Rupert's Read

I helped put together this exciting new programme ; let me know if you are interested in being one of our first cohort of students!

  Compass are having a ‘ Plan B’ event in Norwich on Wednesday 7 th March. Do come!   It will take place from 6PM to 7:30PM at the Unite building (39 Thorpe Road). Speakers already confirmed are:   Anna Coote (nef) Alan Finlayson (academic, UEA) Clive Lewis (Labour candidate for Norwich South) And myself.   See http://www.compassonline.org.uk/news/item.asp?n=13985 for my general take…  

I studied Philosophy at Oxford University with London's Mayor Boris Johnson. I have watched Boris's career since then with interest, including his stint as MP for Henley, near Heathrow. I find his proposal for a massive, madly-expensive new airport in the Thames Estuary to be nothing more than a piece of envioronmental vandalism. The real reason that this location is proposed is obvious: it is so that Boris's friends in Henley dont have so many planes flying over them... It's great that there is to be no 3rd runway at Heathrow. But: Why should the people of Essex have to suffer more noise, pollution and traffic congestion than there is already? Just so that rich Tories living west of London can have a quieter life?! It is crystal clear now that there was no environmental reason for the no-3rd-runway-at-Heathrow decision. . . Lets put the vast sums of money that would be spent on this proposed eyesore in the Thames Estuary to better use, to making the qual...

A message from Sandor Fulop, the Hungarian ombudsman for future generations, in support of my guardians proposal [This message was read out at the event launching my report in Westminster, last week]:   MESSAGE OF SUPPORT TO THE LAUNCH OF THE GREEN HOUSE REPORT ON GUARDIANS FOR THE FUTURE   It is my great regret that I cannot take part in this event because of organisational and financial reasons. My heart is with you and I fully support the idea developed by Mr. Read about the guardians for future generations.   To my view, first of all we should not refer to the future generations as "they", since actually we ourselves are future generations, too, as we would like to enjoy liveable urban and rural environment, drinkable water, edible food etc. in 5 or 10 years from now. However, our decision-makers, when ruling over huge sums of money on nation-wide bureaucracies, seldom think ahead even for that long. The next closing of the fiscal year, th...

Caroline will appear on BBC Question Time at 10.35pm this evening, alongside Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, co-chairman of the Conservative Party, Stephen Twigg MP, Labour's shadow education secretary Green MP, Germaine Greer, feminist writer and academic, and Charles Moore, columnist and former editor at the Telegraph and the Spectator. The programme will be available to watch again here once it has been broadcast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b3cdw

BBC TV last night: Go 8 minutes in to see my take on the government's airport expansion plans: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b019lr20/Look_East_East_18_01_2012/

Have a listen to this: http://rupertread.fastmail.co.uk/What%20is%20liberty%3F A talk given by me to UEA's undergrad philsoc today. Warning: large file , will take some time to download...

Philosophy Series 2 January 25th to 28th February - Marzano's, The Forum A second series of evening cafes organised and hosted by UEA's School of Philosophy (Rupert Read and Chad Ryan) has been announced for January and February. Discuss, debate and discover in an informal setting with a variety of expert hosts. Topics include why we feel emotion for fictional characters and why we seem to have lost our sense of magic in the modern world. For the full programme click here .

Have a listen!: http://rupertread.fastmail.co.uk/%27Podcast%27%20of%20full%20%27guardians%27%20report%20launch%20event%20at%20HofC%20 Warning: This is a VERY big file you need to download, to listen to my talk and to the discussion... But it's worth it! It was quite an event...  

Have a listen to my talk at yesterday's Compass 'Progressive Alliance' meeting, on the 'guardians for future generations' idea. [Download, and then play. [Warning: this is a very large file!]] http://rupertread.fastmail.co.uk/My%20guardians%20talk%20(and%20discussion)%20at%20Progressive%20Alliance

My latest on @LibCon: http://liberalconspiracy.org/2012/01/11/a-radical-idea-to-elect-guardians-to-protect-future-generations/   [See also http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=4115  ]

[For more, goto oneworldcolumn.org ] As the struggle for global resources - energy, minerals, agricultural land, water - increases we'll look at the the widespread pressure for social justice and protection of the earth. As the corporate control of the world tightens (1%), we'll reflect on the collective people's movement for democratic change, that began in 2011, with the (99%) protesters of the Arab Spring, continued with the indignados of Spain and Greece, and the Occupiers of Zuccotti Park in New York and hundred of cities around the world. As the government continues its austerity drive and support of the City of London and the banks, we'll keep supporting those involved with land rights, community ownership, and defence of our public services. As well as facing the hard and difficult issues, we will include the positive moves that are changing the restrictive patterns within our social fabric. We'll be looking at the grassroots movements that cr...

Now it gets interesting/terrifying...:   Middle East and North Africa Programme Analysis The Energy, Environment and Development Programme at Chatham House has published a new report on energy security in Saudi Arabia:     ...

The East Anglian Film Archive has just released on the web a thirteen minute film of the 1953 East Anglian Sea Flood. It can be viewed by going to  http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/205529   Check out the first couple of minutes of it!   This will bring back memories of fifty-nine years ago to many mature people, and hopefully act as a stark warning to those who are now aiding and abetting the loss of our sea defences...   [H.T. Pat Gowen.]    

My new 'guardians for future people' proposal [that Caroline Lucas will be hosting a meeting on next week with me in the House of Commons] is in The _Guardian_!: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2012/jan/04/climate-politics-future-generation-justice?intcmp=122 ['Guardians' in The Guardian ; makes sense, I guess...!] Do comment below the story there , if you have a comment. (Especially a nice one! ;-)

   Radical thinktank report calls for institution of 'guardians' for future generations   In a new report to be launched at the House of Commons on 10 th January 2012 , Green House think tank Chair Dr. Rupert Read (that's me! ;-) will propose radical constitutional reform to Parliament in order to create strong 'guardians' to protect future generations' basic needs. In order to actualise this, the ' Guardians for future generations' report suggests creating a 'super-jury', picked by chance (as juries are) from the population at large, charged with preserving the basic needs of future generations, to be placed above the upper house.   The Guardians' central powers would be a veto over new legislation that would damage / compromise the basic needs of future people, and a right to force a review of existing legislation that is already damaging their basic needs.   ·          The ' Guardians for future...