And so The Lady remains in her house by the lake. Silenced by the Burmese military, she is held in solitary confinement with her telephone line cut and her post intercepted. Committed to her cause for human rights and democracy in Burma, she remains dedicated to her people. This legally elected leader of the people of Burma is held without trial or charge. And the world looks away.
At last, Tony Blair, you're standing down. Ah, Tony. 655,000 Iraqis killed. Another 3.4 million Iraqis fleeing their homes. 3602 coalition troops killed. $16 billion of British money spent on helping George W Bush fight two imperialist wars. You've left your party damaged and your people demoralized. What a wolf in sheep's clothing you turned out to be. But, I quote you: you did what you thought was right. Bye bye Tony. Next!
The British press meanwhile have been outraged at the prospect of Prince Harry being sent to Iraq. "Madness!" they're crying, adding that it would be "too dangerous" to send him to the front lines of this shambolic military exercise. As if all those other lives at risk in Iraq are somehow less important.
Life in Totnes, on other hand, is sweet. No bombs falleth here. I'm spending much time helping out at a cafe run by some good friends... ah, I'm espresso fasting... only about four a day but my mates seem to view it as a dependency. Not true. John Lennon at one point in New York was on twenty cups of espresso a day. Outrageous! His adrenal glands were just knackered... I'm OK by comparison (hands shaking, clenched jaw). Totnes really is like a piece of theatre sometimes. Did I mention that it has been named the funkiest town in Britain? The essence of Bohemia, apparently. It's a place of musical happenings, incense-laden hippie trucks, yoga centres, organic foodstores, chilled-out coffee houses and twice-weekly markets where you can buy an assortment of things; dusty secondhand books, Indian saris, Moroccan slippers, Ladakhi jewellery, and a variety of tucker which is all locally produced. Quite nice. You can arrange your own eco-friendly funeral here, appoint yourself your own personal holistic masseuse, or visit an alternative dentist (though quite what he/she uses as an anesthetic is beyond me). It's been described as a "nurturing" place, which seems to be true. It's a haven for the afflicted. I left my flat the other day to be accosted by a lady dressed in a purple velvet kaftan who promptly cornered me to tell me about how she'd recently given birth to six aliens who were keeping her awake at night. What can you possibly say to that?..
Summer is nigh and the weather is getting better and better. Totnes though, has become the transit lounge for me. I'm off to Korea in three weeks to teach English for a year. What to expect? I really don't know. What I do know is that South Korea is so urbanized and polluted that it seems impossible to breath there at times. I'll also be teaching small children - something I'm relatively inexperienced at. In a way, I feel like I'm almost throwing myself to the lions. I'll also miss spending the summertime here in my beloved Devon - but I shouldn't complain. Mine is a good life.
I can't remember how it came about that I ended up protesting to my mate Sonja about my age... but she ended up telling me that as long as I have no children I'll always be a kid. I turn thirty next weekend. I honestly can't believe it. Thirty. Years. Old. What the fuck happened there? I still feel like a teenager. I show no signs of beings settled - on the contrary - I can think of nothing more unsettling. Do I start to behave myself? Do I slow down? Do I keep the promise ("I'll stop when I'm 30") I so loudly made to myself before so many witnesses over the years? How to stop partying? Calling all Thirtysomethings! Tips please.
(The covers featuring Blair above are, needless to say, from the British satirical publication Private Eye. Click on each cover for a larger view. The Eye was started by the comedian Peter Cook - much missed - in a small Soho office in the Sixties. It's become something of an institution - always brilliant.)
Tony Benn, the Godfather of the Left, was elected into British parliament in 1951 and went on to hold four ministerial posts in government. I've said it before but I'm utterly convinced he's the greatest Prime Minister Britain never had. He's never wavered from his socialist principles, always on hand to speak with clarity and strength for the underdogs, the anti-imperialists, the repressed. During the Seventies he was dismissed as a pro-Soviet extremist, something which perhaps hindered his chances of becoming a Labour leader. A prolific diarist and a pipesmoking vegetarian, he is one of our most charismatic political figures. A hero among young people in Britain, he was voted Number 12 on the 'Hero of Our Time' list, published last year by the New Statesman - way ahead of The Queen, Bono, Richard Branson and Neil Armstrong. Taking retirement from parliament in 2001, he has become one of our highest-profile anti-war campaigners and the President of the Stop the War Coalition. His reason for retirement? To devote more time to politics.
"if we are serious about wanting peace we have got to eliminate the causes of war, and to do that we shall have to study our history a bit more carefully"
"simply having nuclear weapons destroys democracy. when a country has them, ministers - of all parties - lie. no minister has ever told the truth about any central question of nuclear policy"
"britain is now in effect, an american colony, seen in washington as an unsinkable aircraft carrier..."
"democracy is always a struggle for justice against the powerful"
"I do not share the general view that market forces are the basis for political liberty. Every time I see a homeless person living in a cardboard box in London, I see that person as a victim of market forces. Everytime I see a pensioner who cannot manage, I know that he is a victim of market forces"
"democracy is not just voting every five years. democracy is what we do, what we say, where we live and how we work..." In the clip above, filmed at the People's Assembly last March, Benn speaks out against George W Bush and Tony Blair, and what we have learned during their period of leadership. The second clip (below) is excerpted from the BBC's political question-and-answer sessionQuestion Time. Benn is seen here on absolute top form, completely demolishing the former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton. Just look at the way Bolton reacts. Benn is such a brilliant speaker - I respect him and I am in awe of him.
i'm a british boy with itchy feet and a bit of a full heart. after spending most of my adult life on the road as a musician who dabbles in stand-up comedy, i got a bit bored and uninspired. i travelled to india for a few months in 2003 and since then the yearning to explore has never left me. here i have tried to share gladly my thoughts and experiences gathered on the road, and at home in england, and i have tried to be as frank as possible. if things seem too political, it is not my intention. what i have found is that when we travel, we are seeing, not just reading, about the injustices of our troubled world. india has my heart, burma has my hopes, china has my watchful eye, and cambodia has my liver. peace.
And so The Lady remains in her house by the lake. Silenced by the Burmese military, she is held in solitary confinement with her telephone line cut and her post intercepted. Committed to her cause for human rights and democracy in Burma, she remains dedicated to her people. This legally elected leader of the people of Burma is held without trial or charge. And the world looks away.
