Everyone must take responsibility for waste generation

The growing levels of rubbish created by our society should be a cause for concern. At times it can seem like we are drowning in a sea of human made waste. The land, the seas nothing, it seems, is off limits. Along the south coast recently the sea was polluted with millions of plastic sewage buds, leaked from a Southern Water wastewater plant in Eastbourne. The clean up goes on, much of it done by a volunteer army of concerned citizens. The damage to human and wildlife has yet to be finally assessed. On land, there are increasing instances of flying tipping. This can be small amounts of rubbish or huge dumps, involving vehicles and industrial sized operations. The clear up takes time and can run into the millions of pounds. Local councils are often left to deal with these situations, pursuing the perpetrators and ensuring clear up. At local level it is amazing to behold the amount of rubbish generated. We have run a volunteer councillor led litter pick, once a month, in central Wanstead, for the past eight years. Many bags are filled every time, with all sorts of waste. These bags are added to the many collected by council street cleaners. You may have seen them awaiting collection on the high street. There are other litter picks conducted by Friends of Wanstead Park in and around the park. The work sessions done by the River Roding Trust see literally tonnes of rubbish pulled out of the river. Why do people think it is ok to choke up our waterways in this way? There have also been positive changes made to the collection of rubbish in Redbridge. The roll out of wheelie bins across the borough, then more recently food waste collection. Recycling levels are increasing. But though much is going on to address the problem of disposal, there does also need to be a fundamental change in everyone's attitude towards the creation of waste in the first place. So, we all need to live in a far more sustainable way, that involves treading much more lightly on the earth. Everyone needs to be more aware and create less waste. This is in addition to dealing responsibly with the rubbish we do create. It is amazing to see the amount of rubbish created by one household. Can this not be reduced? Yes, recycle, put everything in the right containers but fundamentally stop creating the waste in the first place. The illegal dumping of rubbish has to stop. Councils across the land seek to prosecute people who act in this irresponsible way. There is much being done but far more is needed to address the waste mountains being created. Everyone has to take responsibility, not just for the clear up but for creating so much waste in the first place. The earth is a finite resource, humankind cannot just continue consuming and dumping in this nihilistic way. The earth is choking. We all need to change the way in which we live, tread more lightly on the earth and live more sustainably for the common good of all. * Next Wanstead litter pick - 10 am on 21 Feb at Woodbine Place. Friends of Wanstead Park litter picks - 11am on second Sunday of the month - meet at the Temple Report fly tips via Redbridge council website - www.redbridge.gov.uk

Anthony Hopkins facing up to his demons

We did ok, kid by Anthony Hopkins Published by Simon & Schuster UK £25 World renown actor Anthony Hopkins has produced a fascinating account of his journey through life, battling his demons along the way. A real rags to riches tale. The story begins in humble surroundings of life in post war South Wales. He withdraws into himself at school, adopting a default position of "dumb insolence." This continues for much of his life. The angry young man stance begins at school, continuing through national service, where he gets into many fights. He reads profusely and finds he has a real talent for acting. He has good fortune along the way, guided and helped by the likes of Laurence Olivier. What makes the book such an engaging read is Hopkins brutal honesty, looking back. Something, he ironically rather abhors, having a mantra that is about always moving forward, looking for the next thing. His failure to deal with his problems is regularly satisfied by drinking. He becomes an alcoholic, being warned in the early 1970s by a doctor that he will kill himself if he continues. The young Hopkins sees what the drink has done to fellow actors like Richard Burton and stops. Despite being in something of a mental health malaise, his acting career continues to soar, with films like Silence of the Lambs, the Elephant Man, Nixon, the Edge and the Father all being big hits. Hopkins cannot understand why Oliver Stone wants him to play Nixon, surely it should be an American for the role, he argues. But Stone says: "you are nuts like Nixon," so can captivate the essence of the man - which he did, so brilliantly. There are interesting insights on the acting profession. On the old debate of theatre versus film or TV, he explains simply how theatre can become wearing, having to do the same performance night after night for weeks on end. Film involves just one or two takes and move on. There are important acting skills for both genres. Another insight is on playing King Lear, that he believes can only be fully achieved when older. He compares his effort in 1986, aged 48, with his later much more accomplished, understanding performance at 79. Not someone to court the limelight, it is easy to forget what a great actor Anthony Hopkins is, the films and plays in which he has starred over the years. This element of undersell is important part of the book, with Hopkins having a most endearing, self deprecating style. His second and particularly third wives Jennifer Lynton and Stella Arroyave played important roles in helping him find his way. In some ways they saved him. Lynton helped get him through alcoholism while Arroyave helped him recognise himself. She points out when the couple are watching Martin Clunes playing Doc Marten that that is Hopkins. His first marriage to Petronella Barker was a disaster, resulting in two years of fighting and a daughter, from whom he remains estranged. Anthony Hopkins has produced an honest, engaging account of his journey through life. The insights into his glittering acting career are fascinating but the strength of the book is in tapping into the battles we all have to get through and make sense of life. It is Hopkins openness about this element of his struggle that makes this book so compelling.

