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How would you measure our effectiveness?
Blog post -
Oct 9, 2017
A few weeks back, Matt Shardlow, CEO of Buglife, tweeted the chart underneath. It shows Platform apparently outstripping other UK environmental organisations in terms of our impact relative to our income. We were startled by this, and looked into the criteria and source. The data was collected for the Environmental Funders Network’s interesting 2017 report ‘What...
The River Resurfaces – reflecting on politically engaged art from the 1970s to today
Blog post -
Sep 12, 2017
I’m sitting talking with Caroline Tisdall, a friend who has known Platform since 1986. We first came into contact with her via the producer and curator Richard Demarco: along with him, she was among the first to champion artist Joseph Beuys in the English-speaking world. Beuys’ art and politics were critical influences in...
There is no magic money tree, except for handouts for BP
Blog post -
Jul 3, 2017
The UK government paid oil companies $312 million to drill in the North Sea during the fiscal year 2016-2017 according to a new report by the HMRC, The Times reports. Successive UK governments insist “there is no magic money tree” to fund public hospitals and schools, or to insulate cold homes. But apparently the magic...
Council workers’ largest trade union votes for divesting pensions
Blog post -
Jun 23, 2017
After two years of impressive mobilisation by UNISON grassroots members across England, Scotland and Wales, the trade union has officially taken on fossil fuel divestment policy. Yesterday the union’s National Delegate Conference voted unanimously to seek divestment of Local Government Pension Schemes from fossil fuels over five years giving due regard to fiduciary duty UNISON...
Council workers’ largest union commits to divesting pensions from fossil fuels
Press release -
Jun 23, 2017
Full text of UNISON motion (pdf). UNISON to “seek divestment of Local Government Pension Schemes from fossil fuels over five years giving due regard to fiduciary duty” Local government pensions have £14 billion invested in oil, coal and gas UNISON is the largest organisation representing pension-holders working for local government The largest body representing local government...
BP’s solution to the climate crisis: switch to gas
Blog post -
May 17, 2017
Gas will solve the climate crisis. This was the main message that BP’s CEO Bob Dudley wanted to get across at today’s annual general shareholder meeting. And it’s dangerous… Bob Dudley, BP chief, says if you closed all coal fired power plants tomorrow and replaced them with gas you would reach 2C warming scenario — Emily...
Conversations with Suzi Gablik – Living in wartime.
Blog post -
Apr 29, 2017
I’ve recently returned from a visit to my friend and mentor, Suzi Gablik, in Virginia, USA. She has been an inspiration to so many over the past 33 years since the publication of ‘Has Modernism Failed’, and later her book ‘Conversations Before The End of Time‘. Her work harnessed an ecological sensibility in the...
UK-based and angry about #MuslimBan? Here’s 5 things to do.
Blog post -
Jan 30, 2017
UK people. Are you angry about Trump’s attempts to deport people from the US? Did you perhaps go to the Women’s March, or sign that oddly-worded petition about cancelling Trump’s visit? Well, we’ve got more work to do (join a protest against the #MuslimBan this week), and more importantly, more work to do at home. Muslim lives, the...
Hackney Council as the climate vanguard – or is it just a laggard?
Blog post -
Jan 24, 2017
Hackney Council is voting tonight on its investment policy regarding fossil fuels and climate change. After years of campaigning by Divest Hackney and lots of media attention, this Tuesday is the big day for the Pensions Committee. But despite the hype and the repeated delays, the proposals are pretty disappointing. Hackney Council has £42 million in fossil...
Demand a Public Energy Company for London!
Blog post -
Dec 8, 2016
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has just published his four year vision for London, A City For All Londoners. During his election campaign Sadiq pledged to set up London’s very own public energy company to give us clean, affordable energy. Now we need to keep the pressure up to make sure he delivers on...
‘Art – Possibility – Action’ – creating spaces that are equal, democratic, free and luminous.
Blog post -
Dec 5, 2016
The storm of political events tosses us this way and that – first the election of Trump in the wake of Brexit, then the rejection of the far right Presidential candidate in the Austrian elections and the inspiring victory at Standing Rock in Dakota. Somewhat becalmed in the midst of the roaring gale, my mind...
“Art is direct, it challenges the authorities, the power structure” Ken Saro-Wiwa jr, 1968 – 2016
Blog post -
Nov 29, 2016
Yesterday at All Saints Church in Fulham, London, we attended a celebration of the life of journalist, government special advisor, and digital tech innovator Ken Saro-Wiwa jr. His life was suddenly cut short at the age of 47. We are sorrowed by this profound loss to the Saro-Wiwa family, and of a talented man invested in...
