takes a new look at austerity and debt.
  
  
• Lancaster Unity says that immigration does not cause unemployment.
  
  
• Raincoat Optimism notes that Berlusconi is blaming English anarchists for recent protests in Italy. If only the anarchists were that influential.