British poet Benjamin Zephaniah performing his poem ‘Money’;

In a recent interview Gordon Brown denied rumours that he has been taking anti-depressant mdeication to help cope with the stress of his job. Until now, the media and comedy quiz show panelists have been content with poking fun at the Prime Minister’s rather dour personality. Of course, being someone who looks a bit miserable and taking medication for a mental health problem are quite different.

Whether or not Brown is taking medication for depression and stress allows us to pose the question, how would the public react if he or any other national leader admitted to such? In our macho, ubermenche obsessed western democratic culture, would evidence of emotional turmoil be seen as a weakness when it comes to governing?

My feeling is that many people would shrug such a revelation off, but the media would go at the story like a hungry dog at a bone. There would be no let up and continuous questioning of his/her mental stability, even if it was medically assured (as far as is possible) that said person was fit to do the job. How many Prime Ministers have been borderline or full blown alcoholics? How many have used illegal substances before or entering office? How many have been that to that dark place most people enter in times of difficulty when they question whether they can face another day?

I don’t believe in sanity. No one is sane, and if they are legally declared as such by the medical establishment they are merely acting in a manner which is acceptable in contemporary society. We all practice cognitive dissonance on a daily basis. How could we not do so when our tax money pays for high tech murder weapons which kill innocent men, women and children overseas? How would we continue lives of sports obsession and conspicuous consumption when in other parts of the world, starving children are stalked by vultures (WARNING LINKED PICTURE IS DISTURBING)?

No, everyone does what they can to get by in life. For full disclosure purposes, I should make clear my personal interest in this story by sharing my own history of depression as well as use of anti-depressant medication. I stopped taking medication over 2 years ago and am aware the ‘black clouds’ may descend on me at any point in my life, but the same can also happen to those who’ve never experienced depression etc before. Luckily I know the signs and symptoms now and can act accordingly.

When I’m not in a depressed state, I believe my ability to analyse and act appropriately in all situations is as good as anyone elses’. Having suffered from depression, I believe I understand other people and their actions much better than I otherwise would have. Perhaps a leader who fights his inner demons and wins is more able to fight the political battles he will almost certainly face, as well as having a greater understanding of his/her own strengths and limitations.

Brown is a terrible Prime Minister, but it’s not anything to do with his need for medication, if such a need exists.

Oxford & City University of New York Marxist Geographer David Harvey on why class analysis and class consciousness is as critical as ever;

I’m currently reading the fascinating autobiography of Malcolm X. His was an asounding life story of  metamorphasis from nieve kid from the country, Harlem hustler, Nation of Islam preacher and finally into a more independent thinker who dropped his earlier distrust for all whites in the fight for social and economic justice.

The great sadness reading the life story of Malcolm X is how his untimely death cut short the potential for the man to become a truly revolutionary leader of dispossesed people, no matter their race. Towards the end of his life Malcolm lost his possibly racist sentiments as was preached by the Nation of Islam and realised that peoples of all colours, creeds and religions must come together to fight for equality and justice. His trips to the UK, France and Mecca cemented these ideals as well as his belief that the world was nearing a revolutionary epoch that would require all men and women to work together to throw off their chains. During his trip to Mecca he gained a new Arabic name El Hajj Malik El Shabazz and more importantly a new found respect for brotherhood as he met fellow Muslims of all colours who treated him with respect.

Malcolm X was murdered in 1965 by the Nation of Islam, or the FBI (as Fred Hampton was as part of the COINTELPRO programme of the 1960s) just as his fight for universal human rights began. We need more individuals today willing to risk harm speaking out for those who have no voice and against inequality, whether it be on a national or global level.  

Malcolm X at Oxford University 1964;

‘The House Negro & The Field Negro’ (this could be re-titled & re-contextualised to ‘middle classes & working classes’ in our contemporary situation);

‘There’s a Worldwide Revolution Going On’;

‘Malcolm X after Return from Mecca’;

…apparently the difference between New Labour and the Conservatives planned spending policies following the next general election, whoever wins;

“David Cameron today insisted that reality had finally “caught up with the prime minister” as he accused Gordon Brown of engaging in a long-term “cover-up” of plans to cut public spending.

The Tory chief used his monthly press conference to underline George Osborne’s claim that the prime minister was “not telling the truth” over plans to reduce departmental budgets by 9.3%.

An internal government document marked “confidential”, obtained by the Tories, suggested reductions of almost 10% were under discussion as long ago as the budget in April.

The prime minister has consistently sought to portray the debate about public spending as between Labour investment versus Tory cuts.” – BBC News 16/9

The neoliberal consensus amongst the mainstream parties continues. Not only are the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats planning savage spending cuts across the board (likely to entrench the recession through a major slump in demand), but many major trade union leaders meeting at this weeks TUC continue to blindly follow the government into the fire falsely believing they have any kind of sway over the New Labour leadership. Others are no longer under such illusions, but continue to bankroll the Labour Party and the policies it enacts which are often in opposition to their own member’s interests.

Please, no mayonnaise!

It’s nice to see such talented individuals receive record levels of pay for their sterling work bringing the UK economy to the brink of total collapse…great work if you can get it!

“Executives at Britain’s top companies saw their basic salaries leap 10% last year, despite the onset of the worst global recession in decades, in which their companies lost almost a third of their value amid a record decline in the FTSE.

The Guardian’s annual survey of boardroom pay reveals that the full- and part-time directors of the FTSE 100, the premier league of British business, shared between them more than £1bn.

Bonus payouts were lower, but the basic salary hikes were more than three times the 3.1% average pay rise for ordinary workers in the private sector. The big rise in directors’ basic pay – more than double the rate of inflation last year – came as many of their companies were imposing pay freezes on staff and starting huge redundancy programmes to slash costs.” Read more Here.

Sourc: The Guardian 14/9

From The Financial Times 9/09/09;

“Seventy-two City bankers are suing Dresdner Kleinwort and Commerzbank for £29 million of unpaid bonuses in the biggest case of its kind in the UK.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the High Court, is the latest sign that bankers are ready to fight for their pay packets in spite of public outrage over the size of the rewards on offer in the industry widely blamed for the financial crisis…”

Well, you can’t question the audacity of these people’s, but you can question their morality.