Tonight Paul Sng’s film Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle will have what I think is its last screening of the year at the Chelsea Curzon cinema, and to the excitement of many what the publicity calls ‘the Right Honourable Jeremy Corbyn’ will be in attendance. This is quite a turn around, as when the film first came … Continue reading Dispossession: The Great Labour Party Swindle
Author: Simon Elmer
Narkomfin: Regenerations, Appropriations, Betrayals
The Narkomfin Building As a third-rate intellectual nation with the most de-politicised working class in Europe, the UK has spent this 100th anniversary year self-satisfyingly dumping on everything we can about the Russian Revolution, while simultaneously shutting our eyes to the extraordinary creativity to which it gave birth – however short-lived – in poetry, literature, painting, … Continue reading Narkomfin: Regenerations, Appropriations, Betrayals
Armed Love: Capitalism, Anarchism and the Russian Revolution
‘The revenge of history is more powerful than the revenge of the most powerful General Secretary.’ – Leon Trotsky How do you mark the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution in a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy in which monopoly capitalism has created the greatest income inequality in Europe, and which, because of this, the … Continue reading Armed Love: Capitalism, Anarchism and the Russian Revolution
Social Housing Scrutiny Project: ASH Presentation to Haringey Council Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Panel
On 29 November 2017, at the invitation of Christian Scade, the Principal Scrutiny Officer at Haringey council, Geraldine Dening of ASH made the following presentation to the cross-party Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Panel. In attendance were Labour Councillor Emine Ibrahim, Chair of the Panel, Labour Councillor Zena Brabazon, Liberal Democrat Councillor Gail Engert, and Liberal Democrat Councillor Martin Newton, all … Continue reading Social Housing Scrutiny Project: ASH Presentation to Haringey Council Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Panel
Radiant City: The Marseilles Housing Unit
In April of this year ASH visited the Unité d’habitation in Marseilles, the first and most influential of Le Corbusier’s ‘Housing Units’, which was completed in 1952 and repeated, with variations, in Nantes-Rezé (1955), in Berlin-Westend (1957), in Briey (1963) and in Firminy (1965). Itself considerably influenced by the Narkomfin building in Moscow (1930) designed by the … Continue reading Radiant City: The Marseilles Housing Unit
Achilles Street: Open Garden Estates 2017
As part of this year's Open Garden Estates, Achilles Street residents researched the abundance of wildflowers living in and around their estate. The walk they created out of their discovery reveals the beauty found in unlikely places and raises questions about how we value our urban environment and local communities. Overlooked and unappreciated, these plants, like … Continue reading Achilles Street: Open Garden Estates 2017
The Castle: Freedom of Information and Commercial Confidentiality at Lambeth Co-operative Council
‘Ultimately, I think it’s better to be as transparent and as open as possible, but that does slow things down. But it also means that as we start the consultation residents know that we have looked at all options, that they’ve been robustly tested and scrutinised, and that’s why we can say with confidence that … Continue reading The Castle: Freedom of Information and Commercial Confidentiality at Lambeth Co-operative Council
Battle of Ideas: Reform or Revolution in Housing?
On Saturday, 28 October, as part of the Barbican’s Battle of Ideas festival, ASH was part of a panel debate titled Housing: Reform or Revolution? The rest of the panel was composed of Patrik Schumacher, the Principle at Zaha Hadid Architects, who the previous year, at a speech at the World Architecture Festival, had called … Continue reading Battle of Ideas: Reform or Revolution in Housing?
The Way of the Dead: Land, Class and Architecture
This summer I stayed on Dartmoor for a fortnight, and while there I visited the small village of Lydford. Walking from one end to the other in a few minutes, I found it hard to believe that a thousand years ago this was one of the four administrative centres for what is now Devon - … Continue reading The Way of the Dead: Land, Class and Architecture
Labour Party Conference No. 2
I remember Corbyn at the Brighton love-in, He was talking so brave about ‘faith’, Promising salvation on regeneration While Labour councils demolish estates. Those were his excuses, but this is London, We are fighting for our homes on the streets, Where sound-bites are swallowed by believers in lies, Labour voters and estate residents. Ah, but … Continue reading Labour Party Conference No. 2
Simon Elmer 