Richard D North.

On culture, Nature, liberal issues, monasticism, spirituality

Page 30 of all posts

Don’t professionalise journalism, Lord Leveson

The first tranche of professors of journalism testified to Lord Leveson today and the result was mildly reassuring. But it is worth stressing how important it is that this trade remain as free of professionalism, certificates, regulation, registration and general tick-box goody-goodiness as possible. Read more...

Published

08 December 2011

Filed in

Politics & campaigns

The Dickensian 2011 myth

Ian Hislop very nearly told us (When Bankers Were Good, BBC2) that Dickensian bankers were more moral than our own. A couple of literati on the Today show  (BBC Radio 4, 7 December 2011) did actually say how awful and Dickensian our times are. (The inequality! The homeless!) So which is it? Read more...

Published

07 December 2011

Filed in

Mind & body, On TV & Radio

DSK, “Spiral”, “The Ides…”, Leveson and Max.

Now we seem to have the perfect story - and, yes, I rather admire Andrew Marr for describing it as such on his show this morning. There is plausibe speculation that DSK was the victim of a sting or scam worthy of the view of French politics as portrayed in Spiral. Or should we say that it might be a sting or scam worthy of  American habits, as portrayed by The Ides of March? At the level of script, narrative, theatre, thriller, or whatever, we are having a ball. Read more...

Published

27 November 2011

Filed in

On movies, Politics & campaigns

Leveson, Week One

Max Mosley seems to have swept all before him and does so because his case pushes into so many corners of the matters Leveson is considering. Pace the rather silly remarks by Hugo Rifkind in  The Times (25 November 2011) it is important that we don't wrongly calibrate the media's offences. Read more...

Published

25 November 2011

Filed in

Mind & body, Politics & campaigns

Radio 4’s Food Programme on “real food”

In recent episodes of  BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme there have been interesting examples of - and some challenges to - the show's dogma. I think it is fair to say the show is crusading for something it calls "real food". But what is that? Read more...

Published

24 November 2011

Filed in

Mind & body, On TV & Radio, Politics & campaigns

Sarah Lund vs Laure Berthaud

So. You're a crook, a colleague, a swain: which of TV's top female cops do you fear or hope for? The French Berthaud of Spiral is needy, sulky. There's an element of the kittenish. The Danish Laure of The Killing is laconic and schtum to the point of surliness. Both are romantic figures. Both are richly sympathetic. Read more...

Published

23 November 2011

Filed in

On TV & Radio

What The City should tell St Paul’s

The City faces a severe test from the sort of protest centred on St Paul's. Whether it at last responds properly comes down to character, or its institutionalised cousin - professionalism. The protestors are asking The City to explain itself, and (so far as this dedicated reader of the Financial Times can see) there's been no reply. Where is The City's answer to the question: Does The City do a good job? Read more...

Published

16 November 2011

Filed in

Politics & campaigns

Life’s Too Short – and comfortable

Mr Gervais's new comedy is not very funny. But it made me uncomfortable only because I am not sure it is proper to let Ricky Gervais pull my chain. Read more...

Published

11 November 2011

Filed in

Mind & body, On TV & Radio

Contagion (USA, 2011): A good, solid effort

One doesn't expect a disaster movie to be quiet and respectable - still less that it might be engaging all the while. I'm more used to cutting my losses: thrills and tension come at the expense of what Matt Damon calls a "paranoia aesthetic", and there's usually lashings of anti-corporate, pseudo-dissident claptrap too. Read more...

Published

10 November 2011

Filed in

On movies
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