User Profile

So what is this?

The Book of Swamp is my attempt to force my viewpoints on the world, following in the footsteps of our beloved national press. Given, though, that my publication is free to take, and made using a single PC and a few photocopiers and printers, I can’t help but feel a little personal focus is justified.

Uh huh, and who are you?

I am Swampy, but not the Newbury/second runway at Manchester road protester. I’ll keep my real name off these pages, but if you’re really bothered, it won’t be difficult for you to find. Actually, I’d really rather not be known as Swampy, but for the sake of a funny name for the newssheet it’s fitting. You see, I have my benevolent manager to thank for the nickname Swampy, who when not grinding my face under his capitalist boot, is actually quite a good laugh. I am a radically oriented activist (though I do NOT identify with the label hippy, or hippie), and the basic idea is to have that reflected on these pages.

This is clearly not a book.

No, you’re quite right there. But one day, when many issues of this sheet have been made, I hope to cash in on my years of selfless work by getting a book published and charging an extortionate amount for it. Alternatively, you could invest in two of those stringy-tag things and tie the issues together to make your own Book of Swamp. It will be only slightly harder to understand than the Book of Christianity. Plus, The Sheet of Swamp sounded rubbish.

What I actually hope to achieve with this newsletter is a combination of – and link between – stories of local significance, national significance and global significance. Local politics has come to be seen as the boring and ultimately pointless work of men and women in suits with very little governing power. It’s true that much decision making has moved away from the local arena, in many cases beyond the national arena. But I believe that what is happening in our communities is as important as anything happening in the Amazon Rainforest, Washington or Iraq, and the coverage should be vibrant to reflect that.

All writing is original, unless otherwise stated, and please feel free to distribute any of this without telling me. Enough of this blathering. - Swamp

-- Taken from Issue 1, June 2006


This is the online home of this newsletter, where I'll post the content under LiveJournal cuts whenever a new issue is finished. I'll also post references in a separate post, although these may be separated by several days just to spread the load. Please feel free to print, copy, distribute, or anything. If you'd like the sheet as it appears on the A4, email me and I'll send you the files.

There's a new newsletter roughly once a month.

Friends (0)

Also Friend of (16):