Provincial Intrigue

UK Feminista fund raiser

2010-12-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

Inspiring Leaders 06/11/10

2010-11-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

For more info on Inspiring Leaders please visit: http://delilah-mj.blogspot.com/

South Central Conference

2010-10-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

7-11's activity centre. Feminism in London 2010

2010-10-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

Rebecca's role models collage.

Tim Farron for President

2010-10-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.timfarronforpresident.org.uk/

Nick Clegg's Conference Speech.

2010-09-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

"We've always been the face of change. We are now the agents of change."

Sculpture Trails

2010-08-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

KNOWLEDGE
Milton Keynes has one of the largest collections of public artworks in the country. You walk past it every day. Perhaps you are familiar with the Black Horse outside Lloyds Bank and Liz Leyh's infamous Concrete Cows, now a permanent feature in Oak Court. But have you noticed the Paparazzi stalking the Theatre district, or Philomena Davis' flight-themed works amidst the Planters in Silbury Arcade?
There are over 36 artworks in the city centre alone, many of which were purchased or commissioned from some of the most influential sculptors of the past 30 years.
They are everywhere, open all the time and admission is free.

DESIGN
This impressive collection of public sculpture plays hide and seek amongst the unique architecture, busy shopping centres and tranquil open spaces of Central Milton Keynes. Much of which are well placed responses to the surrounding environment and intended to interact with the viewer. It's all for you.

UNDERSTANDING
The great thing about public art, is that it doesn't ask to be understood, only to be encountered. These bronze landmarks withstand the passage of time and the fury of the elements. They are not behind ropes. There is not a time limit for how long you look at them. The new city is both their audience and their stage . Whether you are an executive gazing upon Wendy Taylor's Octo in your lunch hour, or a pre-schooler climbing Andre Wallace's The Whisper on your way to the library. They belong to you. This is your city, and these are your artworks.

Review: ZeroShock IV Advanced Laptop Case 13.3" (from GearZap.com)

2010-08-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Having just just got a shiny new MacBook Pro, I quickly set about finding a case to keep it safe. After despairing at the overpriced and shockingly minimal selection on the high street, I went online and got a
ZeroShock IV Case from GearZap.com.
I've had laptop cases before that were simplistic in design but they have always appeared to be more superficial cover than actual protection. Like that jacket I really like and will wear out, knowing that I will look good but ultimately have a very cold evening. So I was pleasantly surprised by the ZeroShock Case. It looks sleek and elegant but is built like a tank. It's beautiful and practical in the way that only Japanese products are. I am pretty confident that I could stand my full weight on it and the MacBook would be safe inside, the pressure being absorbed by it's rather clever shock-absorber casing (though I refrain from actually doing this deliberately. I am not an idiot). It'd make a great iPad bag too! Full marks to ZeroShock for this innovative design. There's even a little pocket inside for a USB Cable or memory stick. Or sweets, whatever.

I know what I did this summer...

2010-08-01T15:39:00.001-07:00

I went to UK Feminista Feminist Summer School.

Bidisha: I don't have time to argue with women about whether they call themselves feminists or not. As long as we agree on words like rape and domestic violence.

Panel: Feminist Question Time

Luminarium

2010-07-31T04:33:00.000-07:00

UK Premiere of Architects of Air: Mirazozo as part of Milton Keynes International Festival 2010.
16-23 July, Station Square.
www.architects-of-air.com/luminaria/mirazozo.html
For Maybe Magazine.
© Kirsty McCall-Thornley.

Tesco 2.0: UPDATE!

2010-07-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

This came through my letter box today. Further details of the public exhibition:

EYESPYMP: Iain Stewart MP congratulates Eaton Mill Pupils in HoC on Wednesday

2010-07-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

1GOAL Summit

Oral Answers to Questions — International Development

House of Commons debates, 7 July 2010, 11:30 am

Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South, Conservative)
Will the Minister join me in congratulating the pupils and staff of Eaton Mill primary school in my constituency, who, like those in many schools up and down the country, have made an enormous effort to raise awareness of the 1GOAL project and the aims of improving education throughout Africa?

