Category political culture
Falling out over Windrush – a rude awakening for the UK
If it had not been for the timely coincidence of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, and it being tasked with deciding the succession of Queen Elizabeth at the head of the network, the UK Government may just about have got away with its appalling treatment of the Windrush generation residents of […]
Without vision, no chance for Europe
The doomsayers of Europe are increasingly finding their match in the resurgence of ideas for the future of the community. The European Union, and some of its key institutions and mechanisms that bind its members together have gone through a valley of tears for a few years. And nobody should be overly sure that the […]
The future will be back with a vengeance
Cornered animals are often amongst the most dangerous. Is the virulence of authoritarian politics in western democracies, often coupled with a retrenchment in free market capitalism, a sign of them recognising that they are facing dusk, or something else? In 1996 the late geographer Neil Smith published his work on the revanchist city, in which […]
Prisoners of Jebs
The Nigerian writer Ken Saro Wiwa once wrote a novel that simply does not age: Prisoners of Jebs. To rid Africa and Nigeria of its special criminals including deposed Dictators and the ever-present threat of their return to power and the troughs of corruption, African countries club together to create a special abode for them, […]
Cultures of self-inflicted fear and inferiority about Europe
In any political contest including elections the dividing lines between parties and policy propositions become more acute. It is not surprising and in itself unproblematic for particular campaigns to portray the EU in a negative way and argue for alternative ways to run a nations external relations and development. What is surprising though is the […]
The age of egotism
Today, with the formal request by the UK to leave the European Union, a decision takes hold which may well prove to be one of the most extraordinarily misguided acts in European politics of this century. We still have 80 and more years to go until 2100. A failure of global leaders to control global […]
The resistable rise of Arturo Ui
In 1941 Bertold Brecht published his play ‘The resistable rise of Arturo Ui’ as a parable of the dynamics and tactics that brought Adolf Hitler to power. A key feature of the play is the pattern of gradual entanglement of initially well-meaning but naïve characters surrounding the mobster Ui, the exploitation of their personal weaknesses […]
The eclipse of generosity in politics – will civil society practice be the next victim?
In many ways politics has always been a cutthroat business. Most of those who ended up on top in the struggle for power have historically taken every opportunity to kick their opponents when they were already reeling from defeat, seeking to prevent any chance for resurgence of opposition, forever. One of the hallmarks of modern […]
Introducing globalgearbox
Times are tough for people interested in positive change in the world. The countless important, mostly local but also global stories of success and mutual support which makes societies humane are drowned out by big thumps and shocks shaking our confidence in considerate and thoughtful politics and decision-making in the national and international arena. 2016 […]
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