In a shift away from plastics, many have turned to sustainable products as a plastics replacement. Most ditching all types of plastics, including recycled and bioplastic made from food waste like corn, in favour of products like Totes. Rightly assuming the single use, throwaway plastics are bad for the climate. As countries take greater steps to ban and legislate against single use plastics, this shift is only set to increase.

Yet, the tussle between plastics and non-plastics isn’t clear-cut. Bioplastics’ reputation in the green community was damaged when CPLA or “vegware” plastics could not be composted in garden compost while…

This week, our company brand account particpated in the 48 hour boycott of twitter. For us, this was a controversial decision and while this didn’t come with much surprise, or concern, for me personally, the reality is it did raise the question of why a person of colour, of Arab lineage no less, and a supporter of the Palestinian state, would support “the Jewish State”.

For me, the answer is a pretty straightforward. The democratically elected Israeli government are completely seperate from both the people of Isreal and Jews around the world. …

The battle is real, the fight rages on,
But this is a battle that can’t be won.

Slowly, silently it’s taking over your life,
Its stronghold can’t be severed by a surgeon's knife.

And so helplessly I watch you slipping away,
Praying each night for one more day.

The dawn comes and my heart quickens,
And deep inside the fear thickens.

Please let daddy be OK today,
With a heavy heart I plead and pray.

You greet me with a smile and love fills my heart,
Silently wishing we never have to part.

Each day brings challenges new, As this…

by Ethar Alali

(audio)

Harrowed.
I spent these evenings,
Throat, narrowed.
Just angry.

I didn’t spend years,
Coding and crafting,
And helped and grafted,
For my evening years shafted,
By a society who doesn’t want-
This package?

So pillaged the talent.

Then the rest,
Like the depiction of Jesus,
Whitewashed.
For fear of the other,
For fear of a brother,
With skin.
Not as light as another.

But here we are now,
And here you stand!

Once side-by-side.
Now in front.
Through your silence.
What is it you fear?

A man straining in front of you, Suffocating. With barrage after…

Once upon a time
A lady said to me.
That the love she felt inside her,
Made her set me free.

I looked and cried,
And died inside.
When the girl I loved,
Had run to hide.

But I respected her,
And heard her cries.
And wished that I could,
Help dry her eyes.

...if she'd let me.

But end it has,
And I wonder if.
It’s right for me,
To let her slip.
As I’d be happy, with an intimate friend.

A lady I could support,
Like a princess on the mend 😉
Because she’s worth it,
If truth be told.
I can really imagine,
Us growing old.

So I ask of her a favour,
For which I now reply.
Of deserving, self-love,
The lady should try.
Because if she considers,
A supportive ear.
I sincerely hope,
it's one I have here.

Sleep on it.

In the week Boris Johnson was summoned to face charges of misconduct in public office brought by the private prosecution led by Marcus Ball, Johnson’s Conservative party colleagues took to twitter and traditional media to express their support for the leadership candidate, not by providing a character reference, which perhaps says a lot, but by claiming a right to free speech while simultaneously claiming the case was a cynical attempt to stop Brexit.

Leaving aside that prosecuting Boris is completely independent of the Brexit debate, albeit usefully conflated by hard Brexit advocates seeking to hijack their colleague’s plight for political…

The day started ominously, Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour party left the crucial meeting of Labour’s National Executive Committee at the start of the day because of a lack of hard copy of their European Elections manifesto. Then that afternoon, came the crucial piece of news most Remain campaigners were waiting for.

This came as a blow to almost everyone in the Remain camp, who were holding out hope that Labour’s NEC would force Labour to back a referendum in all circumstances. That wasn’t to be. …

Last week’s formal launch of the Brexit party, with yet another bus, is the latest attempt to galvanise the Leave vote across a dedicated party for those disillusioned with Conservative appeasement and UKIP’s far-right surge.

Splitting your electorate is normally considered a bad thing. Yet, with proportional representation, that split doesn’t automatically shift the BluKIP cohort out of the picture and crucially for Remainers, is it enough to give a pro-Remain voting strategy a chance?

BlueKIP Brexit Party

It’s still relatively early days, but the series of charm offensives Nigel Farage has been on, galvanised enough interest in his activity already. Surging Brexit…