When it comes to favourite things, ‘Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,’ may do for Julie Andrews, but Britain’s uber-ambitious Chancellor, Rishi Sunak has his eyes set on far grander targets: namely freeports and charter cities. In Sunak-speak such projects will deliver a new utopia of jobs, prosperity and opportunity, particularly in deprived areas. […]
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Parasite Politics and Everyday Dreams
‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on.’ (The Tempest. Act 4. Scene 1). Shakespeare could never have known how this line would transmute into the throbbing heart of political dramas in the 21stcentury, connecting the people and the parasite; becoming both promise and betrayal. Voters dream of jobs and homes while politicians and […]
Kill The Bills
‘Kill the Bill,’ shout protestors in English cities. ‘Death to the farm laws,’ cry Indian farmers, in their protest camps. ‘New Jim Crow laws,’ denounces the President of the US himself, of the new election laws passed by the state of Georgia. In the midst of a global pandemic, the world is in social and […]
#IWD21 ‘You Must Fight to Live With Dignity’ Nodeep Kaur
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 […]
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 […]