In all our sanctuaries we sit at risk

Category: General

  • A New Tale of Two Cities

    Posted:

    This is a fable. I wrote it some time ago but it still feels apt, perhaps more than ever.  It comes from a set of essays called “Fables and Reflections.” For the full set, see the link in the right hand margin of this page. Under the heading “Poems and Prose Online or on Film”,…

  • Parrot’s in his Tower – and That’s All, Folks

    Posted:

    This stanza was written on the day after Mr Johnson’s election victory on December 12th, 2019. It will be the last stanza of “Parrot Addenda,” rounding off this series of 164 stanzas. It does not mean the Brexit story is over, of course. There’s plenty more to come. It just means that the situation is…

  • The Casting of the Parrot’s Vote

    Posted:

    And this piece was written on election night, a second night of pause and waiting, with the chill moon again prominent and beautiful overhead. We walked home after casting our votes, our act tiny power, our tiny power of action. We had done what we could, and put our very sceptical crosses against the name…

  • UK Election – Parrot Prognosis

    Posted:

    Thinking of the election due later this coming week, and of the likeliest result, I fear for the parrot. “He speaks all languages aptly,” wrote Skelton, implying that the parrot hears everything and can keep nothing out. So what will be swirling about in his brain by Friday morning ?… continue reading

  • The Toad Negotiates with the Underworld

    Posted:

    This week Mr Trump (“the American Minotaur”) was in the UK for a meeting of NATO leaders. Then he got the hump because people were laughing at him and he left early. Not long ago, Mr Johnson (“The Toad”) did a Putin with a bull. See picture above. Perhaps he was rehearsing for his upcoming…

  • The Toad Goes Hunting for Votes

    Posted:

    Toad’s progress around the country this election is always, of course, more a search for images which might benefit him, than a chance for real encounters with real people. And, to date,  that search has come up with some striking images, which would appear to be considered appealing to us. There he is in one…

  • The Parrot Overflies the Flood

    Posted:

    The stanza was written a day after we had heard from some pollsters that the Tories had increased their lead, with just three weeks to go before the General Election. And this was the day on which Mr Toad was about to launch the Tory manifesto. And there was a lot of rain falling, as…

  • At Last the Toad Reveals Himself

    Posted:

    The other night, in Sheffield, there was a BBC Question-Time session, in which the audience was able to question four UK political leaders in turn, only one of whom is a worthy leader, the one not eligible to be the Prime Minister. Nicola Sturgeon’s presence there was puzzling but useful as a reminder of true…