Alan Simpson

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...

In the Land of the Bland …

COP28 has been a retreat from nativity into pantomime. For the real world, it drifted closer to tragedy. As the deadline approached, climate activists held their breath but fossil lobbyists held the pursestrings. A host...

Who will save Israel from itself?

The world breathed a sigh of relief at the ‘pause’ in the Gaza bombings. Most shared something of the relief expressed by families of the released hostages and of the aid getting into Gaza. Many connected with the...