Think of this blog as a cross between a personal journal and a notebook. The journal is a space for thoughts, ideas and — just maybe — the odd flash of inspiration. Generally, posts comment on current events and topics of interest and can often overlap with research themes, for example German politics. And the notebook is a place to record and reflect on the development of work in progress. But sometimes I’ll post on other topics too. These could be books, experiences and recollections. So you can expect a mixture of personal takes on politics, research and day-to-day life.
why ‘the green left hand’?
I was looking for a name that said something about me, especially in terms of political identity and aims for the blog. One day my husband — aka ‘The Mister’ — suggested The Red Right Hand (the Nick Cave song) and hit the nail on the head. Or sort of. Obviously, ‘right’ had to become ‘left’. So ‘The Red Left Hand’ became a tentative title, but didn’t quite capture the whole political picture. Ever since reading Schumacher’s Small is Beautiful in my teens I’ve been deeply drawn to Green principles — so we customised the colour of the title accordingly and settled on The Green Left Hand. The reference to ‘hand’ was also perfect, as I still love to write longhand, with fountain pen and paper.
what’s in the banner photo?
The photo was taken in our garden on a gloriously sunny day. In it you can see some items that are of sentimental value to me (the fountain pen), everyday objects for research and working life (the laptop, exercise book and diary) and things which just make life nicer (bluebells, tea in my favourite mug). And I think that ‘Do what you love’ (on the pencil) is a great message.
and finally…
All views expressed in my posts are my own. I don’t subscribe to the idea that free speech has to be hurtful and I’ll always endeavour to write posts that are fair, informed and well considered. After all, I want to be proud of this blog. But as it is also my own space, neither do I feel the need to maintain ‘neutrality’ or to disguise my political and/or personal opinions. Enjoy reading!
the green left hand 