JonathanDavis.me.uk

I know, I failed miserably. I promised you all last time that I would attempt to keep this blog up to date and it’s been three months since the last post.

However, if I’ve learned anything from previous experiences, it’s that setting myself deadlines and targets where personal blogging is concerned usually leads me to abandon it. At least this way I’m keeping it alive, even if the updates are infrequent and the audience limited to those who have finished reading everything else on the world wide web and are looking for something self-indulgent to help them sleep.

So, what has been happening. Well, as it turns out, quite a lot.

Interest in my writing appears to have snowballed over several months. I continued my column on the Huffington Post website, writing about same-sex marriage, as well as keeping up with the submissions to Passing Nightmare. I received an interview request from Al-Jazeera based on a piece I’d written about the Occupy London camp for the HuffPo. Unfortunately they needed someone fast, and I was stuck in work at the time, but it was certainly nice to be noticed.

Soon after I received an invitation from the Morning Star newspaper (which I purchase daily) to write some feature articles for them. My first piece for the paper was an overview of anti-cuts activism in Manchester, looking at the campaigning taking place to save council services from closure and at the emergence of radical social spaces. After informing several people of my new year’s resolution to get something published in print this year, I have to admit it was quite satisfying to see a piece of my writing appear in a national newspaper on the 27th of March. Despite the hard work involved, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and certainly improved my interview technique during the process. My task for the next week is to figure out what to write next, as well as joining the NUJ, providing they’ll allow me in. I remain somewhat doubtful as to whether journalism could ever be my full-time occupation, but I like to think it could bring in a nice second income one day.

My university studies, on the other hand, are not going quite so well. The course has become a little dry, as I predicted in a post last year. As a consequence my enthusiasm for study has been somewhat curtailed. This, coupled with the knowledge that I am no longer allowed any kind of study break until the degree is finished (or else I will be moved onto the new fees structure at three-times the cost) has begun to give me second thoughts about OU study. Even at the present cost, I feel I shouldn’t really be investing so much of my cash into study which can at times be incredibly stressful to balance with full-time work and a social life. That being said, I have thoroughly enjoyed my previous courses and there’s a possibility I may feel differently once it comes time to choose my next one, following my DD203 exam in June. We shall wait and see, it’s certainly not a decision I will take lightly.

One final piece of news is that I’ve finally signed up as a member of the Manchester Film Co-op. After nine months of attending their screenings I’d really like to get involved more in the running of the group, so hopefully I will be able, time permitting. I’d leave you with a promise to blog here more often, but we all know I’d be lying, so if you’re after the latest, or you just want to say hello, find me on Twitter. Adios.

As 2011 draws to a close (cliché alert) I thought it might be worth writing up a short summary of the year.

Perhaps the greatest change to take place this year was my launching of Passing Nightmare. The site came about following an earlier abandoned experiment with current affairs blogging. Much of the site design was done over the course of a week last Christmas, along with several launch articles on economics and the media. One early article was referenced by the Guardian newspaper, which certainly provided a large boost to both my self-confidence and to the reputation of the site.

The site has since grown beyond my wildest expectations, having now published over 40 articles on a wide range of subjects. This year was undoubtedly an extraordinary year for the media news cycle, so from the summer riots and the war in Libya to the anti-cuts movement and the occupations, I’ve been writing on all of the major events taking place. I’ve also taken my angry keyboard skills to a variety of other issues including consumerism, US and European politics, the Arab Spring and media misrepresentations of the British welfare state.

As my competency in writing has increased I have also been provided with fantastic opportunities to write for established and well-respected websites such as New Left Project, Minority Thought and the Huffington Post. Once I get some more free time (unlikely to be any time soon) I have my eye on a few other projects, including writing for Manchester Mule, with whom I recently attended a fantastic media training day.

Meanwhile, my Open University work has continued apace. I finished my work for DD132 in April and am presently studying for DD203. I still have several more assignments and an exam (which I’m frightfully worried about!) remaining before I complete the course in around May or June, so I imagine there will be limited time for writing until then.

Another development running parallel alongside my writing has been increased activist activity. This year I have attended independent media conferences, occupations, protest marches and went out on strike myself in November. I’ve also been getting out on the streets, talking to people and making some fantastic new friends.

