A speaker from the audience has just stood up and made an important point about farmers. She questioned organic and whether it is intrinsically healthier. An uncomfortable issue for many in the room, myself included, who believe it is. But more than that she said, “I am not an organic farmer, but I am proud […]

How do we decide what to eat? That was the subject of today’s Rethinking Diets panel discussion and debate.  Most of us there expected some blue sky thinking but to say the skies turned a little thundery in our little room is an understatement. The Soil Association’s Richard Young made a fascinating case for bringing […]

In the run up to tomorrow’s annual Soil Association Conference I thought I’d post my introductory remarks from the at the Battle of Ideas debate last October… Food is a really dynamic subject area and more complex than a lot of us realise. On the one hand it’s in our faces – literally – every day. On […]

Look beyond all the theatre of the US debt crisis, and there is opportunity in disguise, says Pat Thomas Amidst all the hand-wringing about the US debt crisis, there’s been very little space given to whether the system that everyone is trying to prop up is actually worth saving. America, like most of the affluent […]

Scientists say that strip mining the moon will reward us with cheap energy. Pat Thomas sees the dark side of their moon madness What do you see when you look at the moon? The romantic sees an opportunity to steal a kiss and dance a little closer. An astrologer may see the symbolism of the […]

If you want people to stop eating bad food, stop selling it…Pat Thomas makes a plea for Government to stop tinkering around the edges of health and sustainability. It’s been a bad week for anyone who cares about food. Defra – with it’s finger always on the pulse of a dead horse that’s been flogged […]

I should have loved the Wayseer Manifesto video – which aims to unite those of us who stand outside the mainstream into a powerful, creative movement. But it left me cold and unsettled… Once, in a former incarnation, I sat in a room full of pregnant women. I was facilitating a workshop on the practical, emotional […]

Astronomy in the blue corner, astrology in the red corner. Is this the most pointless fight in the universe? asks Pat Thomas Early in January BBC2 broadcast Stargazing Live, a three-night experiment in looking at the stars. The programme, truth be told, was nearly as dull as the night skies over that period. Until… Dara O’Briain said […]

Rumours of the death of print journalism may be premature – thank goodness. Here’s the transcript of my latest audioblog. The purpose of this audioblog is to highlight stories that made me feel a little more hopeful and what’s doing it for me this week is journalism – or more specifically the way that print journalism […]

When you give your money to an aid agency, don’t you want to know how it is being spent? My latest audioblog asks when are aid agencies going to start being more upfront about their work. Transcript below.   There is no question in my mind what the most affecting story of the past week […]