The BBC lack of judgment in treating IS fairly weakens their case to keep or even increase the licence fee. And how very aberrant of the broadcaster to choose this time and this topic to return to anachronistic notions of fair play, after over a generation of allegedly espousing a modernizing crusade in broadcasting –…
French Muslim leaders stated yesterday, “They have hit us all. We are all victims. These people [the murderers] are a minority”. And this statement is much more important than any of the soundbite platitudes and handwringing-rhetoric of eager politicians. In his column in today’s Times David Aaronovitch upbraids all members of the apologist liberal left…
The Eddie Izzard Cake or Death sketch from 1998 rides again, as it shines new light on the UK General Election 2015. Indeed, I much prefer his refreshing new approach to comedy than tired old comedic genres like… oh… party politics, for example. The dislocation of the choice between Cake or Death is much more…
It’s hardly charitable to enjoy the idea of Jean-Claude Juncker and European parliament president Martin Schulz squirming, but I must confess that I do. I’m no more anti-federalist today than I was yesterday but when the head of the catholic church chides an organization as bloated and unimpregnable as the EU, something must appeal at…
It may be galling to many people hacked off at news of journalists playing fast-and-loose with personal mobile phone data, but the recent news of the police playing fast-and-loose with the freedom of the press in Britain should be no comfort either. If it will help provide a sense of perspective, try for a moment…
Doreen Lawrence states in today’s Times that in her opinion Britain is no less a racist society than it was 21 years ago when her son Stephen was murdered in southeast London. And she’s probably right. A ranking officer in the Metropolitan Police told me less than a few years ago how police officers always…
God loves a tryer. Gordon “Grodon” Brown – unstable former PM, dad, hubby and MP (in the English parliament) for Kircaldy & Cowdenbeath – was recently described in The Grauniad as being the UK’s best hope for a No vote in the upcoming referendum on independence. But Mr Brown lacks the sensitivity to keep his…
Regular readers of my blog (Facebook page, Twitter feeds, LinkedIn posts) know how I make a living. The contemporary writer faces a number of obstacles that are greater and fewer in number than many professionals in these interesting times, but chief among these for me (today, at least) is the dilemma of meeting demand with…
An accident & emergency department in the north of England last Monday admitted a 13 year-old girl with injuries that implied self-harming. The motivations for young people to do this are varied, but in this case it was being bullied at school that led to the hospital admission. It is disheartening that occurrences like this…
Political laziness and insouciance threaten more than popular disaffection with the process, but the very existence of the franchise itself, as politicians’ bad behaviour rubs off on their constituents. There are many reasons people grow disaffected with politics. And I’m lucky enough to have been given a new aspect into this, as our teenage twins…