London – Commodity Fetishism

London Notes

The journey started at the coast. The never ending sailing of the world’s cargo fleets, container ships, oil tankers, liquid natural gas carriers, specialist, technical craft. Warships, aircraft carriers, nuclear armed submarines beneath the waves. Shadow fleets evading sanctions, funding wars, killing children. As the train emerges from the tunnel under the Thames an industrialContinue reading “London Notes”

Fragment of a Radical Walk

I have to accept that a write up of a Radical Walk will never be along the lines of, “meet outside the Bishopsgate Institute, turn left into Artillery Row, proceed in a southerly direction to Middlesex Street, note the estate on the corner, here is the heart of the East End; it’s quite some distanceContinue reading “Fragment of a Radical Walk”

Empire of Corruption: A Radical Walk

Empire Latin: related to imperare, whence imperator, Emperor, 1. Supreme and extensive political domain2. Absolute sway, supreme control3. Emperorship – 1606 Corruption 1. The destruction or spoiling of anything, esp. by disintegration or decomposition, putreficatio – 17182. Infection, infected condition; also contagion, taint – 15983. Decomposition or putrid matter – 15264. A making or becomingContinue reading “Empire of Corruption: A Radical Walk”

Where are the Socialist Voices?

This is based on a Radical Walk that took place on Sunday 8 June 2025 as part of the London Festival of Architecture. It’s a longer than usual blog pieces because I get regular messages from people who say they would like to come along but for various reasons they can’t. So this is forContinue reading “Where are the Socialist Voices?”

Capital, Consumerism & Christmas Lights

If we travelled sixty years back in time we would recognise that world. The fashions, music, films, motorism, typography and street life would be familiar to us. The surfaces of daily life would be familiar to us; even though within the capitalist mode of production there has been a great deal of change. Manufacturing hasContinue reading “Capital, Consumerism & Christmas Lights”