a blog archive
> An audio documentary about Colin Ward which tells the story of anarchy in the UK through his life and work, and an alternative history of the 20th century seen from an anarchist perspective.
> Broadcast on Resonance FM at 12pm (BST) on Thursday 14th August 2025 and then available to listen on Mixcloud.
UK General Election
Vote! 🗳️
> If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don’t bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties, who please rest assured are not dumb, and who are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible psychological reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching MTV on primary day. By all means stay home if you want, but don’t bullshit yourself that you’re not voting. In reality, there is _no such thing as not voting_: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard’s vote.
_Up, Simba_
David Foster Wallace
Live election results watch-along: July 4th from 9:45pm – Freedom News
> We will chart the winners and losers and assess the new political landscape with a panel of anarchist voices. Stick on a news channel, mute their mainstream noise, and have us on a second screen for up-to-the-minute anarchist news and views.
This could be an interesting watch/listen on Thursday night. A lot of time to fill though.
Lankum: If microphones are put in front of us, we are going to talk about Gaza
> “I think that if you have a platform,” Peat says, “and you don’t use it to speak what you believe about this, then it’s a waste of a platform. I also think that having a platform to only promote your music or yourself doesn’t sit very well for me. It’s horrendous what’s happening and if microphones are put in front of us, we’re going to talk about it. It’s really that simple.”
Yesterday’s local election voting 🗳️ 😔
> … there were low turnouts across Wales.
>
> The highest was in Dyfed-Powys at 19.2%, while the lowest was 15.63% in Gwent. It stood at 17.19% in North Wales and 16.58% in South Wales.
🔗 Some thoughts on International Women's Day
> Speaking truth to the power of the patriarchy is unimaginably difficult, even as I live a life of relative privilege. In the past, I’ve experienced deep levels of discomfort at writing one small truth because there’s the worry that I’ll be branded a troublemaker, a man hater, a difficult woman to work with. All of which heightens my respect for those women across global history who’ve had to fight like lions for the barest modicum of political and/or cultural change.
Linkblog 🔗: Colin Ward: Everyday Anarchy – a Community crowdfunding project in Norwich by Patrick Bernard
> An audio documentary to celebrate the life and work of the British anarchist Colin Ward and to mark the centenary of his birth in 2024.
>
> This is a unique opportunity to tell the story of a rich and overlooked tradition in British thought – and a radical alternative to mainstream politics – which found its greatest advocate in the figure of Colin Ward.
Linkblog 🔗: David Harewood on Blackface – a shocking, deeply moving piece of television
> A little discomfort is a price worth paying to see Harewood, Lester, Linton and Olusoga speak truth to power on the same channel that was once broadcasting minstrels into their living rooms.
🔗 Multicultural Man: On technology
> As regular readers of this column know, I don’t think there is an anthropic solution to anthropogenic climate change