In 1577, in France, a text was published covertly, written by Etienne de la Boétie, called The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude, asking a question which rings through the centuries to this day. ‘…why is it that a minority of rulers can remain in power over a majority of subjects who pay all the taxes. His answer […]
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The Last Chance Saloon
Elections matter. As someone who lives in Britain, this may sound like a heartless statement in the wake of a 100,000 Covid deaths and rising. Should I really be thinking about hustings and votes, as death stalks the land and people’s hearts are breaking? Should I really be focusing on criticising Britain’s First Past The […]
Challenge!
We’re in the hands of primitive men. Two decades into the 21st century, the UK, the USA, and India, are ruled by men whose grasp of governance is so tribal, so corrupt, and so self-interested as to render them obsolete to the modern order. And yet there they are. The only silver lining, the only beacon […]
#DilliChalo #MarchtoDelhi
The Year 2020 just keeps on giving: Covid, Brexit, corruption, and a myriad other shocks to our system. So – let’s turn the dial, change the channel, and talk about the Punjabi farmers and their hazardous, determined odyssey to the capital of India. I write as the daughter of Punjabi farmers and will […]
Penny-Pinching and the Union Learning Fund
The Union Learning Fund may not sound exciting or dramatic but it’s in danger and we need to protect it. The highly successful ULF scheme has improved the lives of millions and given weight to the idea of self-determination, life-long learning, and reinforced the link between knowledge and opportunity. You’d be forgiven for thinking a […]
Virginity Tests and Self-Defence
‘…Taj’s case, the Virk Brothers, ‘Southall riots’, virginity tests…’ ‘Virginity tests!’ She exclaimed in horror at the other end of the line. ‘Oh yes,’ I asserted, ‘not just in Islamabad, Dhaka, Delhi, but Heathrow too.’ ‘That’s outrageous. How come we’ve never heard about them?’ This conversation began when a younger member of the family rang […]
Is England’s Covid Death Toll a Crime Against Humanity?
(This article is solely about England. Excluding Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All figures are for 6thAugust 2020) A government’s first duty is to protect its people. As fireworks lit up the sky on New Year’s Eve and welcomed in 2020, as gathered crowds across England, cheered and applauded, as people linked arms and […]
Black Lives Matter: A Letter to British-Asians
“I can’t breathe,” has echoed around the world. Millions of people have watched the video, their horror growing with each interminable, never-ending, horrific minute, as Derek Chauvin sits at ease, a knee digging into George Floyd’s neck, a hand causally resting in a trouser pocket, looking for all the world, as if he’s just passing […]