Stalking the Unicorn

Not only is this the title for a rather entertaining yarn by Mike Resnick it is a direct reference to one of the CampQuest’s activities, well at least as part of the UK’s camp experience…
The idea is that the leaders talk about unicorns that live in the nearby forest and there’s a prize to be [...]

Read Full Post »

1984 or should that be 1948?

yes it’s that book by George Orwell…
My rather plush copy came with a forward by Robert Harris although that had nothing to with my purchase – I simply mention it here because he claims in the forward that George originally thought that he had produced a gem of a book but by the time he [...]

Read Full Post »

What use Rowan Williams as Archbishop of the Church of England?

I was at the Hay on Wye Festival and saw Rowan Williams’ conversation with AN Wilson [as opposed to AN Other...] and was strangely affected by the conversation (reported Here in a very curtailed manner but what do expect from an hour?) and Rowan’s answers to questions…
Now, I feel, I must point out that Rowan [...]

Read Full Post »

Lord Tebbit and I or The Strangest of Allies…

To folk who think that spoiling your ballot paper is a wasted throw in the democratic world – I’ve found that Lord Tebbit [the tory bulldog with little room for any sympathy for the working men and women who famously gave the 'on your bike' quote...] has indeed done the same as me.
After being warned [...]

Read Full Post »

To Happiness or a Good Life?

Let me unpack what I mean here. Happiness is standing in for Utilitarianism [as you can see 'Happiness' is comparatively user friendly] – Bentham the great grandaddy of this school defined it as the greatest total sum of happiness which has been rather cheaply reduced to the phrase ‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number’ [...]

Read Full Post »

Courting Power – a lesson in politics

I am currently training to become a professional… No really but this post isn’t about that. You see at the moment the profession is not regulated. It has bodies that can be appealed to if the practitioner in question is one of their members – of course not everybody is a member and that’s why [...]

Read Full Post »

Wanted: Liberty!

I was listenning to Hearts and Minds, on Radio4, the second episode about Isaiah Berlin is the one I think has more going for it…. and was struck by one of the quotes of Isaiah about dictators and happinness that reminded me of one of the prominent thinkers of New Labour.
Lord Richard Layard,that economist come [...]

Read Full Post »

VOTE “LIBERTY!”

If enough folk do, they’ll have to count ‘em…
and before I get going I want to say that this post is open to being posted by anybody anywhere – and if anybody has there own pet peeve – throw it in. I want, from this post, to get to as many folk as possible because [...]

Read Full Post »

Vote ‘Liberty’…

If enough folk do, they’ll have to count ‘em…
The European Elections are coming and I had a look at the Party Political Broadcasts so far on the BBC iPlayer… As a caveat I’d add that I only looked at the main broadcast [ie the general UK one and not the regional broadcasts for the same [...]

Read Full Post »

Never meet your heroes or How did Bakunin feel when he met Marx?

I recently went to a Mark Thomas gig.
And to be unfair – here’s the email I sent off today
Dear Mark Thomas or whoever gets to check this mail box…
I must say that I enjoyed, laughed and applauded during your stand-up routine. I even signed a petition and got a couple of badges for the wife.
Perhaps [...]

Read Full Post »