Professional Housebuilder and Property Developer

After writing a review for the (very readable) Professional Housebuilder and Property Developer, this is what they had to say about mine:

"Whatever your opinions on building sustainably, this book is a must-read, questioning themarch towards carbon zero and giving a refreshing alternative to the green agenda."

Lucy Dixon, Professional Housebuilder and Property Developer (October 2008).

strangetimes.lastsuperpower.net/

Thanks to Barry York in Austrlia for this article:

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=8146&page=0

Barry blogs at http://strangetimes.lastsuperpower.net/ and is involved in a very interesting "left-wing" group around Strange Times. I have had a number of fascinating conversations with Barry over the last few months and I certainly wish them all well - and a continued, recession-proof dialgue into 2009.

I have literally JUST received (after around 8 weeks waiting for trusty Amazon) a copy of David McMullen's book "Bright Future: Abundance and Progress in the 21st Century" which looks fascinating. The dustjacket says that there are three reasons to be reasonably positive about 21st century:
1. More and more poor people will become increasingly wealthy
2. "Environmental catastrophe will continue to not happen", and
3. Capitalism will lose its "historical mandate".

As they say, I can't wait to read it over Christmas.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bright-Future-David-McMullen/dp/0646468324/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229553951&sr=1-2

See also: http://brightfuture21c.wordpress.com

Times Literary Supplement

"Williams ... identifies radical environmentalists as 'enemies of progress' who have fundamentally turned away from human development and advancement'. Peter Pesic, TLS (September 19th, 2008)

At times it's not the most full-bodied endorsement - where once again I am riding on the coat tails of Nigel Lawson's book, (not my fault... and slightly embarrassing for my left-wing credentials, if truth be told) - but it's pretty good, I think.

I am grateful to the TLS for the mention.

In my role as co-editor, I have a new book "The Future of Community: Reports of a Death Greatly Exaggerated" that will be reviewed in the TLS in January. See: http://www.futureofcommunity.org.uk/

Saturday Telegraph

Kind words indeed from Andrew English at the Telegraph Motoring desk. Many thanks.

As he says, sometimes books get overtaken by events, but the example he cites - of describing drivers of 4X4s as worse than paedophiles - is not uncommon. In fact I do indeed quote the ubiquitous George Monbiot as saying ‘a car is now more dangerous than a gun; flying across the Atlantic is as unacceptable, in terms of its impact on human well-being, as child abuse.’

But this update is all grist to the mill and more examples of this kind of degraded comparison - and moral grandstanding - are welcome.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/3163735/Why-motoring-will-only-get-more-expensive-Enemies-of-progress.html

Comment is Free

Andrew Simm, in Comment is Free, proclaims my small notoriety... and pretends that he hasn't read my book.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/04/greenpolitics.climatechange

Culture Wars

A favourable review on Culture Wars website by Ben Pile, one of the founders of Climate Resistance
http://www.culturewars.org.uk/index.php/site/article/in_praise_of_unsustainability_1/

See Climate Resistance on www.climate-resistance.org

Little Atoms

Here's an interview about the book... and the subsequent Manifesto: Towards a New Humanism [ManTowNHuman] on Little Atoms with Neil Denny and Padraig Reidy.

http://www.littleatoms.com/sounds/austinwilliams.mp3