I am told this column appeared in the Winter 2022 issue of the JCPCP, possibly under the title Sighcology. Henry VI founded Eton to provide free education to 70 poor boys. If you want to read how it and the other public schools wriggled out of their charitable obligations in the nineteenth century, read Posh Boys by Robert Verkaik. If you want to know what being sent away to boarding school at a tender age does to Britain's ruling class, read Sad Little Men by Richard Beard. As Beard told an interviewer when the book came out: "At private school ...
I want to dive into a topic that has been keeping me up at night: the current situation in Pakistan. Specifically, I'm deeply concerned about the suppression of journalistic freedoms and the erosion of democracy happening over there. It's not just a distant issue either; as a British Pakistani, it hits close to home and raises serious worries about the safety of our loved ones. Let's start with the alarming case of journalist Imran Riaz Khan, who was detained without proper justification. It's a blatant attack on free speech and a direct threat to transparency and accountability. When journalists can't ...
There is a lot of what I will call "crud" in the economy. Into this category I throw: In my sourest mood, I see all this crud in a few negative ways. First, it is a function of the increasing complexity and mediated nature of the economy. There are ever-longer chains of production, and theContinue reading "The Crud economy, and the rationale for industrial strategy"
Sat 27th
11:01
Lord Bonkers' Diary: My tenants arrive at the Hall to collect their 'Good Morning' leaflets
Everyone is 'humbled' when they win something these days. Even Lord Bonkers. Thursday When nominations closed last month, I discovered that, once again, I was the only candidate for the Bonkers Hall Ward. Remembering the precepts of my old friend Tony Greaves, however, I leave nothing to chance today: we run a full polling-day operation, from five in the morning when my tenants arrive at the Hall to collect their 'Good Morning' leaflets, to the final knock up as the bells of St Asquith's strike ten. I am humbled to be declared the victor - you will be able to ...
First published in LibDemVoice Sat 27th May 2023 The elephant is of course that big, and growing, elephant in the corner of the sitting room: Brexit. Now that Project Fear has become Project Here, it is time for us in the Lib Dems to be much more open about our belief that Britain's place lies back at the heart of Europe. Ever since the Brexit vote I've been reasonably sure this time would come. Voting to leave was a mistake, and its costs would sooner or later become apparent. The ideological nature of the vote was such that many people ...
The elephant is of course that big, and growing, elephant in the corner of the sitting room: Brexit. Now that Project Fear has become Project Here, it is time for us in the Lib Dems to be much more open about our belief that Britain's place lies back at the heart of Europe. Ever since the Brexit vote I've been reasonably sure this time would come. Voting to leave was a mistake, and its costs would sooner or later become apparent. The ideological nature of the vote was such that many people would cling stubbornly to their belief that it ...
I met my old friend Bernie Hollywood in the magnificent venue of the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral to hear more about his dangerous but triumphant 3,500 mile row across the Atlantic As the second blog that I am doing to show ... Continue reading →
Governor Ron DeSantis is a clever version of Donald Jesus Trump. And because of that, he could be even more dangerous than the most dangerous person to ever occupy the White House. Trump was fond of boasting that he was "the smartest US president ever." Well, that was obviously another one of his lies, and there was a reason his academic records were kept under wrap. DeSantis can legitimately lay claim to a well-stocked cranium. He graduated top of his class at Harvard and near the top at Yale Law School. Trump spent the Vietnam War years doing his best ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Our new exhibition Got the Message? in the Lamb Gallery at the university is now open as part of our contributions to Dundee Month of Design. The exhibition explores the power of graphic design to change your life! Featuring posters, product packaging, public health promotions and other material from the University of Dundee Museum Collections, we explore how text and images combine to influence the way you think or feel. The exhibition also celebrates Dundee's notable contributions to graphic design and advertising through the stories of many successful ...
