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 11

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...

Published

05 March 2011

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...

Published

21 February 2011

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...

Published

09 February 2011

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...

Published

02 February 2011

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...

Published

10 January 2011

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...

Published

10 December 2010

Is Cameron a small state Tory?

It is a famous mystery whether David Cameron believes in a smaller state and indeed whether this of any other beliefs matter to him or his politics. This weekend, we seem to be a little nearer a plausible answer. Read more...

Published

24 October 2010
More posts: