The problem with studying the rich (well, one of many) is that access is hard. So you end up relying on leaks and whisteblowers. Both can be deeply problematic. But every so often the curtain DOES get pulled back. With Australia and climate change two great examples are a) the leaking of the minutes of... Continue Reading →
Max Weber nails it on politics, natch #stupidity
"Only he has the calling for politics who is sure that he will not crumble when the world from his point of view is too stupid or base for what he wants to offer." Reminds me of "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." Albert... Continue Reading →
Advice to activists – “Educate yourselves first” Gary Foley
Garey Foley advice to activists- Educate Yourselves first... This is well worth a watch.
What would a genuinely “empowering” #OpenState look like? @JayWeatherill
On Wednesday morning Jay Weatherill and 200 or so of Adelaide’s soi-disant cognoscenti gathered at Adelaide Oval, scene of triumph, disaster and foreigners hurling dangerous things at locals. Everyone was there for the launch of the programme of the second ‘Open State’ festival, which will chart the potential triumphs and disasters of our species as it careens into the 21st century, with... Continue Reading →
What may Jay say? The alternative @JayWeatherill speech for #Openstate
The following document fell through a wormhole from an alternative universe, landing as a smoldering set of singed papers, with a comedy thump, on my desk. It purports to be an account of the speech given by South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill at the launch of the “2017 Open State Program.” Standing at the podium... Continue Reading →
“That was a good meeting “– what the heck are your criteria?
So, went to an activist meeting that was dominated by a small core of people. Afterwards they were heard agreeing that it was an excellent meeting. And you have to wonder, what were their criteria. I think these. "I got to speak a lot/display my virtue and or intelligence/be the centre of attention" (see also... Continue Reading →
#GrenfellTower – “never again” they say. But WHO ensures that? How? #socialmovements
Glued to the newsfeeds. Thinking in horror of the lives cut short, women throwing babies from the ninth floor. The courage of the firefighters, the desperation, the professionalism of the emergency staff, the NHS. Thinking of how burning down a city for fun and profit is nothing new. There's a book we should all read,... Continue Reading →
Citizens Gathering – we need new institutions
Last night I went to a “meeting” of, oh, let’s call it “Citizens Gathering”. After 90 minutes I came away with a very small amount of new information (nothing that I couldn’t have learnt by reading a three minute blog post) and a lot of suspicions confirmed. I have put the word meeting in scare... Continue Reading →
On the Manchester bombing – safety, fear, solidarity
Facebook messages come through every minute - people marking themselves as "safe." Twenty two people are not, and sixty more are physically wounded. The psychological wounds for others who were there, for the emergency services, and for others further afield (loved ones, friends) will take time to be obvious, longer still to heal (if they... Continue Reading →
Social skill (which I clearly lack!)
Social skill is defined as “the capacity for inter-subjective thought and action that shapes the provision of meaning, interests and identity in the service of collective ends” [Fligstein & McAdam, 2012 p.4] Fligstein, N. & McAdam, D. 2012, A Theory of Fields, Oxford University Press, New York, New York. Hat-tip to Stephen McGrail
marchudson.net 