The Christian anarchists Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin founded the Catholic Worker movement in the midst of the Great Depression in 1933. They rejected war and pledged support for workers and the dispossessed, maintaining these views even in the face of growing persecution from a state that wanted to destroy […]
Before George Osborne’s 2012 budget address, Nick Clegg informed the country that it would be a ‘Robin Hood’ budget, whereby the rich would be taxed to help the poor. If the government were sincere about this pledge and truly wanted to support those who are suffering at this time of […]
It wasn’t more than a few years ago that proponents of healthcare reform would point out that the United States was the only developed nation without a universal healthcare system. Right-wing electoral victories and several IMF interventions later, a number of European nations have joined the United States on the […]
What does ‘work’ mean today? Anyone looking for work, anyone in low-paid or non-permanent work, or being pressured into one of the five kinds of workfare that Boycott Workfare identify (Mandatory Work Activity, The Work Programme, Community Action Programme, Sector-based Work Academies and Work Experience) will have firsthand experience of […]
Women’s rights have come a long way since the first International Women’s Day in 1900. Talks of gender equality have come to dominate the agenda of politicians of all credos leaving many wondering if there is still a need for a feminist struggle – especially within Western democratic societies. On […]
It was on a Tuesday morning some weeks ago that three of us nervously stepped into the waiting courtroom. Even before the trial began, things had already started to go wrong. Fearing disruption of the proceedings from noisy protestors, the judge had restricted entry to one ‘McKenzie friend’ (a non-legally […]
The Occupy Movement’s achievements, in drawing attention to matters that are fundamentally important for every single one of us, have been remarkable. In this article I will outline what critical psychiatry is, then offer a personal view of the resonance between critical psychiatry and Occupy. Finally I will contrast what […]
Occupy London expresses its support for the massive and growing numbers of homeless people in London and in Britain as a whole. Having a home is a fundamental human need and right. Only with adequate housing can people successfully contribute to their community in a meaningful way. Many homeless people […]
The official story of homelessness is one of rising numbers. We are seeing increased applications to local authorities and rising numbers of rough sleepers. But like every story worth hearing there’s more than one side to the story of homelessness. On the one hand we have the official numbers – […]
According to the National Equality Panel’s report in 2010, London is the most unequal region in the UK and one of the most unequal cities in the world. On average, the top 10 per cent richest Londoner’s are 273 times wealthier than the bottom 10 per cent. The top 20 […]