When I had my Fulbright interview, back in January 2020, the final question was “What else would you do with your time in the US?”. Assuming my chances were already slim, I answered, off the cuff, “Watch baseball, drink beer and explore the Hudson Valley”. I’ve managed to do all three, sometimes simultaneously! [1] … Continue reading Carry On Up The Hudson
Posts
The Unfolding Failure of the U.S. Left
I know that headline could have been written at many times and equally applied to many countries. I’m also conscious of being a guest who’s in danger of abusing their hospitality. But what’s unfolding here is a potentially catastrophic failure of the left that could have lasting consequences here and beyond. As I’ve written before… Continue reading The Unfolding Failure of the U.S. Left
Co-operate: “Because we have to”
Barely a week after the last one, last Thursday I attended another great meeting! It was hosted by the Herman Liebman Memorial Fund and attended by a group of advocates for and participants in mutualism and co-operatives. Those words may have a 19th century ring to them. But as the keynote speaker, Sara Horowitz, said,… Continue reading Co-operate: “Because we have to”
First 100 Days
That’s my time in the Bronx, not Joe Biden’s in office. He’s been there 266 days. But my century landmark today seems like an opportunity to take stock of how he’s getting on, as his Presidency enters a critical phase. Marking the impact of a new President’s first 100 days started with Franklin D Roosevelt… Continue reading First 100 Days
There’s Power in a Union
Since I came here, 14 weeks ago, I’ve averaged 2 – 3 meetings a week (that doesn’t include all the informal ones). But the one I went to (on Zoom) yesterday stood out. It was with a small group of union members from a construction workers local/branch, where we discussed how unions can get more… Continue reading There’s Power in a Union
What does the left not get about housing?
This question has been rattling round my brain for years, but has got louder while I’ve been here. There are, as ever, exceptions and generalisations in what follows. But overall, the organised left, including within trade unions, socialist, revolutionary and labourist/social democratic parties, appears unable to fully recognise the scale of housing misery for working… Continue reading What does the left not get about housing?
American Utopia
Last night, I went to see David Bryne’s “American Utopia”. I’d seen bits before, but the chance to see it on a big screen, in the East Village was too good to miss. I have a slight musical confession to make. I used to think Byrne and Talking Heads were pretentious tossers. That was back… Continue reading American Utopia
Suicide Watch
I’ve heard it said everyone has a novel in them. I’m not sure I do, but I did once have an idea for a plot I’ll never write, that might be playing out in American reality. My slightly macabre, Huxley-like, idea imagined a society where every adult citizen was issued with a suicide pill. The… Continue reading Suicide Watch
Housing: Them and Us
Last Wednesday (1st September), in the state capital Albany, the New York Assembly held an extraordinary – in every sense – session to debate extending the state’s eviction moratorium. Watching it was an object lesson in “them and us” attitudes to housing and its place in our society. Even after years of trying, I sometimes… Continue reading Housing: Them and Us
Bad Morning America
Last week, I went to the Museum of the City of New York and saw an exhibition called Rising Tides. It captured the devastating impact global warming and rising sea levels are already having on some parts of the world, causing the displacement of whole communities and the prospect of millions more climate refugees in… Continue reading Bad Morning America
Bronx Tales 