TFC has been forced to hit the pause button on their plans for Hough End Fields. The campaign (see website here) is still asking folks to submit objections before the "old" deadline of Tuesday 1st June, and there's a good portal for this. My general take on these things is to use the opportunity to... Continue Reading →
Mixing Pop and Policy – songs about the policymaking process 01# “More Than This” by TV Smith
Policymaking (and implementation) rule our social lives, whether we know it or not. The advantages and disadvantages (visible and largely invisible) accruing to different types of person are, however, not the subject of popular song. I ain't gonna change that, obvs, but I am gonna write about some of the (few) examples I know. Several... Continue Reading →
Sweet 17 (stone) and as close as can be to other milestones #delardification
My first 12 lap yomp in three weeks. Two weeks ago my faithful backpack disintegrated on lap one, and I didn't get a replacement for a few days. Then, out of - idleness? the seduction of failure? - something, I didn't do 12 laps last Sunday. Today, I knew I had to get back on... Continue Reading →
“The Dominion of Man: The Search for Ecological Responsibility” 1970…
I find the whole Malthusian Moment (roughly 1969-1973) fascinating. I guess because I grew up in its aftermath, where it was still resonating, there were aftershocks. (This is partly because I mostly grew up in Australia, which was then even more of a backwater than it is now. I'd see movies from the era (The... Continue Reading →
Capitalism? It’s only natural… aka “A Fable of the Bees for the Anthropobscene”
tl;dr We use "nature" to justify whatever we want to justify. A couple of days ago Kevin Anderson (the climate professor, not the South African tennis player) tweeted about a new paper which shows just how rubbish the Dasgupta review was. https://twitter.com/KevinClimate/status/1397891825260769282 [I could go on about how aggravating it is when people retweet bits... Continue Reading →
Books I definitely didn’t buy at a Barnado’s in Levy a while back, and why I bought them
Went to visit a friend in darkest Stockport a while back. On the way back, I was dragged by mysterious forces into a charity shop. Here's a table of all the books I definitely didn't buy, how much I didn't pay for each (they were all 25p), and comments on why I didn't buy them.... Continue Reading →
Letter in #Manchester Evening News abt Labour’s contempt for democratic norms
ONLY one member of the public attended Annual Council today. That's probably good, because outrageous contempt for democratic norms and conventions was on full horrible display. New councillors (there are 10) usually get their first choice of which of the six scrutiny committees to sit on. Scrutiny is vital to try to stop the Executive... Continue Reading →
I don’t need this pressure Ron… #delardification
Count your blessings, obviously (I've lived a life of undeserved privilege and luck. That can change, obvs we all live under a sword of Damocles) but being grateful for what you've got, and trying to contribute meaningfully are apparently solid ways not to be a miserable douche. This particular maundering comes from the fact that... Continue Reading →
Books I definitely didn’t buy in Bristol and why I bought them
Was down in Bristol on Friday 15th. I lived there for three and a half years back in the second half of the '90s, before coming to the best city in the world. Here's a table of all the books I definitely didn't buy in charity shops (mostly up Stokes Croft Road), how much I... Continue Reading →
Whoop! Whoop! I am OVERWEIGHT!!
I stepped (staggered, actually) onto the scales an hour ago. 115.2kg blinked up at me. "Fry up!" I peremptorily bellowed to (feebly whispered in the direction of) The Wife, who has been her usual amazing supportive self throughout this delardification effort. When I crawl in the door, dehydrated and incoherent, there's a pint glass of... Continue Reading →
marchudson.net 