Life is, without getting over philosophical, nothing more than a stream of experiences. We are constantly bombarded by sensation and information, even if, most of the time, we are unaware of it. You were, for example, probably not aware of the feeling of your sock on your foot until you read these words. In a […]
The Perils of a Perfect Enemy Read More »
In 1260, John de Balliol, Northern warlord and father of a future King of Scotland, had a problem. His tiff with the Bishop of Durham had turned toxic and the King had taken the cleric’s side. Something had to be done. Doubtless against his will, he submitted to the bishop’s authority and performed a penance,
Beyond Redemption? Read More »
J. K. Rowling’s work, I confess, leaves me somewhat cold. Harry Potter is just an Enid Blyton boarding school story with sprinklings of magic, cod Latin and dubious politics (the Ministry of Magic imprisons and tortures its political opponents and they’re the good guys. Really?). One thing she got brilliantly right, I think though, was
I recently spent some happy hours with Noel Edmonds. That he was in New Zealand and I was in the London ‘burbs was perhaps for the best because, beloved childhood figure though he was, his beliefs are most politely described as unconventional batshit. I find crystal beds and healing energy every bit as interesting as
Chariots of Fire was on the “drop everything and watch” list my ex-wife and I compiled. A cry would go up when one of us spotted it on the telly, and we would settle down for a pleasant couple of hours cocooned in that cosy hymn to clean-limbed British manhood. Shot partly in a place
Terry Thomas’ England Read More »
The word “radical” derives ultimately from the Latin radix meaning “root” (every so often my classical education demands an airing – yes, radix is “root’s” root). It retains an air of this in our current usage. A radical reform is a root and branch reform, one which rips up that which has gone before and
The Curious Conservatism of the Radical Right Read More »
The impeachment of Warren Hastings, the Norway Debate, Sir Geoffrey Howe savaging Margaret Thatcher – great parliamentary moments all. No matter how long our country lasts, or how low our descendants’ standards stoop, we can be confident no session of the current PMQs will be counted in their number. Every week, the stoppable force of
Burqas and British Values Read More »
Shoplifters and Liberal Democrats have more in common than either group might care to admit. When one walks out of a shop with a packet of butter down their trousers (for whatever later use…) or the other blocks a development to preserve the value of their property, both are seeking to maximise their own benefit.
Can Democracy Survive? Read More »
Picture the scene. A kitchen table anywhere in the country. A child’s dinner time. Food is served but not eaten, just pushed around the plate. It may, depending on the dish, be rearranged into a pretty shape. It may be piled up or spread around. Parent grows concerned: “Are you not hungry?” “I want pizza.”
Free Speech – For All I Care Read More »
I am old enough to know that The Sweeney existed, but young enough (save for one episode stumbled upon on one of ITV’s cadet channels) to have never seen it. Even as Regan and Carter fade into history however, the memory of what they represented lingers – and not just among those of my advancing
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