Edwards, Michael; (2019) A postcard from London. In: Van den Broeck, Pieter and Mehmood, Abid and Paidakaki, Angeliki and Parra, Constanza, (eds.) Social Innovation as Political Transformation: Thoughts for a Better World. (pp. 56-59). Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, UK.

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Abstract

Forgive a short message from our offshore island, written in moments diverted from challenging the neo-liberal framing of our city’s narrative, watching the eviction of people from homes and expulsion of ‘foreign’ friends from their city of choice and now, suddenly, grappling with an intractable parliamentary election. All that is solid melts into air. The sub-text is a warm appreciation of what I have learned as a guest at the feast of Moulaert and its community over many years. London is a big city by European standards but that’s as precise as one can be. Its administrative area was already too small when defined in 1965 and becomes ever more so as its growth sucks commuters from much of England and migrants from everywhere. We know the importance of multi-scalar relationships, though, and live with very distinct and localised economic, social and political experiences in the cities, towns and villages which make up our country: various capitalisms surviving under one Queen (the rentier par excellence) but a country increasingly financialised and divided.

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