Stupid policemen will need to explain themselves
Police still don't realise that they are now doing their jobs in a goldfish bowl. It's just as well there's plenty of video about when coppers seem thuggish and their bosses seem thick. 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 18
The muddle over protest: lessons from G20
The recent G20 meeting went off without much fuss and with about the right approach to protest. But we need to be much more explicit about the rights of protestors and the police. Read more...
Protestors won’t make us hate capitalism
Quite a bit of commentary suggests that extreme protest will become more common as The People feel themselves ignored by politicians who appease and bail-out capitalism. Tosh. Read more...
JCHR’s feeble report on policing protest
I know, I know, it's the parliamentary committee on human rights. So it's bound to fret about whether the police bend over backwards to safeguard protest. But even so, this new report does rather miss the point. Read more...
Great British bankers!
The four ex-leaders of HBOS and RBS were impressive in their account of their parts in the Banking Crisis. They were smarter and more interesting than most of their questioners from the Treasury Select Committee today. Read more...
Carol Thatcher’s “Golly Wog” hell
As I write, I have what used to be called a "Golly Wog" on my desk. I like it. Golly! Carol Thatcher has of course been a complete clot, but you can't help feeling sorry for her. Read more...
Time for a new British defence policy?
Overstretched. Undermanned. Unloved. And given silly things to do. Sensible people are saying this of the British military. Isn't it time the politicians explained why they think the sacrifice is worthwhile - and at least spent the money which might help? Read more...
Mr Cameron’s “Capitalism With a Conscience” is feeble
I am not an economist or a politician but I still feel confident in pointing out the silliness of my leader's belief that capitalism must discover niceness. Read more...
Interrogating the recycling religion
I have always loved doing recycling but been sceptical of its real value. Now, much of the time I don't even like doing it. The difficulty is that the campaigns for and against recycling seem equally, well, less than robustly frank. Read more...
Davos Man should stick to his professional knitting
Patrick Hosking in The Times and John Gapper in the Financial Times both say interesting things about Davos Man. But they leave the impression that Mr Schwab's elite festival was about boosting the egos of corporate giants. The real Davos Mistake was quite other. Read more...