Stephen O'Brien (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, International Development; Eddisbury, Conservative)
I am delighted to join my hon. Friend in congratulating the school in his constituency that has so eagerly taken part in this campaign. About 8,000 schools in the United Kingdom have asked for supporter packs from the 1GOAL campaign, so it has had a real impact. There have also been lesson plans and other activities for schoolchildren and I dare say that many Members across the House have had similar experiences to my hon. Friend. That is a measure of the impact and success of the campaign to date.

WEEKLEY ROUND UP

2010-07-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday: Buses Are Serious Business

A decent public transport system is the achilles heel which prevents young Milton Keynes from achieving it's aspirations of City Status. The system in place is not great, to put it nicely, but recently there has been some "serious disquiet in milton Keynes" as Arriva decided to make drastic changes to their bus routes without consulting their customers. People are furious and not far off demanding the CEO of Arriva's head on a stick.

But fear not, because our MP's work bloody hard and newly elected MP for Milton Keynes South, Iain Stewart, quickly tabled an adjournment debate in parliament where he & the Rt Hon Mark Lancaster explained to the house the fiasco upsetting their constituencies.

You can read the full transcript of what was said here.

Bonus material:

Today in parliament Simon Burns, Health Minister called the Speaker John Bercow, MP for Buckingham a "stupid, sanctimonious dwarf".

Wednesday: PMQ's

This week's Prime Minister's Questions got quite rowdy with David Cameron & Harriet Harman squaring up at the dispatch box over prisons & leaked figures from the Treasury.

Harman asked "why are the Lib Dems just sitting there and letting this happen? Nobody who voted Lib Dem voted for this".

Nobody, Harriet? You're Labour, stop telling Lib Dems what they did and didn't vote for.

Milton Keynes North's Mark Lancaster asked that as we pay tribute to those that have lost their lives in Afghanistan, to remember those who are wounded, and called for the Prime Minister to explain how the £67 million extra given to try to help counter improvised explosive devices will be spent.

The PM paid tribute to Lancaster as a member of our Territorial Reserve, noting that Mark himself is a bomb disposal expert & has served in Afghanistan. He called what the bomb disposal IED teams do "beyond brace" & "really extraordinary" having seen for himself their training & instruction in Camp Bastion. He stated that the £67 million was to "give proper protection"; £40 million of which is for protected vehicles. The number of teams will also be doubled. He went on to agree with Mark on an issue he cares passionately about, that we are able to provide the best prosthetics for soldiers that tragically lose their limbs, so that they can not just survive but go on to live full lives.

Thursday: Ken Spooner

On Thursday Mark Lancaster again called for the house to help with the case of his constituent Ken Spooner, a man who's children were kidnapped to Zambia where he is currently in prison.

Watch this on video here.

& LASTLY

This week Nick Clegg called for comment on which laws & regulations people want & which they don't want in the Coalition Government's quest to restore civil liberties to Britain.

Have your say on the website http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/

Are You A Secret Feminist?

2010-06-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

The sun was shining last wednesday evening as I arrived in Westminster, eager to attend my first feminist rally (well, sort of). Don't groan. Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong. Let me start at the beginning.

This trip was to attend the Progressive Women's Summer Party, which was held in The Old Star, Westminster. En route to my destination I spied ex-MP Lembit Opik accosting passers by outside Parliament with a cameraman in tow and passed the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst adorned with flowers. In Westminster, every day is democracy day. If you're like me and reality television means BBC Parliament not Big Brother, there's nothing more exciting than being where there are more MPs than you can shake a stick at. So, naturally, I was feeling rather chipper as I made my way past the crowd of male and pale to follow the trail of "Art You A Secret Feminist?" signs upstairs.

