What a depressing night. Apparently, people are turning out in record numbers to vote. I can’t imagine why. In days past, exercising one’s democratic right lifted one’s spirits. There was something distinctly moving about the sight of ordinary people turning up calmly to vote in a new government. Generations of Englishman had bequeathed this precious right. Millions round the world … [Read on]
Out on the road this morning, my heart was lifted by the sight of a posse of Vespas, the lead one carrying a flag bearing a poppy emblazoned on a white background. They deserved a salute at the very least. But wait. Our diversity commissars must find the scene disturbing to say the least. The microaggressions were legion. The red … [Read on]
Many will have shocked at Baroness Doreen Lawrence’s accusation last week that firefighters tackling the Grenfell Tower blaze were racist. In an interview with Channel 4 News she claimed, ‘Had that been a block full of white people, they’d have done everything to get them out as fast as possible.’ Her remarks have been roundly condemned, including by Karen Bell, … [Read on]
Many years ago, I was walking through a suburb of Prague on the way to visit a friend, and witnessed a child aged nine or ten push his friend off his bike. The bike came crashing down and the victim howled. I had no idea what the provocation was, but I did not like the way the aggressor strutted away … [Read on]
Apparently, Boris Johnson is to blame for the ugly scenes in Parliament the other day, and for the ugly atmosphere in the country at large, because he uses the terms ‘surrender’ and ‘betrayal’ to describe those who would thwart Brexit. There is anguished discussion in the mainstream media of whether the Prime Minister should not be ‘setting the tone for … [Read on]
The chorus of outrage grows surrounding Trump’s latest tweets, which suggested that four of his most outspoken critics – all Democratic congresswomen, all women ‘of colour’, and all excepting one born in America – hate America and should ‘go back home’. The four are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent; Rashida Tlaib, whose parents are Palestinian immigrants; Ilhan … [Read on]
Yesterday, I started reading Five Go to Smuggler’s Top, the Enid Blyton classic, to my youngest. He’s not a keen reader and I thought an undemanding ‘Famous Five’ adventure might help him get the bug, as it has done millions of children before him, and as it did for me as a child. I tried out four or five story … [Read on]
The spectacle of all five candidates for the Tory leadership pandering to an Imam who invited them to condemn ‘Islamophobic rhetoric’ in last week’s television debate was disgusting – and that was one’s reaction even before the Imam concerned was revealed to be an anti-Semitic bigot. They were falling over themselves to demonstrate their respect for Islam, their appreciation of … [Read on]
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