Heathrow’s expansion: not bad for climate change
It seems obvious that expanding Heathrow Airport with a third runway is bad for climate change. But the thought does not bear inspection. 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 19
10 protest bullet points
A Radio 4 show is interviewing me about modern protest, not least because the parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights is nearing the end of its inquiry into policing and protest. Read more...
Time for a media funding revolution
Serious journalism is in dire financial straits. All its business models are under threat. It's time for the literate, affluent, bossy middle class to club together and fix things. They did it for buildings and landscape. Now they can do it for the national debate. Read more...
Still pro-Israeli, I’m afraid
So far as I can see almost all polite opinion is sure that Israel has behaved very badly in recent weeks in Gaza. I - rather tentatively - beg to differ. Read more...
Stay home, Jarvis!
Jarvis Cocker of Pulp seems like a good egg, if a little coddled. He was guest editor of the Today programme on New Year's Eve and agonised about climate and financial meltdown. Strikingly not-novel, his account was partly based on a trip to the Arctic made by a group of artists. How deliciously lacking in irony it all was. Read more...
Come off it, Mr Marr
Andrew Marr is so obviously nice that it seems unfair to criticise him. But Mr Marr is so infuriatingly, blandly, the decent liberal right-on that I am bound to have a go. Read more...
Have a fatty Christmas
I've been a bit of a feature at obesity and health conferences recently. You can imagine my line: Eat less, do more. Good right-wing stuff. And anyway, most young people seem pretty much like whippets to me, damn them. Seems I'm more right than wrong. Read more...
Trendy protest: 2008 update
This is a diary of a few salient 2008 manifestations. It has been another year of young trendies doing more harm than good as they fool the media into thinking they are democracy refreshed. Read more...
Top Ten: Economic pundits
Here in no particular order are my top ten economics commentators. Read more...
Top movie: “The Year Of the Dog” (US, 2007)
Look around any office. Whales wave their flukes at you. Cute dogs wear bows. Yes, there are baby-snaps and families get a look in. But animals really are it. This clever movie takes things a touching step further. Read more...