George Monbiot is a British journalist and public intellectual, who is also known for his environmental activism. He co-founded the group This Land Is Ours, whose purpose was to try to revitalise public engagement in decisions about how the land is used. The group waged a peaceful campaign for the right of access to the countryside and its resources in the United Kingdom. His latest book, Out of the Wreckage: A new politics for an age of crisis (August 2017) followed on the heels of How Did We Get into This Mess? (February 2017). His other best selling books are The Age of Consent: a manifesto for a new world order (2003) and Captive State: the corporate takeover of Britain (2000). Monbiot has written a weekly column for The Guardian newspaper since 1996. Visit his website at www.monbiot.com.
Extinction Rebellion is showing Britain what real democracy could look like
By George Monbiot, The Guardian blog
Through his incompetence, callousness and greed for power, Johnson has done us two favours: exposing the shallowness of our theatrical democracy, and creating a potential coalition ranging from hospital porters to supreme court judges. Now we must decide how to mobilise it.
English Landowners have Stolen our Rights. It is Time to Reclaim Them
By George Monbiot, The Guardian blog
Almost all of us, in England and many other nations, are born on the wrong side of the law. The disproportionate weight that the law gives to property rights makes nearly everyone a second-class citizen before they draw their first breath, fenced out of the good life we could lead.
People Want a Greener, Happier World Now. But our Politicians have Other Ideas
By George Monbiot, The Guardian blog
There are practical reasons to believe that Normal is a fairyland to which we can never return. The virus has not gone away, and is likely to keep recurring in waves. But let’s focus on another question: if such a land existed, would we want to live there?
Britain’s Claims to Being a Functioning Democracy are Only Skin Deep
By George Monbiot, The Guardian blog
Established power in this country is surrounded by a series of defensive rings. As soon as you begin to name them, you see that the UK is a democracy only in the weakest and shallowest sense.
Tory Privatisation is at the Heart of the UK’s Disastrous Coronavirus Response
By George Monbiot, The Guardian blog
There is a consistent reason for the multiple, systemic failures the pandemic has exposed: the intrusion of corporate power into public policy. Privatisation, outsourcing and offshoring have severely compromised the UK’s ability to respond to a crisis.
Coronavirus Shows us it’s Time to Rethink Everything. Let’s Start with Education
By George Monbiot, The Guardian blog
As local authorities in Scotland point out, outdoor learning could be the best means of getting children back to school, as it permits physical distancing. It lends itself to re-engagement with the living world.
What Does ‘National Defence’ Mean in a Pandemic? It’s no Time to Buy Fighter Jets
By George Monbiot, The Guardian blog
If ever there were a time to reassess the genuine threats to our security and separate them from the self-interested aims of the weapons industry, this is it. Yet our governments’ primary effort is to enhance their power at the expense of other countries. In failing to address our real and common threats, we are our own adversaries.
The Horror Films Got it Wrong. This Virus has Turned us into Caring Neighbours
By George Monbiot, The Guardian blog
There is no guarantee that this resurgence of collective action will survive the pandemic. We could revert to the isolation and passivity that both capitalism and statism have encouraged. But I don’t think we will.