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...
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 20
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...
Unemployment: worse than 20s & 30s – or 80 & 90s?
Unemployment is likely to get quite or very bad. The numbers unemployed may reach 1980s or 1990s levels, or even 1930s levels. Here's a comparative sketch of the miseries ahead. In a new way, they may be worse than ever. Read more...
What’s bugging the police?
The Damien Green story is of course fascinating. But the Home Office leaks are not as extraordinary as the Sally Murrer story. And neither of those can match the bizarre twists of the Mark Kearney story. Read more...
Boris the modern Olympian
Right now the 2012 Olympics is employing people and cleaning up a dump. Soon it will refocus London eastwards. In 2012, it can be that contradiction of terms: a triumph of Britishness. The mayor is ideal as the frontman for all this. Read more...
Top movie: “Gomorrah” (It, 2008)
This is the best Mafia movie I have ever seen. City of God would run it close, as a gangster movie. But this is about a squarely European scene. This is set in our backyard. And it is about business as well as crime. Read more...
Hating Thatcher
Mrs Thatcher was divisive, illiberal, militaristic and thought there was "no such thing as society". Easy to hate the old bitch, then. And wrong. Read more...
What do conservatives conserve?
Conservatives believe that we ought to preserve many of the values of the past. So how come they like capitalism which keeps changing the world? Read more...
What’s wrong with liberals?
I don't like the soft-left, liberal, green agenda. Most of that's pretty easy to explain and justify. But the "liberal" thing is tricky. Read more...