It looks like the local elections are going ahead this May. The government believes that it has put enough steps in place to make them safe and secure. Some postponed mayoral elections, as well as the local Police and Crime Commissioner elections are going ahead. Good. We need democracy (even if what we have is … Continue reading Get out and vote
Un-learning
Image thanks to litfl.com This time of year is a good point at which to reflect and the older I get the more I realize that I, along with everyone else, have been fed a narrative of misinformation, half-truths and downright lies. It certainly happened at school and it may have started with my parents … Continue reading Un-learning
A criminal offence to mislead
Image thanks to NCAC.org You’re receiving this email because you signed this petition: “Make it a criminal offence for MPs to mislead the public”. I knew this one hadn’t a chance of passing into legislation yet I still feel it is important to continue with these petitions. Even if they don’t achieve anything immediately they … Continue reading A criminal offence to mislead
Going for growth
Image thanks to doc reseacrh group Anyone who thinks you can have infinite growth on a finite planet is either a madman or an economist - David Attenborough. The problem with using GDP as a measure of the human condition is that it will ultimately fail. The prospect of keeping growth going to satisfy an … Continue reading Going for growth
Free speech (again)
Image thanks to TheAtlantic.com Trump has been banned from Twitter and Parler has been taken offline. Proponents of so-called free speech cry foul and all the old arguments about the role of social media companies and the media in general have come to the fore again. Yet over the last few days we have seen … Continue reading Free speech (again)
The Pendulum and the Pit
Image thanks to Los Angeles Times I’m glad that my daughters are older now and have a better understanding of the world and that my granddaughter is too young to be aware. Otherwise I would have to look them in the eye and explain to them how, over the last few years, the liars and … Continue reading The Pendulum and the Pit
Alone in the UK
‘Alone in Berlin’ by Hans Fallada tells of what it was like to live in Berlin under the Nazi party during the Second World War. It gives a truly frightening take on how society breaks down and where everyone is under suspicion because they are all guilty of some form of sedition, whether they know … Continue reading Alone in the UK
Fixate on the Gini coefficient
By any standards the United Kingdom is a very rich country. It has the sixth largest economy in the world, when comparing Gross Domestic Product, at 3.32% of global production. Its citizens enjoy, on average, the 24th highest income in the world at $42,526 per capita. Why then are we obsessed with growth? It is … Continue reading Fixate on the Gini coefficient
Geopolitics and cybersecurity
From Business Insider: While US cybersecurity and intelligence officials trained their attention on securing the 2020 election, foreign hackers took the opportunity to wedge another door wide open, carrying out a devastating and unprecedented cyberattack. Details of the SolarWinds cyber attack have emerged over the last couple of weeks in what could be the world’s … Continue reading Geopolitics and cybersecurity
Proximity and trust
Flag of each of the 28 EU Member States, alongside the European flag It’s been a long time since I wrote about Brexit, even though it has never been away from my thoughts. Perhaps, by the time I post this we may well have a deal. There has been a lot of hand wringing and … Continue reading Proximity and trust
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 