When the English aristocracy enclosed the common land the immediate effect was to disenfranchise the remainder of the populace. Subsequent land grabbing in the name of colonialism underlined the distinction of land as the mainstay of wealth and power, puppet governments did the rest.

In a world where 854 million...

The scale of rape in the UK, as in the world, is the tip of an ugly iceberg of violence. Rape often comes as part of a package of abuse. Institutional abuse, cultural abuse, domestic abuse. Rape is violence, rape is a tool of warfare, rape is the sick subjugation...

Queen Elizabeth 1st took a bath once a year - whether she needed it or not.

Many people now take two showers - a day. This is very relevant to our current stage of consumption.

Consumption of our resources such as water, land, clean air and fossil fuels is...

Poised on the brink of economic meltdown as we are, governments all over the world are baying frantically for growth. But growth is not the answer to our problems.

Way back in the 1700's Adam Smith recognized a limit to economic growth. He predicted that in the long run, population...

50 years of incessant advertising and lies has made us think that prosperity means having more money to buy more 'things'. Yet each of us knows that beyond a certain level, the ownership of 'things' makes us no happier and certainly no healthier. There is a perception that a bigger...

The global economy is in "a devil of a mess" according to Ken Clarke, UK Justice Secretary.

Thank you Ken, we already knew. And we know that none of you in government have the foggiest clue how to put it right. You are working on old solutions to old problems,...

The outbreak of red poppy fascism across the British media is alarming. The red poppy has morphed into some kind of corporate uniform to the point that it seems improbable that anyone attempting to enter the BBC last week, without said appendage, would be turned away.

Do the wearers understand...

The Greek government has defaulted. Should we rejoice?

For the most part Greece has defaulted on the impossibly high interest rates it has been asked to pay for borrowing money to survive in a system of economic duplicity and political corruption. Any smidgen of growth Greece can wring from...

The UN speeches from Palestine and Israel last Friday apparently meant little to Americans, where media coverage of any kind has been scanty. Nevertheless a recent opinion poll from the Pew Research Centre shows that 42% favour the US recognising Palestine as an independent nation, with 26% against. Nearly a...

It appears that it is now more expedient to exchange silence for a seat at the top table. The trappings of power, the money, the TV interviews and the glory have become the aim. The fight for justice becomes a few forgotten words on the eve of polling day, and...

Thank you to so many people for your imaginative and intelligent responses which came to me as a result of publishing the piece 'Building the Society we Want' to a wide audience. This piece attempts to recognise all the comments, and it is hoped you will recognise your own input...

The amount of meaningless drivel coming out of the British media in relation to the recent riots has reached epic proportions. The hang'em flog'em brigade is in full voice, closely followed by regressive calls for conscription, and worst of all, the unimaginative and punitive US 'solution' now hanging like a...

London's burning and the lunatics are in charge of the asylum. Like so many others I watch as the police stand around, unsure what to do.

They know what to do when you are in an organised march. They know what to do when responsible working people take to...