BBC R4 this morning had a news report about some children in the UK being savagely abused after being accused of witchcraft. These infant ‘witches’ are beaten, secluded, forced to drink strange, noxious substances, abandoned, and some sent back to Kinshasah where they live on the streets. The BBC said the perpetrators live in, ‘faith communities.’ They did not mention … [Read on]

Gordon Brown was never as detestable as Prime Minister as Anthony Blair because incompetence is less appalling than evil. Mr Brown may have been a flawed, even a very flawed, human being, but he was at least recognisably human. And he had one quality that moved me and in my opinion lent him great dignity: he never made political capital … [Read on]

To adapt slightly the opening sentence of Kafka’s The Trial, someone must have been talking about me. I know this from all the advertisements and offers I receive unsolicited through the internet. Today came yet another offer of supposedly cheap burial insurance and then an e-mail suggesting that I should ‘Say hello to living confidently.’ At first sight, these two … [Read on]

Last week the BBC Trust ruled that during one of its children’s programmes in the BBC ‘Learning Zone,’ Florence Nightingale was shown racially discriminating against the travelling Afro-Caribbean cook Mary Seacole. Of mixed race, she called herself a ‘yellow woman,’ and set up cafes for soldiers on the battlefield. She was never a nurse but wrote an interesting book about … [Read on]

Mr Cameron is Focus Group Man made flesh. This is not altogether surprising since his only known employment, other than politician, was in public relations. He appears not to know what to think until he has consulted a variety of gauges of public opinion, and then he announces his own opinion as if from deep conviction. First came his commitment … [Read on]

Last week the BBC Trust ruled that during one of its children’s programmes in the BBC ‘Learning Zone,’ Florence Nightingale was shown racially discriminating against the travelling Afro-Caribbean cook Mary Seacole. Of mixed race, she called herself a ‘yellow woman,’ and set up cafes for soldiers on the battlefield. She was never a nurse but wrote an interesting book about … [Read on]

Someone once told me that he did not object to socialism on ethical grounds. It was simply that it didn’t work. His remark hit home. Perhaps – I’ve since wondered – he’d been to Bulgaria to see the proof. Those in the West complaining about capitalism (which seems to be the pastime of wealthy North London thespians) should take a … [Read on]

I began my day by walking to Tescos, it’s a small one and much of the meat sold in there is Halal, or very cheap frozen chicken which is unlabelled. But I can buy a limited range of fish there, and all the food outlets near to me are Halal. So it’s this shop or a drive or bus ride … [Read on]