Category: brexit
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A Brexiter Takes Stock of the Dark Star
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I know that, in writing this, I was remembering a scene from an early “Star Wars” film. An ominous planet approaches. And I remember that image occurring to me, when I came across a book by Iain McGilchrist called “The Master and His Emissary – The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.”…
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Jez, the Phantom Striker
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Jeremy Corbyn is apparently an Arsenal supporter. Yesterday’s “Independent” editorial came up with the image of the open goal and Corbyn’s failure to shoot. Thanks for that. The piece ended by taking the image a stage further : if the Arsenal manager had a striker who repeatedly failed to shoot in times of need as…
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An English Word of Apology to Europe
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Yesterday, Mr Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, said in a speech :“The facts are unmistakable. Today, there is no political force and no effective leadership for Remain. I say this without satisfaction, but you can’t argue with the facts.” And : “I have been wondering what that special place in hell looks like…
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The Parrot Speaks of Fre-dom
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In the fourteenth century, Geoffrey Chaucer introduced Rhyme Royal to English poetry and all these stanzas of mine about Brexit share that long established rhyme scheme. And Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales and one of those is “The Franklin’s Tale” which I love. And that’s where this medieval word “fre” keeps appearing, later to become…
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The Parrot and the Lie
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This stanza was written late on the night of January 30th, when the Commons debated a series of amendments, at least one of which might have resulted in Parliament wresting control of the Brexit process from May’s Tory government. That result failed to materialise. Instead, the Tories enjoyed some rare moments of apparent unity. They…
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Plain Words from the Cage
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The balloons are a Bristol image, since hot-air balloons often appear above the city. I ought to say, though, that whatever fills the Bristol balloons does not appear to be foul.… continue reading