Change is Coming

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2014


This is a blog inspired by the idea that a change is coming.

I'll come out and say it early doors; I'm going to mainly talk UK politics here and I believe that a wind of change is blowing. It may be more of a breeze I can feel but the political Zeitgeist is moving, subtly. Our politicians, chosen to represent us, are failing. They are letting us down en masse and an awareness is creeping out. Social Media is the new voice, one which cannot be so easily nobbled and a generation of opinions are being informed outside of mainstream media. 

The more of us who air our thoughts and share those of others the better; the stronger the web of real news & genuine opinion the better. Information is vital, it's power; it's all of those cliches and I want to try and do my bit to spread the message of those who are crusading for the 99%.

In a week where we saw the Occupy/Anonymous movement march through London and almost every media outlet pick up solely on the presence of Vivienne Westwood & Russell Brand it's at the very least cathartic to try and do something towards rebalancing the discussion.

The Daily Mail et al would have you believe the event was orchestrated by a group of lawless hooligans venting spleen and being driven on by Brand in a gilded chariot holding a placard denouncing material living. Clearly neither of these movements represent a panacea but they are demonstrating against a crooked system propped up by a corporate media determined to smoke screen any opposition to the status quo. They represent a growing section of society detached from politics as we know it, riled by rampant inequality and what they perceive to be a broken system pandering to the establishment it is run by.

The name of this blog belies a degree of affiliation but I am a member of neither group. I believe, however, that as movements growing in popularity and representative of an expanding section of public opinion the views and intent of both organisations deserve some column inches. Rather than reporting only on the number of arrests at the protest or sneering at the wealth of Westwood & Brand, who dare to stand up and denounce a system from which they have profited; how about a look at what the thousands of marchers were standing for? 

Occupy are a group of activists protesting against social and economic inequality. They stand against globalisation, corporate dominance and a political system of neoliberal deregulation which serves the interests of the few whilst disproportionately ignoring the needs of society. Put simply; they are crusading for the 99%, for the redistribution of wealth and for a fairer, ecological and sustainable political system. 

The Anonymous group, self proclaimed 'Hactivists', stand for freedom of information and of the internet, freedom of speech as well as the exposure of corruption, greed & injustice. Among their campaigns they have stood against Scientology's intimidating legal practices and the Westboro Baptist Church as well as in support of WikiLeaks and the Arab Spring movement. Their methods are unorthodox and morally ambiguous but that shouldn't disqualify any discussion of their message.

This being my first foray into Blog-dom I'd gladly receive any comments, thank you for reading.