Another World
I recently attended a gathering to mark the passing of a relative, and very strange I found it. It was strange not just for the conventional reasons – it’s always strange to hold a...
The State of Many Things Blog
Resolution
Those of us who have so far survived are having, whether we wanted it or not, a new year and so, as is customary, I have resolved to do more writing, albeit several days...
The Value of Creativity
I have been recently asked [1] why, in my opinion, some people don’t value creativity. It seems an odd question, as creativity ranks among those things, like curiosity and persistence and foreboding, as something...
Constructive Dialogue
We are, if the portents stack up, heading for a Summer of Discontent. By which is meant (by some) a time of grumpy turbulence in which The Unions mount a coordinated raid on the...
The Language of Brexit
Yesterday, when Parliament re-opened after the prorogation that wasn’t, MPs accused the Prime Minister of using intemperate language, designed to stir up division and hate. It is impossible to tell what, if anything, is...
Approved Document B
On January 3, 2018, I wrote to my MP as follows: We’re now approaching the fifth anniversary of the Lakanal House inquest and the rule 43 letter sent by the Assistant Deputy Coroner, Frances...
Hospital Parking Charges
Not as Simple as they Look One intriguing proposal of the Labour Party, a ban on hospital parking charges1, has recently blossomed into a public debate. A good first question to ask, when any...
The Gove of Christmas Future
Disclaimer: The below is a fantasy based on flimsily-constructed caricatures that may share the names of real people but, in a very real sense, bear no discernible relation to real people at all. “Toss...
The Sussex Invasion
It had started well enough, as press conferences go; everyone was in their seats in plenty of time for the initial briefing, and security had nothing to report. They were all accredited and, for...
Twenty Reasons Not To Back Brexit
Some time ago, the Telegraph courageously published a list of “20 Reasons you should vote to leave the European Union” Now may be as good a time as any to have a look at...
A Formal Warning
At last the fourth round of Brexit talks has got underway, after a short delay to allow the Prime Minister to say some things in Florence. She said a lot in Florence, but none...
Recent Comments