 As a creative, one needs to take an interest in everything; the greater and more varied your input, the greater and more varied your output.. in theory anyway.
Consequently, I attend as many events and talks as possible (which in London, is practically a full time job!). It was the first day of Clerkenwell Design Week, and Farringdon was abuzz with creative types, as well as exhibition spaces and networking hubs. Farringdon in general is becoming one of my favourite places, purely because it’s not full of tourists, “students” and those infernal delivery drivers on bikes, who cause mayhem on the pavements and the roads! It reminds me of London twenty years ago, when it was less congested, and more civil. I attended a talk hosted by the Italian Trade Agency, on design materials, and I was heartened to hear how the design world is focused on sustainability. I’ve been an Environmentalist since I was a child, and in that time, despite the awareness, the natural environment has only grown closer to annihilation. As a filmmkaer, I’m only too aware of the lack of sustainability within the industry, as sets are constructed and disposed of without a second thought; even the sheer number of plastic water bottles used is astounding. If only every industry was as committed to protecting the environment as they are to maximising profits, the world would be a better place. Interestingly, the two outcomes are not mutually exclusive! What I found most interesting was how mycelium is being used to bring new life to materials that have been disposed of, such fabricating new textiles from old ones. Mushrooms really will save the world! One of the speakers mentioned that wood is the rarest material in the universe; as far as we know, it can only be sourced from trees on one planet. Diamonds and precious metals are far more abundant in the universe. ..my dream is to find me a girl that would accept a wooden engagement ring, instead of a diamond one!
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 So I attended this talk, given by Professor Mark Thompson, the head of CERN (home of the Large Hadron Collider), and it was one of those occasions that offerred a tiny glimmer of hope in mankind’s future.
The fact that so many nations work together, not for military gain, but purely to increase our scientific knowledge, is indeed cause for hope! Aside from gaining a slightly better understanding of particle physics, I was also pleased to learn that their research is having real world benefits, especially when it comes to treating things like cancer. Hadrons are far more precise, and less damaging than other particles, and whilst they are good at killing cancerous cells, they leave healthy cells unharmed! They’re even better at imaging than x-rays, because x-rays cause a lot of damage too! Comparatively speaking, CERN is cheap to run too! It only costs a billion quid a year to run! For a cross border, multinational research facility, that’s pittance! I mean, the UK government alone loses between £50-80 Billion a year to fraud and errors!! Anyway, despite how good the talk was, I’ve still managed to end on a depressing note. Sigh. Welcome to life in the UK.  This was a brilliant talk! Professor Danny Dorling gave us some insights from his book, Peak Injustice, and it was astounding how bad the UK is when compared to other western nations.
Honestly, looking at these figures, I struggle to see how we’re a magnet for migrants, especially those coming from Europe! Here are some points I took from the talk: We have one of the highest infant mortality rates in Europe, lowering life expectancy, lower levels of public spending, greater wealth inequality, and a corrupt media establishment that works in lock step with our corrupt politicians! The media propagates the idea of British exceptionalism, that because so many people flock to our shores, we must be great. But are we that great? People in this country are hurting. Every other "rich" country, and our European neighbours, spend more, and raise more in taxation, than we do. This idea that there's no road map to create a more equal society, is utter nonsense, because other countries have already done it. We absolutely CAN tax the rich more, and spend more on making people's lives better. The fact that we don’t, is a choice our politicians choose to make. The super rich and ultra wealthy are not innovators, or creators of wealth. Conversely, most have inherited wealth (especially in the UK). Trickle-down economics absolutely does not work. We have to stop making 'growth' our god. Exponential growth is going to destroy the planet. Why can't reach a level and live within our means? Geographical speaking, there is no where on Earth where the very wealthy are not nearby the very poor: London is a great example of this: home to some of the poorest people in Europe, and also some the richest. There is no point in being rich, unless you have poor people to do your work. As said, it was a great talk, and if you’re interested in this stuff, then you should absolutely buy Professor Dorling’s book! (If you have money!)  I attended this talk, organised by the Ukrainian Institute and The Royal Society of Arts, and the place was packed. Clive Myrie was interviewing the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba. The vast majority of attendees were Ukrainian, which meant the atmosphere was quite reserved.
