Welcome to Litsy!

A link to Billy's Guardian article in which he recommends books about the importance of holding power to account:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/01/billy-bragg-further-reading-books-...

Bragg proposes that true, inclusive and democratic freedom is founded on the three principles of liberty, equality and accountability. He builds his argument for the importance of each pillar, showing how neoliberalism has eroded them, but most particularly that of accountability. Deregulation has given free rein to corporate exploitation of people and the environment, and Bragg sketches his ideas for redressing the balance. 👇🏼

"The challenge that faced the English in the seventeenth century was how to curb the absolute power of the monarch. In the twenty-first century, it is the markets that have taken on the mantle of absolutism, placing themselves above the jurisdiction of national governments. Holding the king to account was unprecedented and went against custom and tradition - holding the global markets to account is just as audacious and just as necessary."

"Capitalism is like fire: keep it under control and it will give you heat and light; leave it untended and it will consume everything in its path."

"Freedom of speech does not guarantee you a platform from which to air your opinions. You may hold trenchant views on a number of subjects but the fact that 'The Times' won't print your ruminations doesn't mean you are being oppressed...While freedom of speech gives you the right to dissent and, yes, to offend, it does not give you the right to abuse."

The epigraph strikes the right tone... ✊🏻😀

Next up, William Bloke's newly published book about the state of the handcart we're in and how close to the infernal fires we might be. I'm hoping he has some thoughts on how we can change direction, or at least knows the location of a conveniently head-sized patch of sand.
[The image is the back-cover blurb, and I'd assume the use of the t-word in the first line is not unintentional.]