On Tuesday 29th November, we'll be holding the first meeting on how we want the UK to be after Brexit. It's in Oxford, so please do come along. Free food available, and no need to book - just turn up!
Our blogs
The Ogre – a modern folk tale
This story is an extract from our new collection of 23 modern folk tales for troubling times There was a knock at the door... which is available now in print and as an e-book: Direct from The Real Press: There was a knock at the door... And from major online book...
There was a knock at the door: modern folk tales for troubling times
“Stories are one of the most ancient and most effective ways of making sense of the world,” wrote Philip Pullman in his foreword to There was a knock at the door... our collection of 23 modern folk tales for troubling times. It launched our initiative to promote...
What can we do when ministers defend indefensible services?
It is a peculiar aspect of the Southern Rail fiasco that so many of their staff and managers, at least the ones I come across, are not just extraordinarily patient – they are also very nice people. I can’t say I have actually met the chief executive, Charles Horton –...
All Hail Wallonia!
The decision by the Wallonia regional government to refuse to sign up to CETA has been greeted by a fascinating set of reactions. They range from 'hooray, it's David and Goliath' to 'obscure region blocks necessary trade deal for socialistic reasons'. The...
The most important thing
Sometimes things are clear but we feel as if we can't do much about them. And sometimes things become clear and it is evident that we can do something about them. We're in that position with the role of Parliament in the negotiations to leave the European Union....
Celebrating Life on Earth: make London the first National Park City
We are the life we seek ‘out there’. Nobody suggests we could live there, but new excitement about potential life on Jupiter’s watery moon Europa, is a reminder of the damage we’re doing to the life beneath our feet and what we might do to take better care of it. This...
New Book: ‘The Alternative’ says rapid climate action needs radical political collaboration
China and America’s joint commitment to ratify the Paris Climate Accord comes at a time when the UK’s own climate and energy policies appear at best in disarray, and worst at odds. Imagine you’re stuck in a burning building. Stay and you perish, but the complexity of...
What I did on my holidays
Travelling in Europe now has a new extension to the social interactions we are used to. As well as the ill-pronounced phrases of delight at the wine/vistas/frescoes/accommodation of whichever more civilised country we happen to be in, there's now a new pantomime...
How to settle the Southern strike
Twice in the last year or so, I’ve found myself having to intervene on the platforms of the London Underground to rescue older people from closing doors which were crushing them. On the second occasion, I was also shouted at for my pains by the platform staff for...