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Ever wondered what it’s like to feel so strongly about an issue that you’ll go to jail for it? This novel, based on real-life environmental blockades but set within a humorous sci-fi universe, is a journey to the centre of nonviolent civil disobedience by an author who has been there repeatedly over decades. In a hilarious romp through the universe we meet eco-pirates, space heroines, Indigenous people and farmers united against corporate greed, corrupt governments and environmental destruction. With our world plagued by wars and global warming, its insights into the possibilities of nonviolence action bring hope and inspiration. With incisive social/political commentary, witty dialogue and some laugh-out-loud moments, it’s ultimately a love story: love for each other, for place and for doing what you believe in. It’s been described as ‘a masterpiece’, ‘a clever critique of contemporary issues’, ‘terrific stuff’ and ‘very very funny’.
Locked On is a rip-roaring, rollicking rip-off of the venerable Douglas Adams universe--and all the froodier for it. Branagan, no stranger to the songs, campfires and rubber bullets of peace protests, lets his activist credentials shine. The novel toys joyfully with Adamsian tropes, building to a fantastically silly crescendo of sci-fi intertextuality. It is also, quietly, a detailed cross-section of the forces at play during a mass nonviolent action. Meanwhile, it fits in more one-liners than Oscar Wilde's deathbed and even manages a romantic intrigue or two. You might learn something--you'll hardly even notice.
Marty Branagan takes us on a romp through the universe – or multiverses – where we meet eco-pirates and space heroines united in a cause to protect what they love. An anarchistic tale of piracy and perserverance, it's descriptive, with colourful characterisations, witty dialogue and some laugh-out-loud moments. It's a clever critique of contemporary issues. Ultimately a love story - for each other, for place and for doing what you believe in.
Stick out your thumb and strap yourself in. If you loved the Hitchhiker’s Guide you will enjoy the ride.
Dr Johanna Garnett
Sharp, witty, incisive, surprising and very very funny. I laughed a lot and was often sharing some of my favourite moments with my partner. It made me think of Orwell's 1984, and the razor sharpness of David Sedaris' work - for me, a pretty cool combination!
Dr Chris Brown
Militarism is the elephant in the room of global warming. Of all government sectors, 'Defence' has the highest carbon footprint and expenditure, yet has largely been exempt from international scrutiny and regulation. Marty Branagan uses Australian and international case studies to show that nonviolence is a viable alternative to militarism for national defence and regime change. 'Active resistance', initiated in Australian environmental blockades and now adopted globally, makes the song 'We Shall Not Be Moved' much more realistic, as activists erect tripod villages, bury, chain and cement themselves into the ground, and 'lock-on' to machinery and gates. Active resistance, 'artistic activism', and use of new information and communication technologies in movements such as the Arab Spring and 'Occupy' demonstrate that nonviolence is an effective, evolving praxis.
An important study of nonviolence and a call to action against militarism. There are many reasons why a democracy would want to curb the influence of its military. Branagan highlights one of the most important – the fact that the military-industrial complex is the primary polluter of our planet. His object is to replace it with the realistic alternative of three major types of nonviolent action: ‘active resistance’, ‘conflict resolution’, and ‘artistic activism’. Their viability is cogently argued and their strengths and weaknesses are demonstrated from past cases. Violence turns out to be a choice, not a fate.
Professor Ralph Summy
Too often there is a failure of creative imagination about alternatives to violence, including ecological violence. Marty Branagan's book, 'Global Warming, Militarism and Nonviolence' addresses crucial issues of the links between militarism and climate change. A particular feature of the work is that it challenges both fatalism and conventional ideas about power. Valuable local and international case studies are offered of the art of active nonviolent resistance to feared environmental futures. This work is strongly recommended for both its theoretical and practical insights.
Dr Frank Hutchinson
This is the most accessible and lively introduction to contemporary politics I've read. It's also a "how to" book about making social change. Global Warming, Militarism and Nonviolence: The Art of Active Resistance will leave you with a natural high. At once visionary, empowering, and practical, we need to get a copy into the hands of every student, activist, and politician, without delay.
Dr Ariel Salleh, Honorary Associate Professor, Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney,