Paul Dacre, longtime editor of the Daily Mail, a frantic and irresponsible source of Brexit propaganda, who used his right to free speech and his platform for delivering it, much less for the truth and the public good than for a chance just to bully and abuse and sell a demagogic line, will be stepping down in November. The Mail’s… continue reading
Tag human rights
Parrot speaks of a Pit Bull
Lying to the People is a Crime of High Treason
All Westminster MP’s are required to swear to tell the truth. I have been told this on the good authority of my own MP. She told me that new MP’s must swear to abide by the seven Nolan principles. The sixth of these states that holders of public office should be truthful. But the Nolan principles are not enforceable, nor… continue reading
The History of the United Kingdom
Click here for a summary of this piece, consisting of just over 700 words. Are You Sitting Comfortably ? The history of the United Kingdom (whose every seam is under terrible stretch and strain just now) continues so fast, so scattered, so hurt, so incoherent, so unguided and ill-advised, that it is hard to keep up, hard to make sense… continue reading
Despatches to my Gazan Son
Justin C McIntosh has given his permission for his photograph above to be used for the cover of a long Turkish poem by Cahit Koytak, now published as a book with an English translation alongside. I am proud to have been one of the translators.
The original Turkish poem is called Gazze Risalesi. In English we have made that title… continue reading
Our present democracies will not rescue us from ourselves.
For the young, it will already seem a long time ago that the Soviet Communist bloc effectively closed down, its remarkable leader Mikhail Gorbachev introducing “Perestroika,” its various constituent states, including Russia itself, “giving way” to democracy in remarkably quick succession. A major symbol of that dramatic and joyful time was the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1990. As… continue reading
What are the “Skills of Love” ? Is it worth trying to name them ?
Last December, I ran an arts evening which needed professional actors to perform a short new play. At the audition stage, one of the candidates wrote to me as follows : “If only the theatre world was run entirely by social workers and mental health professionals ! I hope I can speak for all of us in thanking you for… continue reading