Poverty has been normalised in the UK

Walking the streets of London, it is impossible not to be struck by the number of homeless people. Groups around train stations, in doorways, under bridges. People walking past, some engaging, maybe giving money. The whole thing seems like a scene from Dickensian England, yet the situation seems to have been normalised. Not seen for what it is, which is an affront to a so called civilised society. There are teams if people from local authorities and charities, who seek to intervene to help those forced to live this way. But fundamentally, there is something wrong in such a rich society (fifth largest economy in the world) that so many are forced to live in this way. Homelessness has been normalised in the same way as food banks. Neither should have a place in a society that boasts over 150 billionaires and countless others doing very nicely thank you. Many no doubt stepping over the homeless in their path. These problems can be addressed. At the time of the COVID pandemic people were taken off the street and housed. When the pandemic passed they were shoved back onto the street. Thousands of properties across the UK remain empty. If the political will were there, then poverty in it's many forms could be addressed. At present a vague charitable response seems to be acceptable to most people. So they may give to homelessness charities or put some cans in the food bank container at the supermarket. Something that always strikes me as the height of irony, given the billions made in profit by those same supermarkets. Not that these actions are not good and virtuous but are they also the price that people are willing to pay in order to put up with homelessness and millions going to food banks in such a rich society Why not over the coming year really address the causes of poverty? Set an ambitious goal of providing a roof over everyone's head, a universal basic income and food to eat, without the need to resort to charity? Yes, it will cost money. It will likely mean higher taxes but why is that a bad thing? Why is welfare in its limited sense attacked when aimed at the poor? The welfare received by the rich in terms of low tax provision for their expensive and often damaging lifestyles don't seem to attract the same opprobrium. There needs to be a levelling of society. The gross inequalities that exist at present are what cause many of the problems, not least poverty. The Labour Government has started to address inequality by upping the minimum wage, removing the two child benefit cap and increasing some taxes. But these are tiny steps More is needed, with a reshaping of the economy based on the common good, not always the bottom line. Only then will we start function better as a civilised and grown up society.

How West Ham's European glory sparked a slow decline

So West Ham enter 2026 staring relegation from the Premier League in the face. West Ham fans had hoped for better when the season began back in August. The board had decided to stick with Graham Potter as manager, despite an underwhelming display for the second half of last season - when he was in charge. Potter's results record was almost identical to that of his predecessor Julen Lopetegui. The summer transfer window brought a mixed bag, with Mateus Fernandes, Soungoutou Magassa, El Hadje Diouf, Callum Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters representing varying degrees of success. The signing of Leicester keeper, Mads Hermansen was the one outstanding failure. He played just four error strewn games before being replaced by Alphonse Areola. The season began badly, with West Ham losing four out of the first five games. The board then decided to sack Potter, bringing in Nuno Espirito Santo. His tenure in charge has represented a mixed bag. Two wins, five draws and seven defeats. There have been a number of games where the team should have won or at least got a point. Tactically, Espirito Santo has been keen to defend, once his side gets ahead. Shut up shop, bring on defenders. But many pundits claim that this team is simply not good enough to do that. Their record of retaining possession is among the worst in the league. There are positive signs, though, with Espirito Santo more willing than any recent manager to give home grown youngsters a chance. So, Freddie Potts has become a regular in midfield. Ollie Scarles and Ezra Mayes have appeared at full backs. And George Earthy is often on the subs bench. Things have tightened at the back, though, not enough. One of the biggest problems is the lack of a central striker. German international, Niclas Fullkrug, has moved on, without ever really making an Impact. Wilson has been effective, but the manager seems reluctant to give him much more than half a game. The team is over reliant for goals on captain Jarrod Bowen - who must be thinking about his own future, given the growing relegation prospects. It all seems a far cry from that halcyon day in 2023, when Bowen scored the winner, as West Ham won the Europa Conference League in Prague. Few, would then have predicted the demise that followed, yet it was at this time that the seeds were sown. Talisman, Declan Rice, left for Arsenal, for what is increasingly looking like a cut price £100 million. The board decided to appoint Tim Steidten over David Moyes to take care of transfers. Steidten seems to have been a divisive influence. He never had a great relationship with Moyes, eventually being banned from the training ground by Moyes in his final months as manager. (The same scenario later played out with Lopetegui.) His record, signing players, was mixed, with some successes, like Aaron Wan Bissaka and Mohammed Kudus but more failures, like Fullkrug and Max Kilman. The responsibility for the present situation, though, lies squarely at the door of the board, who have mismanaged the club. Since Moyes left, they have employed Lopetegui, Potts and now Espirito Santo. The paying up of sacked managers contracts, alone, must have cost way over £20 million. There are some amongst the supporters now clamouring for Espirito Santo to go. But why should that work and why would those making the decision on the next manager get it right at the fourth time of asking? What the present board should be asking themselves is why they ever got rid of Moyes? He'd won a trophy, secured European qualification for three seasons and pushed the club forward. West Ham finished ninth in the Premier League and reached the quarter finals of the Europa League in Moyes final season. What if they'd trusted Moyes, not employed Steiden and let the manager decide? Unfortunately, these questions only now seem relevant to 'what if' quizzes down the pub. But the West Ham board have questions to answer and there is a growing campaign calling for change. In terms of the immediate future, the club should stick with Espirito Santo. They must back his judgement and secure the players he wants in the January transfer window. Supporters also should entertain the idea that the manager may know what he's doing. Whether, it will be enough to keep West Ham up, only time will tell. What is for sure is that there needs to be fundamental changes in how West Ham United are run as a club, if they are to remain amongst the elite of the Premier League. published - morning star - 5/3/2026