Category: activism
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This is not hate, and it is not a sport
I am not taking sides, are you? I hope not. This morning, many of the citizens of my town gathered at the Mosque to join a march for Palestine along the seafront. This evening, a fair few gathered despite the rain for a vigil for those in Gaza being bombarded daily. A few people, clearly…
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The value of twinning
When Grace moved to Hastings, the first people she got talking to were the local Palestine Solidarity group, when she joined their protest about that year’s attack by Israel on Palestinian territories. One of their plans that interested her was the idea of twinning Hastings with a Palestinian town. She had experience of the effectiveness…
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The imaginary end-game
It’s despair isn’t it. You’ve hurt the creature so badly you’re hoping it’ll just die, and no-one will notice. Or perhaps you’re a mere accomplice, or an accessory after the fact. “Grab a brick,” you say, closing your eyes tight. “Hit it, hit it, put it out of its misery.” And in a panic rage,…
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Beyond political despair
Seeding despair in the enemy is a classic ploy. Don’t fall for it. We failed to change the Labour Party from within, but those of us who are now on the outside can do what we like – the problem is, many aren’t sure what to do. They say they feel “politically homeless”, they say…
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Activists’ dilemma
Isolated? thwarted? Fed up of people saying ‘but who can we vote for?’ If you’re an activist, I bet this has happened to you: a service-providing organization that has money and clout starts doing something destructive in the community. You can’t find a political party that’s willing to deal with it but, as a seasoned…
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How to use all that anger wisely
I went to a really interesting talk that a lot of people didn’t want me to go to last month. It was laid on by the local Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Apparently, even some members of their own organization had their doubts about it. It’s because the speaker was David Miller, who seems to have the…
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All human life
All human life on the planet is born of woman – Adrienne Rich That quote introduces the editor’s column in the latest edition of The Radical Notion which I intended to lose myself in, but people just kept lending me books, and suggesting I read books, some of which were immediately irresistible and so the…
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What this government wants
Our town has a tradition that we know goes back 500 years, but it probably goes back way longer than that. The same tradition that so many coastal towns, especially small-boat fishing towns have. When people are lost at sea, we gather on the beach to send them a final salute, to just stand still,…
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Reaching across #NoDebate
Notes for the sex-and-gender debate I am going to write this as though it were a letter to someone who thinks of themself as ‘a trans ally’ or perhaps a trans rights activist. I know such a person is highly unlikely to read my blog, because they think their opponents are ‘anti-trans’, and because I…
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Labour candidate’s letter to Hastings and Rye
A leaflet from Labour’s candidate for Hastings and Rye arrived at my house yesterday. It was an interesting read, and it asks us to tell the candidate what we think. Here goes… I too am very keenly aware that we need a change of government. That’s why I joined the Labour Party and worked daily…
Kay Green 