Celebrity is not harmless fun – it’s the lieutenant of exploitation.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 21st December 2016
Now that a reality TV star is preparing to become president of the United States, can we agree that celebrity culture is more than just harmless fun? That it might in fact be an essential component of the systems that govern our lives?
In the first of a series of columns about possible solutions, I explore how commons could transform society and the distribution of wealth
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 14th December 2016
Why is there a worldwide revolt against politics as usual? Because corporate globalisation has crushed democratic choice.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian, 6th December 2016
Donald Trump’s staff are drawn from an opaque network of corporate-funded thinktanks and fake grassroots campaigns
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 30th November 2016
Yes, Donald Trump’s politics are incoherent. But those who surround him know just what they want, and his lack of clarity enhances their power. To understand what is coming, we need to understand who they are. I know all too well, because I have spent the past 15 years fighting them.
We face (at least) 13 major crises, some of which are immediate. It’s time for some hard thinking about how we confront them.
By George Monbiot, published on the Guardian’s website, 25 November 2016
Please don’t read this unless you are feeling strong. This is a list of 13 major crises that, I believe, confront us. There may be more. Please feel free to add to it or to knock it down. I’m sorry to say that it’s not happy reading.
The combination of automation, complexity and climate change is dangerous in ways we haven’t even begun to grasp.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 23rd November 2016
How a ruthless network of super-rich ideologues killed choice and destroyed people’s faith in politics
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 14th November 2016
The High Court judgement on air pollution is an opportunity to rethink our whole transport system.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 9th November 2016
Only by crossing social boundaries and coming together can we resist the forces that threaten to crush us.
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 2nd November 2016
If there is an irrepressible human trait, it’s the determination, against all odds, to reconnect. Though governments seek to atomise and rule, we will keep finding ways to come together. Our social brains forbid any other outcome. They urge us to reach out, even when the world seems hostile.
Donald Trump is not an outlier, but the distillation of our dominant values
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 26th October 2016
What is the worst thing about Donald Trump? The lies? The racist stereotypes? The misogyny? The alleged gropings? The apparent refusal to accept democratic outcomes? All these are bad enough. But they’re not the worst. The worst thing about Donald Trump is that he’s the man in the mirror.