Author: Dave Middleton

I'm Dave Middleton. I am a member of the Labour Party (until they catch up with me) and like to think of myself as left-wing. My Twitter account is @DavMidd Please do feel free to email me about this blog at ThinkingDoing51@gmail.com
Are we finally on the eve of destruction?
Featured Politics

Are we finally on the ‘eve of destruction’?

Dave Middleton1
In this week’s Socialist Hour I started by using a song by Barry McGuire called the “Eve of Destruction” to discuss the current political situation. It probably reveals something of my current state of mind because if the past 16 months have taught us anything at all it is that the political classes almost without exception across the globe have failed miserably when it comes to confronting a crisis. When
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Democracy extinct
Featured Society

Democracy Under Attack

Dave Middleton1
How much do you value democracy? Seems an odd question to ask, doesn’t it? So ingrained is the idea that we live in a parliamentary democracy that, rather like the NHS, it will not be until it is gone that people will realise just how much they valued it. I don’t want to be alarmist but the very fabric of our right to call ourselves a democracy is under a
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Italy with the Euro Cup
Featured Football Society

The beautiful game

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England 1 Italy 1 (Italy win 3-2 on penalties) So, England lost the Euro Championship final in a not overly thrilling match in which they took an early lead through Luke Shaw. A lead that gave them a, quite possibly, undeserved confidence as the Azurri struggled to hit the rhythm we knew they were capable of in the first half. Insigne, in particular, seemed determined to allow the English to
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Freedom MLK
Featured Society

Reasons to be hopeful

Dave Middleton1
Generally when I sit down to write an article I’m pretty clear what I want to write about and very clear on the positive note I’m going to end on. But, this week I have been filled with a growing sense of despondency. A despondency which turned to anger as it began to dawn on me just how selfish and short sighted many of my fellow citizens can be. This
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Banksy
Featured Finance Politics

Is capitalism the pinnacle of human achievement?

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The great liberal economist John Kenneth Galbraith once famously said: “Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it’s the other way round.” As Clive Crook wrote in an obituary following Galbraith’s death in 2006: “ If he didn't say it, he might as well have. It has an authentically Galbraithian ring: It seems profound, and it's funny. .. And it is a travesty of the truth.” Let’s imagine for a second
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United We Stand collage
Featured Media Politics

United we stand

Dave Middleton0
If Twitter is to be believed the future of the left in the U.K. is in the hands of the 1.4 million members of Unite the Union. Current General Secretary Len McCluskey, a staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn and a major figure on the U.K. left stands down shortly and the new General Secretary will be announced on August 26th. In April 2017 McCluskey had retained his leadership of the
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Elder abuse
Featured Society

Who cares?

Dave Middleton0
Mahmatma Ghandi once famously said “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” By that measure a society that allows its most vulnerable members to be treated without respect must be judged fairly badly. Imagine this scenario. Some will not need to imagine as they are likely to be living it. You are a married (or cohabiting) couple who have been together for
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Featured Politics

Transforming Democracy

Dave Middleton0
  Last week a Twitter user called @Posh_Jock made what at the time I thought was a flippant remark. “ I was just wondering........would you consider running the country for us?......please..pretty please ”. I dismissed this in a light hearted way but then @GailMac27 supported the idea: “Don't sell yourself short. I've often thought that what we really need is individuals like you as opposed to the bunch of self
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Featured Politics

Constitutional Madness

Dave Middleton0
Constitutional Madness According to a law passed in 1829, Boris Johnson, who has now come out as a practicing Catholic, cannot be both a Catholic and hold any office of state. The Roman Catholic Relief Act states that "It shall not be lawful for any person professing the Roman Catholic religion directly or indirectly to advise his Majesty, or any person or persons holding or exercising the office of guardians
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