Alan Simpson

Roosevelt or the robot?

Politics in the Age of Implosion Bizarre as it may seem, Donald Trump and the TV series Adolescence might turn out to be the wake up call we’ve desperately needed. Trump is hell-bent on bringing globalisation to its knees; a blessing in itself. But...

The times, they are a-changin’

The geo-politics of implosion These aren’t the changes Dylan was calling for. His was a ‘get out of the way’ message from a generation eager for more optimistic, transformative and inclusive change. There’s no such optimism to be found in today’s...

The egos have landed

Jan 28, 2025 Political choices in Trump’s post-truth era In the court of Emperor Trump the oligarchs rule. At least they think they do. But as in any feudal system, even the oligarchs are just courtiers. Courtier power is conditional, not on the...

Coming alive in ‘25. Can Labour shift the political pendulum?

Britain entered 2025 amidst a welter of blizzards, flooding and abandoned public celebrations across the country. And we hadn’t even begun to talk about the government. It seems remarkable that Labour should enter the New Year already having...

COP(OUT)29 – The Afterstory

They did their best – the climate activists, NGOs, environmental scientists, most of the delegates and civil servants – but it wasn’t enough. Big Oil won the day. From the Azerbaijani hosts to the flock of corporate lobbyists, the...

Is 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...

Brave 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...

Wielding 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...

From 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...

Food 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...