slowlane

I am a great fan of subversive media that seeks to tell truths that do not sit easily in the tomes of the major outlets, being dictated as they are by large advertising revenue and they need to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.

For several years now I have been sporadically receiving a small journal called the Fourth World Review. The wonderful polemic was the work of John Papworth a great eccentric of the type only Britain seems to produce. I mean that as a compliment, it is exactly his unique character, keen intelligence and insistence on telling people exactly how he see’s the world that have made his beautifully written editorials a joy to read. The journal has consistently stood up for the importance of small scale, local initiatives whether it be farms, local politics and all types of communities. Papworth was a friend of EF Schumacher and has published many articles by Leopold Kohr who continues the vision outlined by Schumacher in his classic work Small is Beautiful.

I met John Papworth some years ago when he visited Australia. He is small very energetic man who must has been in his late seventies at the time. His speech was littered with Shakespearean quotes and classical references. His oration skills were highly developed and he was very entertaining to listen to.

I seems that the journal is no longer being published, however several years worth of editions are available online at http://www.4thworld.co.uk/ and would be rewarding reading. John has written the following plea for others to take over aspects of the journal

I have edited FourthWorld Review since I founded it in 1984. Now I am trying to
hand over to a new team. Technology now makes it feasible to divide functions.
Can you help? … I am bowing out only because at 86 it is
time. If this is not to be the last issue of FourthWorld Review what can you do
to ensure its continuance? I will keep you posted on developments with
occasional newsletters.

Recent writing by John Papworth can be found here at Transition Culture.