France – Commodity Fetishism

The Man with the Box

I wrote something that I considered I ought to write. An exercise for an imagined writing class. Or in response to one of those books, ‘How to be a Writer’. It’s not really ‘writing’ that’s the issue. There’s plenty of that. A large mass of it is incoherent, introspective and of no interest. I didn’tContinue reading “The Man with the Box”

Autonomous Networks

Starting points…where to start? It seems a flood, of hate and bile and anger and screwed up raging faces. Influencers, social media companies, the right wing press, the shock troops of the new right, lies and dis-formation. Anything goes. Pointing fingers, provocative behaviour, murder-speech, writing lies and far right propaganda. A newspaper claims a ‘pro-Palestine’Continue reading “Autonomous Networks”

Walking to France

The alarm is set but I wake up an hour before it rings. This gives more time for breakfast, double-checking that passport, tickets, euros, notebooks, pens, headphones, cameras are all in place. I might as well leave early rather than idle around at home. It will be interesting to see the port wake up; notContinue reading “Walking to France”

As a Tourist, in Paris

Paris is infected with building-itis too. As the train comes through the outer suburbs and into the city itself, lines and lines of tower cranes. Half built luxury apartment blocks, leisure and retail complex investments, gated communities, poor quality cheap builds (and expensive lets) that will quickly become the new slums. The city has concentratedContinue reading “As a Tourist, in Paris”

Rue Pocquet de Livonnieres

On the corner of the Rue Pocquet de Livonnieres and the Place de Pilori there is a patisserie which bakes fine bread, good cakes and serves decent coffee. There are metal orange tables and chairs outside and it’s a good spot to have breakfast and watch Angers come to life each morning. I buy aContinue reading “Rue Pocquet de Livonnieres”

Notes for a War Diary

The word ‘agate’ had to be looked up because I realised I only had a vague notion of what ‘agate’ might be. It seemed a small, trifling thing, referenced in Franz Hessel’s lovely book Walking in Berlin. As he describes, ‘In the evening of that overfilled day, I was welcomed into the home of anContinue reading “Notes for a War Diary”

A Day in Boulogne Sur Mer

I like Boulogne-sur-Mer and its shabby-chic and tatty edges. It’s a port and port-towns are usually without airs and graces, pomp and circumstances and many other cliches. There is something about the proximity to the sea and all that has meant historically and still means today. The fear of the people as storms prevent theContinue reading “A Day in Boulogne Sur Mer”

A Sea Crossing

It’s important to go with the flow. Checking in 90 minutes before the ferry is due to sail. Turning up at the passenger terminal 20 minutes before then. Waiting patiently because the hand held computer-machine which is used to scan passports isn’t working. Talking to the P&O worker about the over-use of technology, of technologyContinue reading “A Sea Crossing”