For context, this talk took place in the week that Donald Trump threatened to end US support for Ukraine. There was a sense of shock and betrayal in the room; I can’t imagine how they must’ve felt a week later, when Zelensky and Trump had a major spat, live on TV! Firstly, there was a sentiment of surprise at the fracturing of the established global order. They seemed baffled, but it’s pretty obvious: Globalisation has only benefited the wealthy and the elites. There is more money in the world than ever before, but it is all concentrated in the hands of the few. Wealth inequality is the reason the global order is fracturing. People are poor and insecure; there’s not enough to go around, so they look at other nationalities and races and see a threat. Anyway, here are some points of interest from the talk: Dymtro says the reason the war happened is that Europe didn't welcome Ukraine into the fold at the same time it welcomed the Eastern European and Baltic countries. Ukraine should have been on the track for accession in the 90s, along with those countries. But instead, Ukraine was viewed as belonging to the Russian sphere. That's true. Why is Ukraine suddenly considered part of Europe now? Trump wants Ukraine's minerals, but the EU already signed a deal for them in 2021. The EU is not fighting for their own rights regarding those deals. What the war in Ukraine war has exposed, is that Europe doesn't have the capabilities to fight a prolonged war. We're not spending enough, but even the vast quantities we are spending, doesn't buy much. That's for many reasons, including, as always, corruption. No country thinks it will be the one that goes to war, especially in Western Europe. They feel those days are gone, which breeds complacency. A deal with Russia won't last, because the Ukrainians won't accept it. They'll feel embittered and resentful. It will be like Ireland and Northern Ireland. Dmytro feels that Russia and Ukraine are irreconcilable. Too much bad blood. He feels the only way for lasting peace is for one of them to be gone. Either Russia ceases to be, or Ukraine does. A very negative perspective, but maybe a truthful one. Europe cannot go it alone without the US. Europe doesn't have the missile quantities, spare parts, and fundamentally, it lacks the intelligence and surveillance capabilities of the US, “with all due respect to MI6 and James Bond” Dymtro joked. No one comes close to the US. Globally, if countries around the world see that the US doesn't defend it's friends, then those countries will drift into the sphere of influence of China and Russia. It was a very good talk, and definitely gave me a greater understanding of the situation, as well as greater sympathy for the plight of Ukraine. That said, this was obviously a very one-sided discussion, with absolutely no interrogation on the part of the moderator. I mean, before the war, Ukraine didn’t meet the criteria for accession to the EU based on the EU’s fiscal and democratic requirements. Magically, none of that is an issue any more? If that’s the case, I’m sure there are plenty of other countries that could instantly become EU members, like Albania, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, etc. etc. etc. And hopefully, Britain too? Although I’m not sure we’d pass the fiscal or democratic requirements.  Another great debate at the London School of Economics. Does class inequality still matter? Yes. Obviously. Class, and wealth, absolutely determine your life chances in the UK. The wealthiest in our country have only gotten wealthier, at the expense of the public, facilitated by politicians, and we absolutely have to claw that money back somehow (although politicians show no interest in doing so). However, I disagreed with the notion that just because you're poor, an immigrant, or Muslim (most of the panel were Muslim), that somehow you're a victim of the state, and scapegoated. There's no metric for 'effort', so why is it that immigrant Indians in the UK can become rich and Bangladeshi's don't? There was the usual implication that the poor and lower classes are innately virtuous, and the only reason they can't climb out of poverty, is because of systemic prejudices and failures. Yes, the system is broken, but it can also be true that not all working class people and migrants actually put in the effort. My friends and I are all from working class, immigrant backgrounds, and those of us that have had any measure of success, have achieved it through hard graft, and not hand-outs or special treatment. I agree that rich people game the system and don't put in the effort, but the fact is, if you’re disadvantaged, you’re going to have to work harder. That’s not fair, but that’s how it is. Clearly, there is much more nuance than the simplistic Left vs. Right argument allows. Not all rich people are evil, not all poor people are good, and not all migrants want to work. The only way we can find a solution to the inequality crisis, and it is very much a crisis, is by having open, honest debates, like this one. The current climate of tribalism, polarisation and the wilful inability to change one’s opinion, is as much a threat to aspiration as a broken system.  A Great talk. It was very interesting, with Russia playing the role of arch-villain, as per usual.
London being the International City that it is, there were some in the audience arguing that whilst the Cold War was cold for some, it was a ‘hot war’ for others; Vietnam anyone? The aggressors in that case weren’t the Russians. Anyway, a great debate and a lovely way to stimulate the mind on a winter evening.  I like Grace Blakely; she’s very good at rebutting the arguments of those that belong to the Church of Capitalism, who’s theocracy has enslaved the world, depleted the world of its natural resources, and created a world where the desires of the few ruling elites, takes precedent over the good of the many.
