In case you haven't noticed I recommend at the foot of this page the topographical writer Owen Hatherley's excellent blog 'SIT DOWN MAN YOU'RE A BLOODY TRAGEDY'. He writes mostly about the built environment - he's very sharp, very eloquent.
His title (which I wish I'd though of first) comes from a parliamentary heckle by the great Scottish socialist and member of the Independent Labour Party James Maxton. When Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald gave his last meandering, incoherent speech to Parliament he was interrupted by Maxton who shouted the deflationary words Hatherley has adopted as his rallying cry.
We need more Maxtons.
We also need more Owen Hatherleys. You can, via his blog, sign the petition to save Preston Bus Station from crass and greedy redevelopment. This really matters, both as a practical local issue for the good people of Preston and as a symbolic confrontation between public and private sector values, past and future.
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