Born in 1964 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Will (as he was not christened in an elaborate occultist ritual) rejected bourgeois idealism, vulgar materialism and more unmediated manifestations of childhood indoctrination (beatings) and embraced the essentially critical power of historical materialism from age six. Fed up with the division of labour and its dehumanizing consequences, he recently decided to get a university education. Being forced into close proximity with petit-bourgeois students and young people for four years has confirmed his view that 'something's wrong and someone should do something about it'. Will blogs at A General Theory of Rubbish, where his account of the unfolding dialectic (and other stuff) can be found.
Why do you blog? > To educate myself and have some fun.
What has been your best blogging experience? > Noticing I was noticed for the first time.
What has been your worst blogging experience? > Noticing that I wasn't being noticed (not for the last time).
What would be your main blogging advice to a novice blogger? > State an opinion, cite media echoes, ignore opposition. Do not use facts as evidence, as they will be used as a stick to beat you with.
What are your favourite blogs? > Hak Mao, Socialism in an Age of Waiting and Drink-soaked Trotskyite Popinjays for WAR.
Who are your intellectual heroes? > Working-class autodidacts.
What are you reading at the moment? > Critical Theory: Selected Essays by Max Horkheimer.
What is your favourite poem? > At the moment, 'If We Must Die' By Claude Mckay.
What is your favourite movie? > The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
What is your favourite song? > The Internationale.
Who is your favourite composer? > Sibelius.
If you could choose anyone, from any walk of life, to be Prime Minister, who would you choose? > Christopher Hitchens.
What would you do with the UN? > I can't improve on PooterGeek's answer.
What do you consider to be the main threat to the future peace and security of the world? > In the short term, Islamism. In the long term, capitalism.
Do you think the world (human civilization) has already passed its best point, or is that yet to come? > Socialists are optimists. Camus wrote that the revolutionary's 'real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present'. This grows from an intense love for the earth, for humanity, and for justice. Socialists embrace this principle. By giving to the present we reject fear, despair and defeat and in Camus' words struggle to 'remake the soul of our time'. So I suppose it is yet to come. But nothing's guaranteed.
What would be your most important piece of advice about life? > It's complicated.
Do you think you could ever be married to, or in a long-term relationship with, someone with radically different political views from your own? > No. They wouldn't put up with me.
What personal fault do you most dislike? > Going along to get along.
In what circumstances would you be willing to lie? > There is no universal principle involved. Context is everything.
Do you have any prejudices you're willing to acknowledge? > Posh people. I tend not to give them the benefit of the doubt.
What commonly enjoyed activities do you regard as a waste of time? > Golf, anything whatsoever to do with cars and motoring.
What, if anything, do you worry about? > Money, employment, sex - lack of all. Debt, work, ageing - too much of all.
If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything you'd do differently? > I wouldn't have started smoking.
What would you call your autobiography? > A loss maker and not widely read.
Who would play you in the movie about your life? > Clooney is getting on a bit now so I'll have that Pitt bloke do it.
Where would you most like to live (other than where you do)? > Helsinki, Finland.
What would your ideal holiday be? > Israel.
If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to? > Bill.
What talent would you most like to have? > Convincing people that they are wrong and I'm correct. Always.
Which English Premiership football team do you support? > Newcastle United.
[The normblog profile is a weekly Friday morning feature. A list of the first 52 profiles, and the links to them, can be found here. Details of subsequent profiles are here.]