Vivienne’s Diary – September/October

It’s 2 months since I wrote the Diary. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time and right now I’ll just have to select the most important things to bring us up to date. I’ll quickly mention some of the other things as well.

But before I start I just want to put up a couple of photos from the August diary. I had too many photos and not enough room.

Then the next thing to say is – I think the most important thing I’ve ever done to influence change, not only in the last 2 months but in my whole life is a very short analysis called, End Capitalism. We have printed it in a leaflet to give out at demonstrations and also stuck it in the front of my biography so that the book can become a means of disseminating the message. On the front of the leaflet is the red and green map showing the fraction of land which is left once runaway climate change happens.

It is dynamite because as soon as you read it you understand why capitalism is the problem and that everything is connected to that. Knowledge is power. You will act.

Wed 29 Oct: I’m starting here, up to date, because before I rush back to the beginning of September I should let you know how, every 24 hours I’m thinking how I can be the most effective in getting us all to fight climate change.   Thank God everybody’s talking about it. But we need more sense of urgency. Governments all over the world are pushing us to the edge of the cliff and we have to stop them. Everything they say is rubbish. Everything they do is wrong.

Last night I talked on the phone with my friend Paul.
I wanted to ask him about the U.N. Reason: I have been offered the opportunity to talk to Ban Ki-Moon, person to person for ½ hour. But I have to fly to Vienna. I feel I should have a clear idea of what I would like to ask of him. Paul is an artist and a gardener and I consider him a political philosopher. He searches out information so as to form an opinion of what can be done for the better.
He seems to remember everything.

I asked him about the American veto which makes the U.N. toothless. He gave me 2 examples: since the 70’s every country in the world opposes Israeli aggression in Palestine yet every call for action by the U.N.assembly is sabotaged by the American veto. In South Africa, finally America agreed with world opinion and lifted their veto and it was only then that aparteid ended. I don’t remember how they ( and their U.K. ally) got round the U.N. to make illegal war in Iraq.

Yet I do know that the U.N. does good work and is respected nevertheless. It runs the “Work not Aid” project in the world and our Africa bag project is linked to this. I think the U.N. was able to protect Edward Snowden at one point.How much power to influence has Ban Ki-Moon?

I went to bed not knowing if I should go or not. I should go anyway for a sponsored event because we designed a carpet against human trafficking which Ban Ki-Moon is attending. But I don’t travel unless I have to and can’t make up my mind if I ought to go.

As it happens as often as not I wake up in the middle of the night for 2 or 3 hours. Being awake is not a problem for me because I don’t have to be at work so early. My hours are flexible because it’s my company.

I have a lot on my mind and lying there one thought leads to another ( I have told you before about the 50 long quotations I remember and how I enjoy going over them) I have been learning German and I was remembering new words “ schwierig” means “difficult” and I put it into the sentence, “ These are difficult days”. This combined with my worries re. the need for urgent action against climate change gave me the obvious solution as to what to ask Ban Ki-Moon.

I will tell him my worries and see what he can do. Would he please keep telling everyone it’s urgent!? There is a swelling river against capitalism. In the words of Russell Brand, “We must dismantle capitalism to save the environment.” To save the environment we must convert to green energy. Now! Governments are hanging onto capitalism and that’s why they impose austerity. It’s so important to use the word capitalism because people can see how everything is connected. Will he use this word? Everyone else is using it, except of course those who have never thought of the chance that there there could be a different economy. When you keep referring to capitalism as a financial system you get the idea across that it’s not the only possible system. There could be others. We could have ( we have to have) a different system.
I myself would not have used this word a year ago. You would have been branded a Marxist and not listened to. I used to refer to it as “the rotten financial system”. But now in this one word, capitalism, you can grasp in one go the cause and effect of our problems.

Well I didn’t work out what to ask Ban Ki-Moon straight away. I woke up with 2 words – urgent and capitalism. And so worried. There is so much protest and as people make the connections this protest will rise, but the urgency is still not strong enough. I was supposed to be getting ready to leave for work but I kept messing about- worrying.

Finally I did ½ hour yoga and that fixed me. The word temper explains this. It’s when you temper (beat) metal to make it strong and elastic. Or you can take an iron bar and stroke it, usually with another piece of iron, and it turns into a magnet. Yoga keeps you strong and flexible. Yoga puts all your cells in order and centres your system. That put me in a good temper. It’ important for me to remember that when I talk to people in general they are with me, they know what’s going on and at the same time people on high incomes are often surprisingly in the dark and this applies to the general run of journalists. The public are more caring than is reflected in the media.

After that I took the words,” These are difficult days” and made a kind of poem. It was 12 noon when I got to work.

We had lunch, salad – lettuce, cooked beetroot, egg and walnuts; dressing- garlic, lemon, oil. I always take my raw food to work for lunch. The secret of a good diet (and staying slim) is to prepare your own food whenever possible.

I sent my leaflet to Ban Ki-Moon so he can read it before I see him.

Andreas went to Italy to work, preparing for Gold Label. From there he will go by train to see his family for Halloween and All Saints Day.

The rest of the day I refused to be interrupted and managed to finish the plan for the allocation of fabrics for Red Label. I was pleased to add my “poem” to a print and also use my culture heart scribble as placed embroidery. The need for true culture (not consumption) is half of my activism. At the end of the day I was happy.

