Save the East London Waterworks Park
Dreams of a freely accessible water park in East London are in danger of never being realised. An ambitious proposal for a disused Thames Water depot on Lea Bridge Road includes wild swimming ponds, conservation volunteering, a forest school, and a community hub. It is the brainchild of passionate volunteers at the East London Waterworks Park (ELWP)…
Read MoreDisaster Capitalism
In her book ‘The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism’ (2007), Naomi Klein examined how governments or regimes could exploit national crises in order to establish controversial and questionable policies. They are able to do this ‘while citizens are so distracted (emotionally and physically) that they are unable to fully engage, develop an adequate…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence 3
Artificial Intelligence and Work Fear of machines, or ‘technological unemployment’, as economist John Maynard Keynes called it, is nothing new. In the 19th century, radical textile workers, known as Luddites, smashed newly introduced mechanised looms. They feared that the machines would reduce their work. But, even as far back as the 4th century BC, political philosopher, Aristotle…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence 2
Artificial Intelligence in Lethal Conflict Drone strikes have been carried out since the turn of the 21st century, mostly by the US military, in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. The drones are not manned, but have a ‘controller’ and a system of communications. But, even with a controller, there has been a…
Read MoreFreeports
One of the mainstays of the Brexit campaign was the desire for ‘sovereignty’ and ‘taking back control’. But there are freeports all over Europe already. What’s going on? When Michael Gove tried to clarify on the BBC’s Today programme on 28 December 2020 what ‘taking back control’ means, he referred to the UK’s ability to set up…
Read MoreJourney of the Far-right into Government
On a day in November when the ‘National Front’ was trending on Twitter, Jan Fuscoe reports on her findings as a researcher with the ‘Brick Lane – A Turning Point’, a project examining racism in the ‘70s. ‘I’d seen parallels with the increase in racist narratives during the run-up to the Brexit referendum, and not…
Read MoreFighting Fascism – Art As Activism
The story of Dan Jones, artist, activist and campaigner, who was one of those who initiated the creation of the ‘Battle of Cable Street’ mural. The artwork commemorates the day when Oswald Mosley’s fascists were forced out of the East End of London. The work is Art as Activism. For more features on activists and…
Read MoreFighting Fascism & Britain’s ‘Divide and Rule’
The story of Balwinder Singh Rana, an Indian activist who has been fighting fascism, racism and structural attempts at division in Britain for decades. As a researcher on the Brick Lane project, I was one of those tasked with identifying, and making contact with, some of the activists captured in photographer Paul Trevor’s images. Balwinder…
Read MoreThe Woman with the Afro
This the story of Barbara Beese. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, and ahead of a new drama by Steve McQueen (‘Mangrove’), I spoke to one of the last surviving members of the ‘Mangrove Nine’, whose trial in the 1970s was a defining moment for Black Power in Britain As a researcher…
Read MoreUK B&Bs with Gardens
The UK has many beautiful gardens and woodland for the nature-lover to delight in, but what could be nicer than to wake up and find such beauty right outside your window. I’ve picked just a few B&Bs for Britain’s Finest.
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