The room quickly filled beyond capacity with enthusiastic progressive women before the bar had even opened. The hashtag for the event was #secretfem and the feminising twitterati were out in full force. This being my first feminist rally (can we call it that? Oh, let's), I didn't really know what to expect. On first impressions, the crowd was younger and more attractive than one would expect from the stereotypes. As it happens, third wave feminists are friendly, bright and soft spoken. I found myself surrounded by intelligent and enthusiastic conversations. Most people seemed to be involved with one or six organisations/volunteer groups. But that's just London for you and my provincial intrigue was warmly welcomed.

The event kicked off with Kat Banyard, author of the Equality Illusion and Director of UK Feminista who gave the first speech. Banyard spoke about the issues that face the current feminist movement, such as the need to close the pay gap and the huge challenge presented by the global sex industry. Alarmingly, 80,000 people in the United Kingdom are involved with the sex industry. However, Banyard spoke with optimism. She described this as an exciting time where attitudes are starting to turn. She noted the changes in the laws of lap dancing clubs that had been achieved through the campaigning of The Fawcett Society and OBJECT.
Ending with a call to harness this growth in the movement, her message was that it is our generation that can pick up the feminist torch and make equality happen- "in the eyes of the law we are now equal citizens - it is our turn".

The next to speak were the authors of Reclaiming the F Word, Kristen Aune and Catherine Redfern. They spoke about the gap between people who believe in feminist ideals and people who calls themselves feminists, identifying the problem of misconceptions. Apparently many are reluctant to align themselves with the "unfeminine, man-hating, lesbian" stereotype as a result of the "ideals of femininity which are subtlety advocated in pop culture" (actually, I'd go so far as to say, rammed down our throats by the likes of Girl's Aloud at every opportunity). But what we need, according to the Aune and Redfern, is female solidarity. Amongst the audience, at least, I felt this optimism spreading like swine flu.

And last but certainly not least to speak, was This Life writer and Independent columnist, Amy Jenkins. Jenkins charmed the room with embarrassingly little effort as she discussed her personal journey into feminism, declaring "I was a secret feminist". Now she finds herself wanting to write about feminist subjects in her column, but for years Jenkins, having grown up post-feminism, believed the battles had been won, as such. With a concrete belief that she was equal instilled by her mother, she said she just went out and enjoyed herself.

It is surprising then that her creation, This Life, was a step forward in how women were portrayed. Something that she achieved through writing about issues without portraying them as issues. The BBC Television drama centred on the life of five law graduates embarking upon the careers while sharing a house in south London. Notably the character of Anna was different and new, a strong female screen presence which Jenkins describes as "unapologetic".
Being too young to have seen This Life when it aired in 1996 and 1997, I encountered the series when it was shown again in 2007 leading up to a 10 year reunion episode. I found it to be refreshingly original in the way that it portrayed subjects such as drugs and homosexuality realistically without making them automatically problems to be dealt with in the way that dramas often do. The idea that someone could take drugs, without there being a story about drug addiction gave the series it's base in realism and not escapism.
Jenkins spoke of a shift out of post-feminism as things change with the explosion of the sex industry. She pointed out that as sex has been normalised, there is a mobilised new third wave feminism rising in opposition.

After these inspirational speeches there was a great discussion from the audience. The speakers were asked what was their best snappy answer to the question "So, you're a feminist are you?". One audience member tickled the room with her reply "No, I'm a raging feminist". Another answer was to quote Lady Gaga rather apt observation that "a feminist is not a man hater". Jenkins, despite being a talented writer, professed to not having a witty come back, that she simply replies "yes" and waits. This is surely the best answer, to unapologetically engage with cynical rhetoric. An audience member passionately argued that "We are 50% of humanity, we need to stop thinking of this as a diversity issues". The formal party of the evening over, the mingling and book signing began. The room was buzzing with brilliant funny exciting conversations about feminism. I met the very lovely Amy Jenkins, who told me about her plan to write an exciting show about hot young feminists in the 70s and the problems of getting strong female drama commissioned for television.

It was refreshing to meet so many friendly people who are passionate about equality. It is always rather wonderful to encounter that side of humanity in full bloom. I came away itching to get involved.

Welcome to the New Politics and make way for the new feminist movement!