The decision by Stephen Hawking to add his support to the international campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians has predictably resulted in a furore.
Stephen Hawking made a good decision - and he is not the first or the last. Palestinians have been using tactics like boycott for decades. With the BDS call, now more and more people around the world are hearing their appeal for action.
In response to a boycott, brands may cut production or pull out of factories. This would lead to the loss of jobs, garment workers struggling to feed their families and families being unable to send their children to school.
I'm boycotting Rihanna the brand because I am incandescent at any kind of acceptance of domestic violence. We are in a different environment to 30 or 40 years ago, when cigarette advertising, drink driving and bigoted comedians were accepted norms. I hope to drive this conversation forward.
This was meant to be a blog about Waitrose's relationship with fossil fuel giant Shell (Waitrose had been considering plans to open up shops in Shell petrol stations across the country), calling on Waitrose to end their partnership with the mass polluter. But Waitrose must be mind-readers because on Wednesday they did just that.
Mild-manned man of gardening Alan Titchmarsh has come out swinging for the animal kingdom by taking America's billionaire "Dog Whisperer" to task over...
Mike Gatting famously demonstrated some jaw-dropping naivety 22 years ago when, on the eve of a rebel England cricket tour to South Africa in 1990, he revealed: "I don't know much about how apartheid works but one way to find out is by going there."
If we decide that cultural boycotting makes sense whenever we disagree with a particular group or don't like those people or their actions, then we are saying that we have no urge to learn, to gain access, to get closer. And how much have we lost then?
