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...
Metanoia for the many – can we save the planet from ourselves?
Is it all too late? I hope not. But we are cutting it fine. In all recorded history, there has never been a more urgent need for an new societal vision. This is not just about redistribution from rich to poor. It...
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...
Stuck 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...
Crap 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...
Say 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...
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...
Implosion – 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...
‘Get Back’ – alternatives to a better yesterday
It will be 55 years this month since the Beatles’ iconic, rooftop performance on Saville Row. This was the end of an era, end of a dream. With any luck, this year will see the end of a nightmare.
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...