Options for Dealing with Squatting & Exceptional Human Experience
THEME: ROUND THE TWIST
Your brain network connectivity under (a) a placebo, and (b) psilocybin
ON THE ROAD
From onboard another bus to Wales - this is getting to be a nasty little habit!
We're travelling to Tonypandy for the recording of Foiled for BBC Radio Wales. It's the culmination of 17 months' work - from January 2016 when Beth and I put down our deposit for the Fringe show, to incorporating the final notes of our BBC Radio Wales contact this morning. (We drop way too many brand references apparently!)
So a huge thank you to everyone who's supported the project. Broadcast is scheduled for July, so quite literally stay tuned.
IN POLITICS
I finally sent off the podcast play on squatting - only about six weeks after the deadline. Damn writers!
It's hard writing about legal reform that so blatantly profits the wealthy at the expense of the poor. What's hardest to swallow about this sad affair, however, is how easy it was for a tiny privileged interest group to introduce a law that criminalises at a stroke a not-inconsiderable oppressed minority.
Some notes:
The criminalisation of squatting was tacked on as an amendment to a Legal Aid Bill that had already passed its second reading in the House of Commons. This meant MPs had no chance to properly scrutinise the new law, while the House of Lords "debate" took place at midnight.
A group of over 100 shocked housing lawyers were publicly discredited by MPs as "self-proclaimed experts" and "out of touch".
The public consultation was over so quickly that concerned organisations like the Chief Fire Officers had to beg for an extension. 96% of respondents to the consultation, including the Metropolitan Police, the Law Society and the Magistrate's Association, were firmly against any new law that criminalised squatting.
Needless to say, the law passed with barely any opposition. Since then, homelessness has doubled.
In the winter of 2013, homeless Daniel Gauntlett was found dead outside an empty bungalow in Kent. The night before, police had prevented him seeking shelter indoors. He died of hypothermia.
Private landlords are three times wealthier than the general population. Approximately 200,000 houses in the UK have been empty for six months or longer. The number of homeless who might seek shelter as squatters is around 50,000.
These three statistics are tragedy enough. But it makes me misremember the words of Martin Niemöller:
First they came for the homeless, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not homeless.
Then they came for those on benefits, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not on benefits.
Then they came for those on minimum wage, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not on minimum wage.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Jonathan Pie. For those of you wondering how to vote.
IN THE MIND
On Monday, I wrote up a talk by Dr David Luke on the science of psychedelics and exceptional human experience for my blog. My view was blocked and his entire mind-quenching lecture came from a disembodied voice somewhere through the darkness. It suited the tale of his experiments in and out of body experience and pre-cognition.
I won't bang on too much about it here, but I can highly recommend hunting down one of David Luke's lectures. He does funny voices and everything.
My blog post goes into way more detail, but I'll leave you with some simple answers to society's fearful questions.
Bad trips do happen. But less often than you'd expect - more than 50% of users have never experienced a bad trip. By contrast, 85% of users have transformatory positive experiences at least a quarter of the time.
Flashbacks do happen. Incredibly rarely. David Luke has come across just three cases of Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder during his career.
Mental health problems are not connected to long term psychedelic use. On the contrary, you're significantly less likely to commit suicide if you take psychedelics.
Death doesn't happen. Psychedelics have very low toxicity and the lethal dose has never been ascertained.
In fact, LSD and mushrooms are the two least harmful recreational drugs in the UK. About 4 times less harmful than cigarettes and 10 times less harmful than alcohol.
Thanks for reading! Now what?
Recording FOILED with the fabulous Rubber Chicken and top secret all-star cast. That's it.
Mega lols.
- DC
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