Posts by Alan Simpson
Life on Mars
politics of a different planet You could almost touch the euphoria of an election outcome that comprehensively ditched the Tory government. Park any anxieties about what lies ahead. For Labour, 14 years has been a long wait in Opposition. So, the crooks are gone and the clean up can start. Ditching ‘Rwanda’ and appointing James…
Read MoreIs there a rainbow beyond the riots?
Building a better Britain Let’s start with the language and analysis. The tidal wave of racist gatherings that swept across Britain was designed for riot, not protest. It isn’t enough to describe them in terms of mindless violence, working class bigotry or plain ignorance. Behind the ugliness lies an organised attempt to undermine UK democracy,…
Read MoreBrave New World Revisited
rethinking Britain’s energy system There was a lovely news interview with Ed Miliband MP in which Britain’s new Secretary of State was asked about Labour’s policy over on-shore wind farms. Ed smiled and said “We’re going to have them”. How many? “Lots”… What a refreshing difference from the previous 14 years. If there is one…
Read MoreWielding Power
Britain: a case study of how wealth corrupts Dennis Skinner once referred to David Cameron as ‘Dodgy Dave’. It may have seemed a disrespectful remark from an MP to the (then) Prime Minister, but Dennis was just telling it like it is. It’s only because Sunak’s government is so much further to the Right that…
Read MoreStuck in the muddle with you – the politics of complete confusion
“This is the new extinction and we are half way through it. We are in terrible, terrible trouble and the longer we wait to do something about it the worse it is going to get.” Sir David Attenborough I want to weep. The Sunak government has announced it is putting Britain on a ‘war’ footing.…
Read MoreCrap politics – from the rivers to the sea
The headlines about illegal sewage disposals have been stark enough. They make the nation’s map look like a bad case of chicken pox. Now the owners of Thames Water have defaulted on the debts they owe. The situation spirals from bad to worse. Water companies have dumped 4 million hours worth of sewage into Britain’s…
Read MoreSay it with flour – could Gaza be the turning point?
The human slaughter in Gaza is an abomination. The only silver-lining is that this may be the global wake-up call we have needed for decades; challenging dishonesties we’ve turned a blind eye to and forcing a complete re-think of international peace-building priorities. Israel’s saturation bombing of Gaza, and their casual use of Palestinians for target…
Read MoreFrom farce to (corporate) feudalism
The dangers of Parliament’s retreat from reality Let me be absolutely clear. I do not support violence against the person under any circumstances. This doesn’t just apply to MPs, but to all public service workers operating in stressful situations. But the interweaving of arbitrary violence and the right to public protest raises bigger issues about…
Read MoreFood crises and the spectre of collapse
“Tractors to the left of us, Tractors to the right. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.” This isn’t how Tennyson’s ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ poem opens up, but residents of across Europe’s capital cities could be forgiven for thinking it should have done. In Brussels, people had to run the gauntlet…
Read MoreImplosion – can politics be rescued from the Alt-Right?
It is easy to become disillusioned. Wherever you look, identity politics is pushing equality politics to the sidelines. The individual has become more important than the collective. And even the collective is eroded by factionalism. Religious extremism then pulls apart the remaining weave of integration, inclusion and social solidarity. In India, you can see it…
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