Vote with your head and your heart

The Tories very deliberately pitch themselves as the thinking voter’s party. The party of the head, not the heart. So why is it that many indicators suggest that those who are proactively engaging in the democratic process – with their heads, not their hearts – lean left? A fantastic case in point is this screenshot from the …

“It was Enoch Powell meets Alan Partridge”

One week on from the riots and vandalism which turned London on its head, and figures from across the political spectrum are scrambling to offer their explanations for the disruptions.  Miliband & Cameron are busy drawing battle lines in the political tussle for public favour post-riots; meanwhile the Police are continuing to plough resources into …

Tax breaks for buy-to-let. Give me a break.

I’m a serial tenant.  There’s nothing wrong with renting.  On the whole it’s a worry-free life.  If the washing machine breaks, I call my landlords and they are good people so they get it fixed up as soon as they can.  I rent privately so my exposure to dreaded estate agents is (mercifully) low.  I’m …

Ed Miliband and Lord Mandelson at The Wave

Central London was buzzing today as thousands of protesters came together at ‘the wave’ climate change demonstration.  I weaved amongst the crowds of experienced rally veterans, families, charities and students with my camera in hand trying to avoid the rain and capture the mood. Whilst marching with the London Youth Labour group we were joined …

Joe Bageant

Try stomaching this article from the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7600000/7600592.stm Find your answers to questions about the man here http://www.energygrid.com/society/ap-bageant.html “Ya know, I don’t think you Brits understand that when the last blood of dinosaurs is drained from the Middle East, we will bomb the fuck out of you in the competition for the last drop. As …

Chevron in Ecuador

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/29/10677/ This story about Chevron is just outrageous.  Even in context the “little countries” quote is just crazy.  It’s a shame a man in Obama’s position can’t take more of a stand on these issues than allowing a spokesperson to reiterate a vanilla statement.  I guess once he’s done campaigning he will be able to …

David Fleming – Energy & Anarchy

7pm, Room 8, Lambeth Town Hall Talk by David Fleming – Energy and Anarchy “The market is not the solution; it is part of the problem”. David proposes an alternative. Anarchy Leo Tolstoy drew comparisons with religion, christianity in particular. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon described the power of small local groups and self-organization. Matthew Arnold wrote “Culture …

John Pilger – The War on Democracy

A special screening and Q&A session with John Pilger at the Clapham Picturehouse cinema. http://www.johnpilger.com The War on Democracy was very thought provoking. Pilger covered huge political events from the past century in Latin America, where the USA has pursued it’s usual selfish goals at the expense of others. During the questions and answers session …