Alastair McIntosh is a Scottish writer, broadcaster and activist on social, environmental and spiritual issues. His books include Soil and Soul: People versus Corporate Power described as “world changing” by George Monbiot, “life changing” by the Bishop of Liverpool and “truly mental” by Thom Yorke of Radiohead. His two most recent books are Spiritual Activism – Leadership as Service co-authored with Matt Carmichael and Poacher’s Pilgrimage: an Island Journey. He joins us via the wires to talk about growing up on an island community, experiencing Papua New Guinea, rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful and experiencing the poverty of affluence, and his life long work to emphasise the importance of cultures of place and his experience of rebuilding them after forcible displacement on the Isle of Eigg and in urban settings with his GalGael project. We also touch on the island Presbyterian heritage he shares with Rupert Murdoch, and Donald Trump who “was wrung from the loins of a woman from Lewis” and how the force can be turned to the dark side.
Photo by Leo Fosdal on Unsplash
Related Articles
'SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS wp_posts.ID
FROM wp_posts LEFT JOIN wp_term_relationships ON (wp_posts.ID = wp_term_relationships.object_id)
WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.ID NOT IN (3468419) AND (
wp_term_relationships.term_taxonomy_id IN (5,8988,8992)
) AND wp_posts.post_type = \'post\' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = \'publish\'))
GROUP BY wp_posts.ID
ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC
LIMIT 0, 3'
By Rob Hopkins, Rob Hopkins blog
I feel so deeply grateful to have known him, and for the support and enthusiasm he showed for the Transition movement as it emerged. He was a sensitive and thoughtful man who knew that human beings could do so much better.
July 31, 2026
By Rob Lewis, The Climate According to Life
It seemed an odd request for a poetry magazine. What stuck with me most, though, was the very notion of a “nature poem.” What is such a thing? How in this age of collapse and dislocation do we define it?
July 30, 2026
By Vicki Robin, Coming of Aging
Richard’s clarity and kindness went right into my heart. My activist was ignited again, not to stop the system but to help my community and others adapt. With kindness.
July 30, 2026
