The letter in today's Guardian from writers and journalists calling for a Lib Dem vote is a particularly dispiriting example of the superficiality of the liberal wing of the British intelligentsia. In forming their opinion, they seem to have relied entirely and uncritically on the picture of British politics and specifically the Liberal Democrats purveyed in the mainstream media. There'... Read more
It started on a low – with all three leaders defining "immigration" as a problem and promising "tougher" action – and it didn't get much better. From the economy to Afghanistan to "law and order" there was an unspoken consensus upheld by a host of unasked questions.In the exchange on Afghanistan, the millions of voters who support a withdrawal of troops were treated as if they didn't exist. On... Read more
While the outcome of the general election may be in doubt, the insubstantial nature of the political frenzy preceding it is entirely predictable. The ping-pong of buzzwords and soundbites, the hunt for gaffes, the formulaic promises to ‘listen’, the gurgle of briefings and punditry: the dismal spectacle has become familiar.For all its democratic claims, the election campaign serves mainly to... Read more
Like this year's English Premier League, the coming British general election at least offers the excitement of an uncertain finish. But where the three top football clubs offer intriguing contrasts in tactics and styles, the three mainstream political parties are competing stolidly for the middle ground, with the odd long ball booted hopefully into opponent's territory.The long-established Tory... Read more
While the outcome of the general election may be in doubt, the insubstantial nature of the political frenzy preceding it is entirely predictable. The ping-pong of buzzwords and soundbites, the hunt for gaffes, the formulaic promises to “listen”, the gurgle of briefings and punditry: the dismal spectacle has become familiar. For all its democratic claims, the election campaign serves mainly to... Read more
DURING THE three years I've been in treatment at Barts for multiple myeloma, I've given thanks many times to Britain's National Health Service (NHS) and the people who built and sustain it. Since I grew up in the United States and still have close friends and family there, I'm acutely aware of how different things might have been.Contracting a serious illness anywhere is occasion for anxiety... Read more
Watch any TV programme in Britain where politicians are on display – and it’s clear that turning David Cameron’s new slogan ‘we can’t go on like this’ back on him and all the main parties sums up a popular mood. Disillusionment with politicians has fed into a deepening anger at the way in which the political establishment have been subservient to the filthy rich, from the unconditional and... Read more
If George Osborne's proposals for co-ops had been about breaking up the corporate chains that dominate our high streets, limiting our choices and treating their workers with contempt, I would have been cheering. Why am I suspicious then when he proposes co-ops for our core public services? After all, we definitely need a radical change in the way that public services are managed. More power to... Read more
There are moments when a radical idea quickly goes mainstream. A cause for optimism but also caution; an opportunity for a practical challenge. The ‘green new deal’, a proposal for a green way out of recession, is such an idea (see interview with Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, Red Pepper, June/July 2009). It has now been adopted in some form, in theory if not in corresponding action, by... Read more
The anger that now explodes in Britain whenever one of the 125 MPs caught feathering their own or their families nests or building their duckponds faces the public is more than outrage at the pathetic greed of elected representatives. It is a pent up fury over a deep-seated failure of public control over public money. It is a fury that has mounted with growing evidence of financial waste and... Read more
