Tag: politics

How have your political views changed over time? Political views that change ‘over time’ are most often based on political interests. This blog is stimulated by Peter Oborne (2025) ‘Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza’.

December 23, 2025

Political views that change ‘over time’ are most often based on political interests. Free-standing, and relatively independent thought, feelings and action regarding politics – about how different kinds of power are distributed and used –  probably do change over time in reflection of learning, provided we allow ourselves to continue learning over our lives. However, … More How have your political views changed over time? Political views that change ‘over time’ are most often based on political interests. This blog is stimulated by Peter Oborne (2025) ‘Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza’.

‘Nothing so true as what you once let fall: / Keir Starmer has no Character at All’. A case study.

December 22, 2025

I ought to apologise to Alexander Pope for twisting his tritest lines – the opening of ‘Epistles to Several Persons: Epistle II: To a Lady on the Characters of Women. But the lines are indeed trite and bear nothing much beside the most rank misogyny – but pointed at political women. But it does have … More ‘Nothing so true as what you once let fall: / Keir Starmer has no Character at All’. A case study.

‘Political consumerism’ and food choice

December 19, 2025

‘Political consumerism’ and food choice WordPress often asks us to pretend that all our choices are mediated on a simple model of choice, that might, of course, still involve a number of factors regarding the item, such as cost and affordability, use value of the the product – the nutritional value of foods for instance, … More ‘Political consumerism’ and food choice

Malevich’s ‘Taking in the Rye’, looks like the dissection of a rainbow! Aim to be lazy!

October 10, 2025

I suppose the key word here – the one that should set warning bells ringing is ‘unproductive’, for as a word it has long differentiated from what seem to be a synonym, non-productive. Yet since the words are often confused the term ‘counter-productive’ has been invented to show that their scale of the unproduction from … More Malevich’s ‘Taking in the Rye’, looks like the dissection of a rainbow! Aim to be lazy!

The role of expert and intellectual in the politics of social change and trust in the concept of a leadership that achieves the sense of stability conducive to effective change.

October 9, 2025

The role of expert and intellectual in the politics of social change and trust in the concept of a leadership that achieves the sense of stability conducive to effective change. As I opined about Elon Musk yesterday, I  wondered whether I was oversimplifying the phenomenon he represented  – a man keen to assert his origins … More The role of expert and intellectual in the politics of social change and trust in the concept of a leadership that achieves the sense of stability conducive to effective change.

Violence: How should we respond, and how do we respond? The tragedies about to be born out of inappropriate and thoughtless response.

October 3, 2025

Violence: How should we respond, and how do we respond? The tragedy born out of inappropriate response Above are the bare facts of the violence that occurred at Heaton Park Synagogue m Manchester. People died as a result not only of the violence of one man (and others if others backed him up) but also … More Violence: How should we respond, and how do we respond? The tragedies about to be born out of inappropriate and thoughtless response.

The future sounds a neutral enough subject but in truth it is a concept owned and shaped by the powerful few. This blog reflects on the republished ‘Young Palestinians Speak’ (2017, 2023) by Anthony Robinson & Annemarie Young.

June 28, 2025

One librarian at the Tamer Library, Haneen, interviewed by Robinson and Young devises activities for 8 – 13 year-olds in the area of Gaza where the Institutuon stands. When asked about their future lives, Haneen considers that the older children think mainly of emigration from Gaza, whilst ‘younger ones, without older siblings, do not think … More The future sounds a neutral enough subject but in truth it is a concept owned and shaped by the powerful few. This blog reflects on the republished ‘Young Palestinians Speak’ (2017, 2023) by Anthony Robinson & Annemarie Young.

Communication between the diverse: the benefits of modelling conflictual consensus.

May 7, 2025

What do you do to be involved in the community? In an article by the American Public Power  Association [APPA], called ‘Dissecting the True Meaning of Community’, some things are said about unpacking the meaning of the word  ‘community’ from its origins as a word. I have no knowledge of the real politics of APPA, though … More Communication between the diverse: the benefits of modelling conflictual consensus.

Voting may not often change anything, but we have to hope it might.

April 25, 2025

The answer is YES. but neither person nor party can give any guarantee of fulfilling any intentions you had in voting for them, even if you had any intentions. Indirect democratic politics is a blunt tool that is barely even a record of popular opinion and few ruling parties receive a majority of votes in … More Voting may not often change anything, but we have to hope it might.

Putting my head above the parapet again, if only for a gesture: ‘a GREEN thought in a GREEN shade’.

April 15, 2025

Describe one positive change you have made in your life I suppose a large part of my life previously has been committed to politics, having joined the Labour Party for the first time in my teens but I suppose that my politics may have faded in my life after I left the Party. I did … More Putting my head above the parapet again, if only for a gesture: ‘a GREEN thought in a GREEN shade’.