Crash! (1971): An experimental television film with J.G. Ballard and Gabrielle DrakeThis film, made for BBC2 and broadcast in 1971, features J.G. Ballard and Gabrielle Drake. It must have been inspired by one of the linked stories - also called Crash! - from Ballard's novel The Atrocity Exhibition, which was published in 1970. Ballard's novel Crash did not appear until 1973. It was adapted by David Cronenberg for a 1996 film that caused great controversy when it was released. (more) |
Roz Savage and her Liberal vision for a flourishing BritainRoz Savage has written a paper called Liberalism Alive: A Liberal Vision for a Flourishing Britain for Compass. It was published last month and touches upon questions that Liberal Democrats are currently wrestling with, such as leadership and defining what we stand for. It's well worth a read. You can download it from the Compass website. Here's a little of what Roz writes: Britain does not need another political saviour. It needs direction: leadership capable of describing that direction, institutions capable of learning, a state strong enough to protect the public interest, and millions of people with enough security, ownership ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1590Jonathan Wilson explains why we're stuck with a Premier League in the clutches of the global mega-rich: "Clubs represent their communities and for fans support becomes an aspect of identity, a link to family and place and past, a role that has only become more significant as the influence of traditional institutions - the church, the workplace, the social club - has faded. Yet fans in England have almost never owned their clubs, which in part underlies the present crisis." "While investors get richer, the dysfunctional market inflicts a huge cost on children in care. Young people removed from their ... (more) |
What is Christian nationalism?There is a billboard on a main road near where I live, which has not carried any advertisements for some considerable time. However, it has become a canvass for the far right's meaningless slogans. Faced with studied indifference by the owners, the council has twice now painted over these tags, and the culprits appear to have moved on to defacing walls in nearby parks. However, I noticed the other day that a makeshift wooden cross (pictured) has been erected above the billboard in a clear attempt to differentiate the perpetrators from the multi-cultural society we now live in. The Ku ... (more) |