-
Tourist Tips for 2012: Harrods
21 December 2011
I do okay. Once a year I can afford to eat at a cinema and, every so often, they let me into Knightsbridge, though, even when they do, I avoid Harrods. There are two reasons for this. The first is that Mohamed ‘al’ Fayed’s idea of interior decor made Donald Trump look like Mies van der Rohe. The second is that about ten years ago I went in there to buy some computer thingy. I found the … More
-
The End of the Green Commissariat
19 December 2011
The collapse of faith in international treaties to limit carbon emissions must now be universal. Roger Scruton has written a book offering alternatives, the New York Times reports on a bottom-up movement in the US and Ozzie Zehner’s upcoming Green Illusions argues for local rather than global initiatives. Green politicians fell into a trap of their own making. They said ‘think global, act local’ but they meant, ‘we will think global, you … More
-
On Twitter or Internet Melancholia
16 December 2011
My fleeting morning thoughts, such as they were, used to be turned into blog posts; lately they have been turned into tweets. I have had a Twitter account for some time but only in the last few weeks have I started doing much more than linking to my articles. As a result, I have acquired 558 followers, a pathetic figure which I console myself is kept low by the fact that I am not known by the sort of people … More
-
Time to Shrink Britain?
13 December 2011
‘Why not just be an island, with a proud past, a working democracy and a trading partner for the world?’ asks Andrew. This is a good question which neither Europhobes nor Europhiles tend to ask and which, in fact, no politician can directly address. But, ever since I spoke to Norman Davies, I find the shrinkage of Britain – mentally and physically – keeps coming up. The physical shrinkage means, basically, ditching Scotland. Davies … More
-
Just Because…
12 December 2011
… it left me speechless.
-
At the Arse-Kicking Party
09 December 2011
Cameron’s one-legged man at an arse-kicking party performance was, everybody seems to agree, inevitable. The Euro was a scheme that courted the free rider problem and, in the end, Greece free rode on Germany’s financial credibility. Assuming the deal means this problem is solved – dubious in the extreme – it is likely that Britain will be seen as the next free rider. We will, cost-free, be riding on Europe’s size as a market … More
-
Praying in Public
08 December 2011
Andrew has started a discussion about public display of Christian devotion on the basis of the very public praying of football player Tim Tebow. He quotes Matthew 1:6 – Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven – Jesus’s warning against flamboyant piety. In fact, it is even better than warning because it also works as an excuse … More
-
Alpha Fred and Johnny
06 December 2011
Years ago when I was a financial journalist delivering my copy in cuneiform on clay tablets, I was told by a mentor, If a bank grows too quickly, it’s dodgy. It was a law of nature that banking was a low growth business, a market so stable and mature that even a percentage point of aberrant growth was a sign of risky lending. I remembered this watching last night BBC2′s documentary on RBS. Almost nobody seems to have suspected … More
-
Uncle Rudi
06 December 2011
This is Gerhard Richter’s early masterpiece Uncle Rudi (1965) from the current Tate show. It is painted from a family photo.
The portrait of his uncle captures “the Nazi in the family”: “He was young and very stupid and then he went to war and was killed during the first days.” Michelle Leight.
I think the Tate label said something about the wall behind Rudi anticipating the Berlin Wall, a literalism too far for me. All … More
-
The Paper Cup
04 December 2011
In my usual English cathedral state of blissed-out, earthy patriotism, yesterday I strolled past the West front of Salisbury to be confronted by this chap perched on a plinth where a saint should be. As two policeman were walking purposefully past me, I casually assumed they were there to investigate the local japesters behind this gag and, as the cafe was nearby, I further assumed this figure with his paper coffee cup was, when at ground level, … More
- Sullivan on Inequality
- Car News
- A Fatal Mix of Intellect and Power
- HCB is Better than Gursky
- The Root Philosophy
- The ‘Ethics’ of Banks
- Podcasting
- The Onion Masterpiece
- Guardian Epiphany
- The Old Fools
- Jacobean Blood
- The Soul of Ron Mueck
- Extremophiles: Life on the Edge
- The Opposite of Faith is not Doubt, it is Certainty
- David Hare’s Rattigan
- Planet Hunting
- The Once and Future Tee-Mo
- The Truth of Islam
- Soul Searching
- Overthrowing Chomsky
