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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
This pamphlet looks at how the UK is unprepared for a new era of crises and disasters. To illuminate the national predicament we look at lessons from recent history, and what we can learn, often from countries in the Global South, about the kind of local planning required and resources needed to be ready for when storms and other disasters strike near where we live.
