Lord Clement-Jones writes for ePolitix.com ahead of his question in the Lords on the impact of the points-based visa system on visiting artists and performers, citing the Manifesto Club's campaign.

'Last year the Manifesto Club published a report, Cancelled by Order of the Home Office, which set out a catalogue of the damage done to Britain's reputation as a centre for international arts as a result of the Home Office's points-based visa system for non-EU applicants which was introduced in November 2008. The new system affects international artists and academics who visit the UK for a variety of cultural and academic activities....'

I did this essay for the RSA, on how we might think about climate change anew:

http://www.rsaartsandecology.org.uk/magazine/features/josie-appleton--to...

I was commissioned to write an essay for this site: http://borderlineproject.org.uk/

Borderline is a multi-part project focusing on utilising artists’ projects as a means of questioning how emerging European artists and designers are engaging with ideas around borders, nationhood, alternative methods of social organisation and collaboration.

The project also aims to explore the role of art in framing these ideas, particularly in relation to the current state of European politics and increasing social unease within many rapidly changing populations.

Concept

Many parts of the EU are undergoing a period of rapid social change due to non-European migration, and migration from Eastern Europe, as well as continued prejudice against Romany / Traveller communities.

Wrote this not that long ago about the Surrey Photography fuss:

http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2009/08/life-class/#more-4873

Followed up with:

http://blog.indexoncensorship.org/2009/09/11/art-and-the-administrators/

If anyone needs to get in touch with Del La Grace for research purposes, do drop me a line.

Ken Nielsen writes in an Australian blog about supermarkets.
For those outside Australia who have not come across Clive Hamilton this outline of one of his books should help give an idea of his view of the world. Affluenza

Supermarkets, farmers’ markets and class

Hi All,

I recently created a workspace that may serve as a useful place for collating ideas. It's a wiki that uses exactly the same software as wikipedia. I've called it the "Unfocus Group" and you can find it here:

http://www.unfocusgroup.org/

The idea behind it was that whereas wikipedia is heavily moderated, this would be an open forum for formulating thoughts and ideas, regardless of what is considered right or wrong by mainstream standards. Manifesto club members are free to post, as is anybody on the planet, from liberals to neo-cons to Islamic fundamentalists. I won't censor it.

Feel free to contribute!

thanks much,
Brendan

Swaran Singh has done this pentrating analysis of 'ethnicity research' in the British Journal of Psychiatry: 'Shooting the messenger: the science and politics of ethnicity research'.

The abstract is below. Email Swaran on S.P.Singh@warwick.ac.uk if you would like a copy of the article..

Scientific arguments showing ‘how the world is’ are fundamentally different from political assertions about ‘how the world should be’. Ideologically motivated political attacks can hamper our understanding of mental disorders by preventing academics from pursuing research in contentious areas. Evidence should be countered by better evidence, not by shooting the messenger.

I have a piece in the US magazine, Reason, on the regulation of publife:
http://www.reason.com/news/show/133827.html

James Panton has a piece in the Oxford Student newspaper The Cherwell,
'Mistaken Identity', on the introduction of ID cards in the UK

I have this piece on flu and the apocalypse, at Tech Central Station -
http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=050909A