Tag Archives: Brexit

The 1%

Everyone starts from their preconceptions or prejudices (e.g. immigrants, China, shareholder capitalism, socialism, globalisation, the global elites) and concludes this is why everyone is angry, why some people are left behind, why people have stagnant incomes, why their community or suburb isn’t very prosperous and crime ridden. I’d argue the economics is important and aContinue reading “The 1%”

Monarchy

The death of HM Queen Elizabeth II is a sad and significant moment in the history of the United Kingdom. I’d like to express my condolences here to those who mourn her passing and say thank you to her 70 years of service. In the context of this blog, I’m particularly interested in some ofContinue reading “Monarchy”

Nostalgia

Is Britain a better or worse place compared to when the Queen came to the throne in 1952..? Better – 38% Worse – 30% Neither – 17% So were the results of a YouGov poll published on 30 May 2022 ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. But how could nearly 40% of people surveyedContinue reading “Nostalgia”

Bread and circuses

The latest candidate for bad historical takes is the fall of the Roman Empire. The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, speaking at the G20 summit in Rome ahead of the COP Climate conference in Glasgow, said: “If you increase the temperatures of the planet by four degrees or more as they are predicted to doContinue reading “Bread and circuses”

Comfort blankets

Like many writers I’ve had a short mental block on inspiration for topics but that has been broken this week by news this week the British government, as a Brexit benefit, was to legislate to allow traders to again sell products in the U.K. using imperial measurements, for example pounds and ounces. This is ofContinue reading “Comfort blankets”

Truth is the Daughter of Time

I’ve been reading Josephine Tay’s novel The Daughter of Time. Tay (aka Elizabeth MacKintosh 1896-1952) wrote some of the finest detective novels from the Golden Age of Crime Fiction. She is up there with Agatha Christie. The Daughter of Time is not a conventional mystery novel. It is a tale of how a sick detectiveContinue reading “Truth is the Daughter of Time”

Group think and ‘Yes’ men

“All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” This quote and its many variants are widely attributed to Edmund Burke, although according to many sources he never put his idea into this concise a statement. Others attribute the statement to John Stuart Mill’s inaugural address to the University ofContinue reading “Group think and ‘Yes’ men”