Another England (how to reclaim our national story)
Another England is a refreshing, uplifting and important book by England’s first Green MP (now resigned) Caroline Lucas, as a compassionate and alternative response to the hard-right taking over our country.
She writes that when politics becomes too soft on crime, lack of housing and immigration (all linked to our national problems), this gives a vacuum for bigoted politics to rear its ugly head, by those who lazily seek to blame all of society’s problems on others, rather than a lack of vision on the new compassionate society that’s possible, for all.
It’s interesting that Reform UK markets itself as ‘the party of patriotism’. But for what? A beautiful England is one of clean litter-free streets, local independent shops, local economies that protect homeless people, protecting native wildlife.
Yet its policies include zero-hour contracts (which leads to more homelessness, as there are no contracts to support rental or mortgage payments), stopping rewilding (which would lead to extinction of endangered creatures like hedgehogs and dormice – they are also ‘native to England’ – and have been around a lot longer than all of us).
Local independent shops are not deemed as important as sucking up to Trump. And the party accepts million pound donations from funders who don’t live here (nor pay tax to fund the NHS).
Just like Hamza Yassin recently wrote that he wished all children could name five trees (rather than five Kardashians), one wonders how many of the Reform MPs and would-be MPs could name our endangered species, coastal flowers, and have the scientific argument on why they believe climate change is not manmade (it is, ask any climate scientist that is not funded by the oil industry).
The Reform Party’s only interest does appear to be making the country as rich as quickly as possible. Reading the manifesto has made me believe they actually see the environment as an inconvenient obstacle one has to live with, and can profit from. Elizabeth Parry
The Rise Of Compassionate Patrotism
Compassionate patriotism is about building bridges, not walls. It’s about looking out for our neighbours, honouring our shared history, and dreaming a future where everyone belongs.
Often the jobs taken by immigrants are those that the very people who belittle them would never do – being a cleaner, carer or hospital janitor.
Ahmed Al Ahmed (the have-a-go fruit shop owner hero who saved so many lives in the anti-Jewish shooting on Bondi Beach, was from Syria, a country whose citizens are banned by Trump from visiting the USA, cited as terrorism risks..
Recently Ahmed and others who helped at the scene were roared with appreciation, when they walked onto the pitch. And while in the US for for medical treatment (thankfully Trump let him in), he and the Bondi Beach Rabbi prayed together.
He later said that he had been looking for a cup of coffee. The security guard had told him there would be a hot drink by the sea, as it was Hannukah. He said ‘I saw the Menorah standing tall. I knew these were our Jewish brothers, and I felt happy to see it’.
According to most of the media these days, you can’t call out genocide, without being labelled antisemitic. But of course both armies have committed atrocities, yet those in power are not called out on their actions.
