Well still very inspired by New Internationalist issue 'Big Babies - the Dumbing down of politics', hoping some of it will go on the web and I can blog select bits, really good at explaining why most political parties have ceased to be politic, other than as tools for personal career.
Might catch some of you next week at SOAS or Twickenham Green Party meetings...Paris October 7th (I am not flying before you ask), Reading Green Party Oct 14th, Bristol 20th October, Monmouth 23rd, Bath 24th, Brimingham 25th, London 27th....looking a bit busy with work and blogging and writing.
and if you are Green Party members in England and Wales ballot for Principal Speakers, chair and local party support should be slamming on to your door mat over the next day or two...so go on vote for me, although I am sure Darren or Ashley would be fine, its a fairly friendly contest....deadline for getting them back to party office is 8th October, could be close.
Just spotted this great Comment is Free article by Neil Clark on Erich Fromm.
"A healthy economy is only possible at the expense of unhealthy human beings".
I wonder what the social philosopher and psychoanalyst Dr Erich Fromm, the man who wrote those words over 30 years ago, would make of Britain today.
Over the past decade we have witnessed an unprecedented period of uninterrupted economic growth. Yet our collective mental health has declined sharply. More than two million Britons are on antidepressants, a million on Class A drugs. Binge drinking, and what Fromm called "acts of destruction" - violence, self-abuse and vandalism - have reached record levels. The Samaritans report that five million people are "extremely stressed". Oliver James' new book, Affluenza, and last week's Unicef report, which listed Britain's children as the unhappiest in Europe, are powerful indictments of the society we have become.
For solutions to our predicament, don't look to neo-liberal politicians such as Ed Vaizey, and other members of the political parties bankrolled by big business. And don't look either to short-term fixes like the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) advocated by Richard Layard.
Instead, turn to the work of Erich Fromm, one of the 20th century's most prescient - yet sadly neglected - thinkers.
More here
12 comments:
Hi Derek,
Many thanks for your comments. Let's get the Erich Fromm party/Society going! It could be a good meeting point for all of us of like mind.
I'm going to put a link up to your blog on mine.
All the very best,
Neil
Hey Derek
Do you agree with Neil and his "keep the quislings out" viewpoint about the Iraqi translators or you just natually thick
If you are going to try to smear me and be gratuitously rude to Derek, then at least have the guts to do so under your own name, anonymous.
Dear Neil,
I am not anonymous so I haven't smeared you.
If I wanted to criticise you I would use my own name, I liked your Fromm article.
best wishes,
Derek
apologies Neil read that too quickly,
yes rude trolls!
Derek, even if you like what he says, be aware that Neil Clark has been exposed for posting booster comments about himself across the web under false names and then lying when he's been caught. It's really funny that now he calls for people to post under their real name!
Neil posted under the name GreenGoddess on Stephen Pollard's blog, always praising himself. He also posted under the name CityLightsGirl on Wikipedia so as to delete any criticisms of himself. Both times he was accused of being Neil Clark and he lied in reply. (He didn't know that IP addresses could show he was lying.) He was banned from Wikipedia and had his entry deleted. Here he is being panned by a Wikipedia administrator for his fraud.
He writes unpaid for Comment is Free because most other places won't publish him. You need to be careful of him too.
Dear Derek,
I see the neo-con smear machine is working overtime today. Still I've got the IP number of your anonymous commenter and it makes very interesting reading. (the same person has been posting identical stuff on other websites, linking to the same sites) The background to this very nasty and vindictive campaign can be found here:
http://neilclark66.blogspot.com/2007/05/poisonous-vendatta-of-oliver-kamm.html
I suppose I should find it flattering that the people concerned should devote so much time and energy towards in trying to smear me. But what's been going on at the end of the day amounts to a clear case of criminal harassment and I think 'anonymous' ought to be aware that I've passed everything on to the legal dept of the NUJ. (and I'll be forwarding this latest offering to them on Monday)
Best wishes
Neil
ps "He writes unpaid for Comment is Free because most other places won't publish him" I had to laugh out loud at this one. Despite the best efforts of our anonymous friend, (who's also been emailing maliciously to my commissioning editors), I've never been so busy with paid journalistic work. I think this is what really gets our malicious, anonymous commenters's goat.
