How do you map a monarchy? Depict the location of its palaces and other places of residence? Display the extent of its material wealth or its kinship connections ? Create a genealogical tree or a psycho-geography of members of the royal household? Or devise a cartogram showing their personal popularity or lack of it with different groups of ‘subjects’? A wealth map … [Read more...] about On losing the Royal touch
Phil's Blog
A LOCKDOWN POEM
Crossing the Pandemoticon It began with a hand clenched experimentally to ear not so much a fist as a makeshift mouthpiece designed to broadcast miracles speaking in tongues: ‘habari,kangarooshni,slapit nego,nego,unulti possum! craaghi covid ipsit cunnilingo ? es krampit todo kwa heri ‘ a polyglot mother … [Read more...] about A LOCKDOWN POEM
A Long Life in the Making
Phil's has created a Vimeo video of the book with selected readings. This is an afterword to my father's memoir which I have just edited for forthcoming publication by eyeglass books. I thought that the reader might be interested to know a bit more about the biographical background to this memoir, what motivated and influenced … [Read more...] about A Long Life in the Making
ON THE UNHOMING OF FAMILIAR THINGS
What follows is from a forthcoming publication with the above title by eyeglass books which contains extracts from my lockdown diary. MATERIAL DREAMS : SOME AFTERTHOUGHTS Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria, declared for him: and even Stigand, the patriotic archbishop of Canterbury, found it advisable--"'`Found what?' said the Duck.` Found it,' the … [Read more...] about ON THE UNHOMING OF FAMILIAR THINGS
Political Mindfulness and the Pandemic : an interview
In this interview Phil Cohen discusses his latest project and two linked publications from the Left wing think tank Compass. How did this project come about? For me the starting point in this journey goes back to the 1980’s , the Kinnock years, when having abolished the Young Socialists because it was controlled by Trotskyists, they launched an initiative called Labour … [Read more...] about Political Mindfulness and the Pandemic : an interview