Having been a rabid football fan for as long as I care to remember, following my infection as a child, the FIFA World Cup has almost always been something to look forward to. The greatest sporting spectacle on Earth.
I remember “staying up late” to see an 18-year-old Michael Owen charge through a helpless Argentine defence, that David Beckham petty kick and resulting red card, and England’s eventual loss on penalties in 1998.
Continue reading A FIFA World Cup BoycottThis is a guest post in response to Paul Mason’s recent article in The Guardian: “Bond traders, Trots, and mumsnetters must unite against Farage’s mob”
I was a huge admirer of Paul Mason for his decision to go to Channel 4 in order to escape the confines of the BBC that had stymied his ability to report economics accurately. Last year, I heard him speak in Athens on the state of the economy. It was something of a Marxian argument – technologies have developed to such a degree that we don’t need to work like in the days of old and can be liberated from the fetters of inefficient drudgery.
My admiration was in large part hopeful – “if he continues his line of reasoning, perhaps he will come up with something interesting”. But on the basis of his latest piece on Brexit, which was published in The Guardian (see link above), this hasn’t happened.
Continue reading Paul Mason Is Wrong To Oppose The Brexiteers Demonstration
KC. Bill. Caroline. Gareth. Simon.
These are the names of just five of the citizens that Brighton and Hove have lost in the recent months.
They had been calling the streets and the shop doorways their homes, but like more than 50 other homeless people in the last three years, they have been killed by the neglect of the local council and central government.
In an interview with The Argus in January of this year, Dr Tim Worthley, who works from the Brighton Homeless Healthcare centre in Morley Street, said that a “perfect storm” of cuts and rising living costs will claim even more lives.
At present, one homeless person is dying every two weeks in Brighton and Hove. These are deaths that are entirely preventable, but are continuing to occur.
Continue reading Coffin Bearers Needed – Saturday April 16th, Brighton
In 2011, during my second year of university, Time Magazine chose The Protester as their Person of the Year.
On the one hand this is a great cause for celebration as the millions of individuals committed to the struggle were, in some way, rewarded for their actions. The hours of work, the days of organisation, the minor victories; whatever it was, their efforts were now recognised, and praised, on a global stage.
One of the reasons given by Kurt Anderson of Time Magazine for choosing their Person of the Year as The Protester, was because protest had once again become “fashionable”. (So long as it was being conducted in the MENA region and toppling dictators).
But this representation of “the protester” did not sit well with me. No protester wants to be on the cover of Time Magazine, and if they do it would be for the wrong reasons.
Continue reading John Rees Continues to Massage The Stop the War Coalition Self-Destruct Button
Trouble & Squeak 