Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Geert Wilders the 49 year old Dutch far-right politician, founder and leader of the Party for Freedom the fourth-largest political party in the Netherlands best known for his criticism of Islam, summing up his views by saying, “I don’t hate Muslims, I hate Islam”, views that have made him a controversial figure in the Netherlands and abroad. Anno Bunnik has published an article on Aljazeera titled ‘The rise and fall of Geert Wilders?’ stating “…Wilders is labelled the sorcerer’s apprentice. Trained by one of the most prominent Dutch politicians in recent decades – “sorcerer” Frits Bolkesteijn – Wilders transformed from a relatively unknown Member of Parliament into the most outspoken and influential politician in the Netherlands. But his magic seems to have worn off, as Dutch voters are increasingly getting tired of his yearning for political hysteria. …Even when Wilders-admirer Anders Breivik slaughtered 77 children and young adults in Norway it did not harm his position. PVV-voters are able to distinguish between a terrorist and a legitimate politician, even if they share similar views. Nothing seemed to stop Wilders rise to power. …Wilders, however, failed to observe … the majority of voters simply do not want more political crises, but instead long for politicians to take up their responsibilities – even if that means tough austerity measures. Not a single person that I spoke to in recent weeks, irrespective of their background, is really looking forward to yet another general election. Most voters hold Wilders accountable for tearing down the minority government and blame him for prioritising his own interest over national interest.”

Inspired by Anno Bunnik ow.ly/dPe4t image source Twitter ow.ly/dPeGA

Sorry. Time to give it back (January 18th)

William Ernest “Bill” McKibben the US Environmentalist and founder of the Global Climate Campaign 350.org has released an article on Aljazeera stating that “We need to say, loud and clear: “Sorry. Time to give it back”, reflecting on the corporate takeover of congress. In the article McKibben states, “we may have to change the Constitution, as we’ve done 27 times before. This time, we’d need to specify that corporations aren’t people, that money isn’t speech …The Occupy movement opened the door to this sort of change by reminding us all that the system is rigged, that its outcomes are unfair… later this month, when rallies … mark the second anniversary of the Citizens United decision … where the Supreme Court ruled that corporations had the right to spend whatever they wanted on campaigns. To me, that decision was, in essence, corporate America saying, “We’re not going to bother pretending any more. This country belongs to us”.

Inspired by Bill McKibben http://ow.ly/8tQmP image source Hotshot977 http://ow.ly/8tQDb

Peter Reginald Frederick Hall the 80 year old UK theatre director and founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company has decried again the state of public funding and subsidies to arts in the UK. In a recent interview with Horatia Harrod, Hall stated “I don’t think we quite know who we are. But as far as the arts are concerned, there’ll always be trouble, because that’s what the art is there for. It’s to ask big questions, and suggest big answers. I’ve lost faith in various projects, various political suggestions, but I’ve never lost faith in that”. Hall at the age of 29 founded the Royal Shakespeare Company serving as the artistic director, and has been a passionate defender of the public subsidies to the arts in the UK for over 50 years.

Inspired by Horatia Harrod http://ow.ly/5ZyXR image source trialx http://ow.ly/5ZyXg