Long Live Erich Fromm!
The legal dpartment of the NUJ? Is that the same lawyer who advised you to take legal action in a court that couldn't hear the case, with the loss of your fee? A lawyer that exists only in your imagination, like CityLightsGirl and GreenGoddess? Scare me some more, CityLightsGirl.
Derek, did you see that Neil does a lot of hand waving but doesn't deny anything? Why doesn't he? Because he's been exposed for fraud on Wikipedia and on Pollard's blog. He posted booster comments about himself under false names and then lied when he was asked if he was Neil Clark.
Glad to hear of all the paying work, Neil. Does that exist outside your imagination? Doesn't look like it's working.
"In the past 18 months he has, so far as I can see, written two articles for The Telegraph - about, respectively, the Edwardian comic writer Saki, and horseracing - and a 200-word contribution for The Times about the World Pipe-Smoking Championships in Poland. I have no doubt that he is competent to write on two of those three non-political subjects. His contributions to The Guardian have been more numerous, and commendably haven't included the relevant factoid. Indeed, the only time I've since commented on Mr Clark's writing has been a quizzical note about The Guardian's publishing, with predictably infelicitous results, a comment on French politics from someone who literally can't read a French newspaper."
Neil has produced a great article on Fromm, I guess like every other member of the human race I would not agree with him on everything but I feel you protesteth too much and you don't address what he says about Fromm which is great...even if you are 100% correct about him so?, I have posted his Fromm stuff you have laid into him on other matters...so I am sceptical of you.
where do you challenge him on Fromm!
We need more of Fromm not less, ok Fromm was wrong in relying on Suzuki but nonetheless was right on pretty much everything else.
also neil drop me your email!
anon you may be right but you are anon, impressed I am not...show yourself
Our anonymous friend seems keen on linking to the site of the neo-con hedge fund trader Oliver Kamm!. Kamm's smear campaign against me began after I had critically reviewed his pro-war book for the Daily Telegraph in 2005.
http://neilclark66.blogspot.com/2007/09/case-of-criminal-harassment.html
"Derek, did you see that Neil does a lot of hand waving but doesn't deny anything?"
Oh I see, does it work that a couple of notorious neo-con smear merchants make allegations and then we all have to defend ourselves. Who the hell do Pollard and Kamm think they are? If Pollard and Kamm claim that I am a Martian, am I obliged to hold a press conference to deny it?
Their arrogance is beyond belief.
I'm pleased you have mentioned wikipedia though, because there is indeed a very interesting story re the editing of my page. My page was consistently maliciously edited by a certain 'elena zamm'.(including on the night of December 25th!) A little research found that Zamm only edited two other people's pages, (this time favourably:)those of Oliver Kamm and a certain 'Anthea Bell'. Who's Anthea Bell, I hear you ask? Why, none other than Oliver Kamm's mum!
"Glad to hear of all the paying work, Neil. Does that exist outside your imagination". Er, no.
I think what's really getting 'anonymous' goat is that despite his emails to my commissioning editors linking to Kamm/Pollard's smears, his malicious campaign has been a spectacular flop:
Articles published by Neil Clark in the last twelve months:
The Guardian 30
The First Post c30
The Australian c10
Morning Star 12
Daily Express c10
Sunday Express 1
The Times 1
The Observer 1
RFO 52
The Spectator 2
Daily Telegraph (where according to anonymous' other web comments I am banned!) 2.
Articles published by Oliver Kamm:
The Times- about 8 (Times comment editor is fellow neo-con Daniel Finkelstein)
The Guardian- about 5. (in order to provoke a reader response at his obsence pro-war utterings)
er, that's it. part from a couple of pieces in obscure journals that hardly anyone reads.
Derek: my email is neilclark6@hotmail.com
Let's get the Erich Fromm show on the road. The fact that our dear friend 'anonymous' is so desparate that we don't, is even more reason to do it.
Bored!
I am as wary of Anons as i am of those who protesteth too much.
Erich Fromm stands in his own right.
I am not interested in your squabble.
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