Not Powerless.

We've wanted to start a politics blog for a while. Recent news have galvanised us: the G20 protests, the economic crisis and its mishandling, a steady stream of terrible news about the environment.

We think it's clear there are serious problems with the environment, civil liberties, social attitudes and consumerism making people unhappy. These issues are linked - we can't solve one without also solving the others.

This is a blog for people who realise or suspect this too - but don't know what to do about it.

Sure, you can vote, you can recycle, but you know that's not going to be enough given the magnitude of the problems we face.

You might be tempted to give up, but if you're under fifty, you know you'll be alive to see the consequences of your inaction.

You could become some kind of professional activist, devoting your life or at least your free time to some cause. But you have other plans for your life, and not everyone can be an activist.

So what we want to do here, beyond discussing politics and current affairs, is figure out what things you can do without having to turn your life upside down. What things you can do to stop that feeling of powerless despair every time you read the news.