From TwitterIs ‘greenness’ simply a lifestyle choice? A lot of us, this blog’s readership included, might be perfectly comfortable with that assertion. Thanks to events over the past decade or so, the ‘green’ lifestyle has become an option for the West’s middle classes, but it is by no means the only one. The suburban ideal, like [...]
When Oscar, a furry emerald Muppet living in a trash can down Sesame Street coined the phrase ‘it’s not easy being green’, it was a fair description of the environmentalist’s dilemma. A relatively short time ago (by some of your standards anyway!), I grew up with Bert and Ernie’s bathtub exhortations to save water, [...]
On Thursday I was in London at the Trade Justice Movement’s rally outside the Embassy of Germany (who currently hold the European Unions’s rotating presidency), followed by visits to each EU embassy, in my case Cyprus. The issue at hand was these fairly obscure, and, you would think, relatively mundane things called Economic Parnership Agreements [...]
If various reports are to be believed, by the time you’ve read this I will have scrawled graffiti over your walls, stolen your car’s right wing mirror and shouted expletives at your elderly mother, all whilst kidnapping your cat. In fact, given all the wonderful press coverage our hooded recalcitrant ‘yoof’ receive, it’s a wonder [...]
There’s a breathless hush on the freeway tonight
as yesterday’s tomorrows file along the freshly baked concrete columns
and the chainlink fence flutters in the breeze adorned with the flowers
of those that now lay beside it.
And beyond it out in the harbour
Jerusalem’s lights still twinkle
as they have always done
freedom, liberty and hope
for everyone-
twinkle twinkle little star, rest [...]
Are we still allowed to dream
of worlds and things and people?
Of better worlds, and better things
and better days and real meanings
for our empty and formless lives.
Are we still allowed to think
of what and how and why we are
the way we are today?
why he’s rich and
why he’s poor,
why hes straight
and why he’s gay
why she’s weak
why she’s [...]
Jingle Bells.
Where is it now?
The goodwill, the cheer, the spirit?
Last year I saw a loving family intertwined around a solid wooden table
their hearts and stomachs filled with the best of life.
This year I saw starving miserable creatures slurping water with bits of vegetables floating in it
in a bright red plastic bowl
I saw a family where [...]
Encapsulated in a single plastic bag all he needs
an evening of forgotten troubles
in a 330ml can.
a day of relaxation and tarry goodness
in a box of 20s.
an hour of his deepest desires
in a glossy magazine.
His life bleeps before his eyes one at a time
bleep.
bleep.
bleep.
A knell for every broken promise
a knell for [...]