Content warnings: discussion of suicide, self-harm, grief, genocide Don't set yourself on fire. The act of self-immolation as a form of political protest has a long history, and in recent months, some people have committed suicide by fire in response to the genocide in Gaza. Every single one of these people deserves immense respect for their empathy, for their integrity, and their commitment to standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine. But I've been in a protest group where two young people set themselves on fire for the cause, and this kind of protest cannot be valorised. The romanticisation of self-sacrifice leads to nothing but grief. We must find a way to appreciate and acknowledge the sincerity of those who self-immolate for a political message, while strictly dissuading any further acts of suicide. This is for a very simple reason: unnecessary violence cannot end unnecessary violence. There are compelling arguments as to why violence, in many circumstances, is
I almost certainly now have more books than I have life remaining to read them in. My laptop looks back at me beneath a shelf of books; to my right, three full shelves, labelled, from top to bottom, 'Activism', 'Plays' and 'Writing' struggle under the weight of more books; behind me, two more, taller sets of shelves carry my science, sci-fi, philosophy, history, biography, and some random books. On top of my wardrobe sits a large, stuffed tub of books I've read already. And then there's all the books downstairs. I've annexed most walls of my family's dining room for my volumes on politics, all my general fiction, and my poetry. There's also a few hardbacks that wouldn't fit anywhere else. The defence "well at least I don't smoke" is becoming less and less effective. The cliché line of most addicts is: "I can quit any time I want." I'm not even going to try that one. I can't quit. I will pile up books until