Guest post by Richard Symons We came to “The Fear Factory” via an unusual but (as we discovered) incredibly astute request. The Nationwide Foundation’s steering committee brief was simple enough, “give us a tool to change minds” – a regrettably necessary first step in making the treatment of young offenders something you could convince the [...]
When I received my review copy of Spirit Level Film’s latest documentary, The Fear Factory, through my letterbox a few days ago, I had little idea what to expect. A few seconds in, as the ominous music begins to play and the image of a foetus looms into view accompanied by the voiceover telling us [...]
This is a response to Reuben’s post from a week and a half back. I realise that’s quite a long delay (I meant to write about it last weekend, but unfortunately I’ve been away for the past week, and frankly a bit rubbish at posting for a few weeks before that) but I think the [...]
At the interval Mental Flatmate was a bit glum. ‘There’s not enough grime,’ he complained. ‘Prison’s all about knives and gangs, you know?’ He paused and stared silently at his beer for a full minute. ‘They haven’t got enough hate.’ Mental Flatmate reads the Daily Mail and gets intimidated by the school kids who hang [...]
My original plan for this week was to write about spending cuts and the right’s hysteria over government debt, but after Touchstone, Seumas Milne, and especially Duncan’s recent posts did a much better job than I could ever hope to, I decided against it. So, after seeing this story in today’s Independent, I’ve gone for [...]
For years now, the authoritarianism of the Labour government has enabled the Conservatives to pose as champions of civil liberties. Yet recent comments by shadow home secretary Chris Grayling illustrate how superficial such commitments really are. In a speech the other day Grayling billed his new proposals – in words to make Daily Mail readers [...]