This year has been by far the busiest I can remember for quite some time.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s been a busy couple of months for me since I last wrote a personal blog update. So if you happen to be interested in the inanities and general goings on in my life, read on…

Earlier this month I travelled to London to attend the Rebellious Media Conference, a gathering of journalists, political activists and other radical media types for two days based in the city centre. The keynote speaker was Professor Noam Chomsky, who delivered a fantastic lecture on the current state of affairs with regard to military conflict, the economic crisis and progressive resistance. Chomsky is a personal hero of mine, as he is for many on the left, and despite being 82 years old he retains his superb intellect and razor sharp analysis. Other sessions included speakers such as John Pilger, Greg Philio, Laurie Penny and Michael Albert. Several of the workshops I attended, such as those on the recent riots, or discussing local alternative media, also gave me a heck of a lot of food for thought.

Attending the conference also provided me with an excuse to take a few extra days in London, a place which I hadn’t visited for around a decade. I made sure to visit the major tourist hot spots (taking in the landmarks and museums) though this also allowed me time to meet up with some of my friends, both old and new, for several intoxicating adventures across the city.

In academic news, I have now begun to study for my DD203 Open University module and am currently in the process of drafting my first assignment, due in at the end of this month. The course material so far seems fairly interesting, though I do have to confess that I have struggled to remain enthused given the initial slow pace of the study schedule. However, I imagine that once the material delves into specifics and the workload becomes a little more demanding it should help to focus my concentration somewhat.

Although my studying has somewhat limited the time I can spend on it, I have nevertheless experienced some further success in enabling my writing to be viewed by a wider audience. Last month I was invited to become a blogger for the Huffington Post. My first article for the site was a piece I wrote discussing British media coverage of immigration and attempting to debunk some of the more harmful misconceptions.

I have also written a second article for the New Left Project website, which provides a brief history of political party funding and suggests potential options for reform. This piece was fairly complex to write (with some assistance from the editors) and required plenty of research, but I’m quite impressed with how it turned out in the end. I’ve also continued writing for Passing Nightmare and Minority Thought, most recently with a piece discussing the Iranian ‘terror plot’.

Closer to home, yesterday I paid a visit to Occupy Manchester, based in the Peace Gardens at St Peters Square. The camp is part of a global movement protesting against rising inequality, corporate greed and government cuts, whilst also urging reform of the financial sector to attempt to ensure that the poor do not pay for a crisis created by the rich. The Peace Gardens has now been occupied for almost three weeks and I stopped by to drop off some supplies and chat to those living in the camp. Those whom I spoke with were truly committed to the cause and many were quite eloquent and insightful in explaining their reasons for joining the occupation. I hope to be able to visit the camp again over the next week or so.

Finally, whilst I’m discussing local projects I wanted to quickly mention a fantastic little group I’ve been attending recently. Manchester Film Cooperative is based in Salford and hosts a monthly meeting, screening films which challenge current economics, politics and society. I’ve already watched some superb films there as part of their ‘Surveillance’ season, so it’s certainly worth checking out if you live nearby.

I promised I would make a concerted effort to keep this personal blog going, so as summer gradually disappears without a trace, I thought it might be worth taking some time to let everyone know where I’m up to. Firstly, my writing.

I have continued to write articles for Passing Nightmare, with pieces on the war in Libya, two film reviews, an analysis of the dodgy media reporting on ESA claimants and a discussion on the recent UK riots. A rough estimate indicates that I have written just over 27,000 words for the site since it went live in January.

This month also sees the first publication of my work on another political website. New Left Project commissioned me to write an article on Free Software, with a brief history of the movement followed by an analysis of how the political left can best utilise the possibilities of open code to free themselves from corporate control. You can read the article here.

After a 6 month break, my Open University studying continues. Having awaited the results of the fee increases I was pretty shocked to discover that the cost of a £700 course would be rising to around £2,500 from 2012. Thankfully those already undertaking a degree would be allowed to continue on the old fee structure as long as they continue to take at least one course each year.

This is good news, but means that it would be rather risky for me to attempt a specialised Politics/Economics degree,  so instead I have opted for the standard BA/BSc in Social Sciences.

My next course is DD203, entitled ‘Power, dissent, equality: understanding contemporary politics’. The course begins in October,  the content looks fantastic.

My final bit of news is that I will be heading to London in October to attend the Rebellious Media Conference and do a spot of sightseeing. I’m planning to write a report on this for Passing Nightmare and I hope to be able to meet up with some friends whilst wandering around the big city.