Excellent, excellent post. This man knows his Orwell.

And regarding this:

Regarding his fighting in the Spanish Civil war, Homage to Catalonia (his account) is essentially him admitting his naivety, the corruption and factionalisation of the left, and ends with having to flee from Communist attempts on his life after they purge the Marxist faction he was attached to.

Homage to Catalonia is a must-read for our times, I fear.