Phil's Blog

In the age of Instagram and Facebook, when people are constantly  ‘updating their status’,  and keeping family and friends ‘in the loop’ about the smallest detail of their everyday lives, a Xmas  blog  looking back and reflecting on the year’s events, both personal and political, must seem  either redundant or an act of self indulgence, along with too many mince pies. Yet … [Read more...] about FOR THOSE ORPHANED LATE IN LIFE – AN UNSEASONABLE XMAS BLOG

FEBRUARY BLOG :THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD - AN URBAN TRIPTYCH   1)  Chic by Growl   I recently moved into a new neighbourhood in Islington. My flat is  in  a large Peabody Estate, off the Essex Road, quite close to the area which Ruth Glass  made the object of her famous study on ‘gentrification’. I am living in one of the earliest ‘ … [Read more...] about February Blog There goes the neighbourhood

Trump L’Oeil Like most people on what we used to call the Left,  I guess I have been struggling to come to terms with the result of the US Presidential election, not to mention the  UK vote to leave the EU and the gains by the Far Right in Eastern Europe. It is fatally easy to join up the dots and see the emergence of  authoritarian populism and national … [Read more...] about An Unseasonal Triptych

I  was recently  asked to speak at an  event  in support of Jeremy Corbyn`s bid to retain his leadership of the Labour Party.  The request came from the son of one of my oldest friends, a young man who  has recently discovered politics, along with a great deal of self confidence  after an unusually difficult  and prolonged  period of … [Read more...] about SEPTEMBER BLOG :SUBTLE DIALECTICS,CRUDE THOUGHTS

Some reflections on  the Olympic  dream machine ‘As a microcosm of what we hope to achieve,  look at the Olympics and their Legacy....We have set ourselves the goal of ‘convergence’.  The idea is that kids growing up in East London should have the same life chances as anywhere else. There is no reason why the kids of East London should not benefit from, … [Read more...] about August Blog; From London to Rio,the band plays on