Back then to the beginning of September where I was so much hoping for yes in the Scottish referendum.

Mon 1 Sep: I accepted an award from the Scottish Fashion Council for lifetime’s achievement. My love of tartan had a lot to do with it. I used my speech to talk on the importance of the yes vote. You need to read my analysis, End Capitalism so that I don’t have to repeat myself here. I concentrated on the idea of democracy. In England there is nothing to choose between the main parties, therefore no democracy. I said: We English have to fight our government. You, Scotland can have the government you want. I was impressed by the young people Scottish and English who came up after to thank me for my speech. They all wanted yes and they all knew why. Paul Weller’s son and daughter seemed to know all about the purpose of the private banks.

Scotland could open the capitalist trap governments hold us in and build a true value economy based on people power (see Green Economy).

The UK is a small island but it has enormous credibility. Lucky – historically, geographically; financially at the centre of a world that speaks English. It does everything America wants. A yes vote would send shock waves through the world. Scotland could be the catalyst that saves our planet.

We have no choice but to build a new economy starting with renewable energy. If we won’t runaway climate change will overtake us.

Sun 14 Sep: Red Label fashion show, London. Our models wore ‘Yes’ badges for Scotland and the title was Democracy in the UK.

Thu 4 Sep: Trillion Fund have a party run on solar power. I give my speech. (Same content as “End Capitalism” analysis).

Sat 6 Sep: Shami’s party at her home. Enjoyed talking to her friends, in particular Sandy Toksvig and wife Debbie. As usual, I aim to get people more engaged to stop climate change.

Wed 10 Sep: I have to begin doing interviews for the about to happen launch of my biography. This one is  for The Telegraph and I really enjoyed it because it’s with my friend Chrissie Iley whom I haven’t seen for maybe 20 years. She’s one of the first journalists to take an interest in my fashion. I remember her from when I worked in the little King’s Road shop and she kept the clothes she bought as a regular customer and she still wears them all. She was wearing them now and they really suited her.

Afterwards I went downstairs to join Christina Hendricks – wearing our gowns for photo’s for Hollywood Reporter, to do with who wears what on the red carpet and who designs it. Andreas managed to join us. Christina’s actor husband Geoffrey is enjoying his role in a T.V political drama. They are a happy couple.

Wed 17 Sep: To Scotland on the eve of the referendum to take part in Channel 4 debate with Jon Snow presenting. Yes and No are neck and neck. The possibility of yes makes me think that this referendum is the most important event of my whole life. The potential ramifications could lead to change and change has never before been needed so much as now in the whole history of the human race.

We won in the studio, O.K. But?

Laura and I sit drinking in our hotel and a couple of guests join in. We have an interesting conversation.

Next morning we leave quite early and I’ve put so much care and thought into this possible event that I don’t care now about the verdict – Drained.

Later, I do care, thinking wouldn’t it have been great! I guess I had prepared myself before, that something so good might more likely not come about.

Alex Salmond is a real hero. The funniest reason given for voting was, “How do we know that if Scottish politicians win they won’t turn out as bad as the ones in Westminster?” The yes vote won on social media and with young people. It won’t go away.

Sun 21 Sept: Climate March from Temple Embankment to Parliament. I was at the front of the march (organized mostly by Avaaz) with Peter Gabriel, Emma Thompson and Peter Tatchell. Many colleagues from our company came. Thank you to Cindy and Peppe for organizing this and the placards. By the time I gave my (same) speech the people still at Temple hadn’t even set off. Estimated number: 40,000. Next time we should do it in Hyde Park – more camaraderie.

I was marching alongside Kye Gbangbola whose legs were paralyzed and was being pushed in a wheelchair by his wife, Nicole. Have you heard of their son, Zane, who died the night that water containing hydrogen cyanide gas flooded their home during the February floods in England? The same cyanide destroyed Kye’s nerves and caused his paralysis. It is quite well known but I hadn’t heard about it. The authorities had agreed the dumping of this cyanide in a nearby landfill. The government have avoided responsibility and offered no explanation or help. What can we do?

We should think about government behaviour to Zane when we consider that they are trying to impose fracking upon us when all the evidence says that all fracking inevitably poisons water, ground and air.

Wed 24  – Sat 27 Sep: To Paris for our Gold Label on Saturday. End Ecocide.

Programme notes: I know I repeat the same thing but Sam – hair, Val – make up, Dominic – music, Tony – lighting; and I’d better mention Marion who always does nails, make life so much easier.

The show was well received and, of course, I liked it a lot.

We stayed in Paris a couple of days, which was nice. Yasmine’s little shop officially opened. Apart from her job as a stylist, she designs her underwear – Yasmine Eslami. Such fragile/tough, pretty things. People and Andreas and I love her so much, always laughing.

We went to an exhibition at the Jaquemart-Andre museum: Perugino. Quite wonderful. They have great examples of his work in the National Gallery. And because Perugino inspired Raphael, there were also paintings by Raphael and Raphael’s painting is even deeper. I can’t believe how anything can go that far, but he does. Andreas was suddenly adamant: Nobody, nobody can draw like Raphael.