RDN on BBC1’s “Big Questions” on premature babies
I had an outing on BBC1's Big Questions and on the issue of extremely premature babies missed an important note or two... Read more...
Politics & campaigns.
This is not a party political site and not very partisan in any way. My emphasis has tended to be on the quality of debate and campaigning, and especially on the need to appreciate represtentative democracy (government through elected representatives whose own views matter), and to be sceptical of the claims of vox pop, "the people", social media, Crowd Wisdom, and "direct action".Page 10
RDN on aid on BBC Big Questions
The British state is right to have a growing international aid budget. How on earth could a screaming right-winger argue this? Well, BBC1's Big Questions asked my opinion on the matter and I surprised myself thus.... Read more...
RDN on Libya on BBC R2
I had a fairlydecent outing on the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 today. Since I was defending the UK's behaviour toward Libya in recent years, that was about the best one can expect, I think. Read more...
RDN on library cuts on BBC R4 You & Yours
Local libraries, like woodlands, seem to inflame the English middle class in a very special way. So it was good fun to go on BBC Radio 4's You & Yours and bat for the closure programme. Read more...
Kissinger on form on Egypt & the US
Here, courtesy of the best but most irritating TV news in the UK, is Henry Kissinger on the current Egyptian revolution (if that is what it is). It was a masterclass. Read more...
BBC’s Countryfile: “Allotments save the world”
Yeah, so OK, BBC1's delicious, mostly youthful Countryfile didn't actually say that the alleged world food crisis would be solved by British allotmenteers. But... Read more...
Undercover cops and protest
The case against six protestors collapsed today in the wake of an extraordinary saga involving an erstwhile undercover policeman. Even now, early in the story's unfolding, it is worth saying that in principle the police are probably right to operate undercover amongst protestors, even at considerable expense. Read more...
Student protest needs a rethink
I won't rehash my previous arguments about protest: you can find them here easily in the "handling protest" category. Now's the time to redefine the right to protest. Read more...
Culture Show’s lefty moments
This week's Culture Show on BBC2 was as entertaining as ever, but Tom Dyckhoff shouldn't have been allowed his Tory-bashing moments in the piece on planning. (And a word on the Tea Party.) Read more...
Jon Snow has tough day
This is a wonderful vignette. Read more...