The Watt Blog - Soft Relaunch

I can’t believe it has been seven months since I attempted to start writing a blog nor can I believe that in that time I have failed to write anything! Now in my defence, it ended up being a very busy seven months (including one unsuccessful general election for those of us on the left) but still, I can’t claim that it has been a successful adventure in blogging. However, I can confirm that not only is this blog going to happen but due to the great diary clearing caused by the Global Pandemic I now have the time and creative energy to start updating it regularly.

So watch this space – it's (hopefully) going to be a wild ride!

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They Were the Future Once – A Review of Militant Modernism by Owen Hatherley

So before we begin I have a confession which will shock no-one. You see I’m not really that much of a modernist, indeed when it comes to aesthetics I am far closer to the arts and crafts movement of William Morris, the socialist illustrations of Walter Crane or let’s be honest, the general aesthetic of 20 th century left-wing Anglo-Catholicism. (Today being Palm Sunday we walked around the church singing hymns, clergy carrying massive palm branches, the congregation our palm crosses – say what you like about the Scottish Episcopal Church but we know how to combine faith, fun and ritual.) So I’m probably not the natural audience for a treatise on why failed Modernism attempts in the interwar period point to new ways of socialist praxis that can inspire the future. However, I have another confession to make. I really rate Owen Hatherley’s work. His books that describe and critique modern architecture (such as A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain and A New Kind of Bleak ) w...

Revisiting the Disc – A Review of “Guards! Guards!” by Terry Pratchett

“There used to be some old prophecy or something, “ said Brother Plasterer. “ My grandad told me.” His eyes glazed with the effort of dramatic recall.” “Yea, the king will come bring Law and Justice, and know nothing but the Truth, and Protect and Serve the People withi his Sword.” You don’t all have to look at me like that, I didn’t make it up.” – p.24 One of the tamer Josh Kirby covers "“Throw the book at him, Carrot.” “Right, sir.” Vimes remembered too late. Dwarfs have trouble with metaphors. They also have a very good aim. The Laws and Ordinances of Ankh Morpork caught the secretary on the forehead. He blinked, staggered, and stepped backwards. It was the longest step he ever took. For one thing, it lasted the rest of his life.” – p.388 Guards! Guards! is the story about a moribund City Watch finding its purpose after dragon attacks become a nightly problem in Ankh-Morpork. It’s also the story of ordinary resentment (and petty evil) getting out of hand and I guess it’s also...

Where The Referendums Never Stop - A Review of "Why Switzerland?" by Jonathan Steinberg

Why Switzerland? by Jonathan Steinberg is a 1996 non-fiction text that aims to answer the question of why Switzerland culture and political structures are so unique compared to its European neighbours. Why did I read Why Switzerland? that’s simple – I’d always heard that Switzerland was famously decentralised and used referendums all the time, but barely knew anything about the country other than chocolate, clocks and banks so I wanted to find out more. But why Why Switzerland? in particular? That’s even easier, it was the only English language book I could find that covered the topic without being either a travelogue or a very dry political science treatise. It seems that Switzerland, if Glasgow libraries are to be believed, is a rather obscure country. But anyway, onto the review! Why Switzerland? is in many ways a very old-fashioned attempt at summarising the essence of a country in a book. Its aim is to summarise why Switzerland exists and what makes it uniquely Swiss. It does t...

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