Editor's note

When Stormzy spoke about the Grenfell fire at the Brit awards, the media could not ignore him. The award-winning music star is one of many grime artists who have used the public platform provided by their success to talk about politics. And, as they are predominantly both black and working class, grime artists have different backgrounds, life experiences and even vernacular from almost anyone else famous enough to make headlines for calling out the prime minister, Theresa May. The challenge now is to ensure these new voices can bring about real social and political change, says Adam de Paor-Evans.

Mindfulness is big business, worth in excess of a billion dollars in the US alone. This may seem odd for a practice with its roots in Buddhism, but when stripped of its ethics and emphasis on community, mindfulness actually slots scarily well into the neoliberal mindset, as Peter Doran explains. Cheerier news if you’re prone to seeing the glass half full, however. Despite the hype around positive thinking, says Fuschia Sirois, some forms of pessimism may actually have benefits.

Venezuela claims to have launched the world’s first sovereign cryptocurrency, the Petro. But don’t believe the hype, says Daniele Bianchi. Petro can hardly qualify as a cryptocurrency – it is a digital security or token, backed by oil reserves, and the last resort of a country that’s desperate to raise money.

And allegations that Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was a communist agent in the 1980s have made for a few sensational front pages despite holes found in information given by the source, a Czech former intelligence operative. Ivor Gaber suggests that some sections of the fourth estate are scared more by the prospect of Corbyn getting serious about press regulation if he wins power.

All the best.

Will de Freitas

Environment + Energy Editor

Top story

Ian West/PA

Grime artists cannot be ignored – and it will mean a seismic shift in public discourse

Adam de Paor-Evans, University of Central Lancashire

Stormzy and other grime artists are speaking up, and their messages can no longer be ignored by mainstream.

Shutterstock

How plastics made from plants could be the answer to the world's waste problem

James William Comerford, University of York

Plant-based, sustainable plastics may hold many of the answers to our plastic problems.

fizkes/Shutterstock.com

McMindfulness: Buddhism as sold to you by neoliberals

Peter Doran, Queen's University Belfast

It is no accident that practices of meditation and mindfulness have become so ubiquitous in our neoliberal times.

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