I’d only ever seen her on TV, so when I saw that she was giving a talk at the London School of Economics (in part to promote her book), I figured I’d pop along. The place was packed to the rafters, with a young crowd, eager to hear what she had to say; all of which was very good (read her book to find out). What struck me, however, was how much better she was in-person, versus how she is on TV. She really energised the crowd, and actually gave us reasons to be optimistic about the bleak future we’re crashing into. When even the so-called ‘Labour party’ sells out the working-class, by maintaining Tory policies of increasing taxes for everyone but the wealthy, whilst hollowing out public services, it’s clear that we need a revolution, and Grace Blakely would be the perfect person to lead the charge. She’s enigmatic, engaging, full of charisma, and photo-genic! Too bad it’s a job nobody wants, least of all someone that’s already on the rise.  I first became aware of Chris Sanders by owning ‘The Art of The Lion King’; that film’s stand-out sequence, Simba talking to a vision of Mufasa in the heavens, was his brain-child, and the art work depicting that sequence is the best art in the book.
Years later, I bought the art book for Lilo and Stitch, as well as the DVD, which contained a brilliant video-diary of Chris Sanders’ journey in bringing that film to the big screen (he wrote and directed it). To say the man is talented, is an understatement. When it was announced that Chris Sanders would be giving a lecture at BAFTA, I immediately bought a ticket, and what a great lecture it was! Mr Sanders basically showed clips from films that inspired him and explained why those sequences worked, and how they inspired him. I’m glad to say that our tastes are the same. I was especially delighted to see sequences from The Wrath of Khan and E.T.! Tellingly, a lot of members of the audience hadn’t seen either film! Afterwards, he mingled with the audience at the drinks reception, but his handler ushered him away before I got a chance to say ‘hello’. Still, it was a great event; one which made me feel vindicated in my story-telling choices, and I also got to meet some cool people. So keep an eye out for events at BAFTA; they’re usually pretty good (even though they’ve refused me membership!).  I attended this talk, and I can’t for the life of me remember what it was about. Cool name though.
 One of the (many) things I love about London, is the fact there are so many FREE things to do; whether they be intellectually stimulating or hedonistic, there’s something to suit all tastes!
When it comes to the former, the big Universities host many free talks open to the public, and the London School of Economics (LSE) does a better job of it than perhaps all the rest. As you no doubt know, the UK is a proper sh!t show at the moment, quite literally. Our privatised water and sewage system is a global disgrace, with water companies pumping sewage into our rivers on a regular basis, because it’s much cheaper to do that than invest in the infrastructure needed to treat the waste. I mean, obviously a private company is interested in extracting as much profit as possible with the least amount of expenditure! Which is why essential public services should never be sold off!! Anyway, this was a great talk, and I actually found myself siding with the guy who represented the Water Companies, which was a shock to the system! The fact of the matter is, we’re in the situation we’re in, and all the people that designed and profited from this ludicrous situation have long since laughed all the way to the bank, with their bags of cash. A different set of people are now in charge, and punishing them will do no good. I don’t see why there’s never any accountability or persecution of corrupt officials; it seems as though you can embezzle as much as you want, and then resign and you get to keep all your ill-gotten gains; whereas if Joe Public so much as tweets in the wrong direction, he’s carted off to prison! British society is thoroughly anti-revolutionary; they moan and complain in pubs, but do nothing to hold the authorities to account; meanwhile continuing to deteriorate as a society, and blaming migrants for everything that’s wrong in the world! Where were we? Oh yeah, water. So apparently the gold-standard when it comes to water and sewage treatment, is Denmark. Their water waste is separated at source into three different pipes: one for rain, one for domestic water waste, and another for sewage. A great system, but their water bills are twice those in the UK. The guy representing the Water Companies made the point that if you want a world-class system, you have to pay for it. The problem is, we have been paying for it, and our system is atrocious! What needs to happen is renationalisation AND investment in infrastructure. Unfortunately, what WILL happen is, our water bills will continue to rise, and our infrastructure will continue to decline, until some eventual future government will be forced to deal with it. Welcome to life in the UK. Seriously folks, who wants to meet me in Dover and get a dinghy to France? |
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A chronicle of films, shows, and theatre I've seen, as well as books I've read, and talks I've attended. Archives
August 2025
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