BBC is nearly history now
The BBC won't survive the next five years without massive changes. It'll get (or keep) a lot less licence fee. It is much weaker than it ever has been. It is likely to be privatised. 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 16
RDN on Plimer, Paltridge, Monbiot and climate change
The latest climate change row concerns a book by the "denier", Ian Plimer (an Australian geologist) and its most public critic, climate "alarmist", George Monbiot (of the Guardian). George seems to be winning hands-down at the moment. It happens that another Australian, Garth Paltridge, has also produced a climate change book, and it is sceptical rather than refusenik. I hope my review of the books, below, shows how they are both bad. Read more...
Libya and lying about “The Scottish decision”
Sending Mr al-Megrahi home to Libya has produced one of the most interesting muddles and mysteries of our time. I don't think we can trust anyone in authority to tell us what they really think. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Read more...
Protest shouldn’t break the law
I'm due on the BBC's The Big Questions show in the morning. One of the subjects is protest and in particular the Climate Camp. If you save the planet, can you break the law? Read more...
Voter (and non-voter) humbug
The current storm about MPs and their allowances, and the cry for Parliamentary reform, contain big dollops of humbug. Since we Brits are quite well-governed, this matters, a bit. Read more...
Don’t reform Parliament too much
The trick is to do as little as possible about Parliament. It's supreme and supremely important and it's as good as its members are feisty and talented. That's it. Read more...
Trollope, scandal and Parliament
Whenever there's an "Establishment" row one wonders why we can't have a Trollope now and where the comparisons are with The Warden and its tale of sinecures and ambition and media witch hunts and reformist humbug. The MPs' expenses row is no exception. Read more...
Jon Snow’s righteous indignation
I never quite know whether Jon Snow is genuinely quaking with rage when he cranks up the aggression from time to time. Anyway, his outrage over MP's allowances is hard to take. Read more...
The Telegraph, class enemy
"Chandalier", "tennis court", "wisteria", "lawn". How lovely to talk dirty in the age of anti-posh. The Telegraph has been pandering to the worst prejudices of the British public. It has been bashing the wholly uninteresting spending habits of our MPs. Read more...
RDN evidence to the JCHR on protest
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights is revisiting its inquiry into policing protest in the light of the G20 protest, the Iona School mass arrest and the Tamil takeover of Parliamentary Square. Here's what I sent in evidence. Read more...