I should probably feel a twinge of sympathy for Andy Gray and Richard Keys, the two presenters of Sky football who have been heard making stupid, sexist comments about a woman linesman – after all, I used to play football against them. Try as I might, though, I can’t think of two people I’m happier… Continue reading The sexists of Sky TV: how the memories come flooding back
Read moreIt is now almost four years since the life in our village changed. A farmer who owns 5000 acres in this area decided, in the way of farmers, to maximise his profits. There was a stretch of land between four villages. Although there was public footpath there, it was not designated as a site of… Continue reading In a battle between big business and a village, back the village
Read moreThe bullfinch, a charming bird, has an apologetic song. While others in the hedgerow chatter, chortle and remonstrate, the bullfinch is usually heard in the form of an occasional one-note tweet. It prefers not to draw attention to itself with showy communication. In the human world of social networking, where the chattering, chortling and remonstrating… Continue reading A confession: I give bad tweet
Read moreIt is a big Australian party, but not quite what an outsider would expect. In a Sydney park, there is an evening concert: carols, local youth groups, the cast of Tap Dogs, a Kylie (but not the Kylie). Wearing little Santa hats and jackets, families set up their picnics in the sunny afternoon, turning the… Continue reading They don’t go over the top Down Under
Read moreWhen governments speak warm words about consulting the public it is sensible to be wary. The word “choice” will not be far away and, as the Thatcher years proved, the apparently harmless idea of offering consumer choice can be the magic key that opens the door to deregulation and a financial free-for-all. It is big… Continue reading A protest worth making if you care about our landscape
Read moreDo you know the feeling when you are so absorbed in what you are writing that you lose all sense of time? Food, sex, sleep cease to be anything more than irritants which briefly divert you from the onward rush of your prose… [In my latest ‘Endpaper’ column for The Author, I provide some useful… Continue reading The art of creative non-writing
Read moreBetween those who march and those who instinctively distrust mass protest, there lies the great supine majority. We like the idea that others are prepared to put up with the cold, the discomfort and the possibility of being cracked over the head by a police baton, and support the idea of protest, safely, from our… Continue reading The good that comes from revolt
Read moreWhat if Bilo made a film about us? Like many successful films, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan has inspired a sequel. The more simply named My Brother Borat will shortly be released, and its director, Erkin Rakishev, is to make a promotional visit to Britain this weekend. The… Continue reading What if Bilo made a film about us?
Read moreIt is summer in the southern hemisphere, where I am seeing in the New Year, but now and then a cold, sour blast from the north reminds me of home. One of the on-line messages, left in response to an article I had written in the Independent about the limitations of Twitter, expressed sarcastic amusement… Continue reading Oh, yuk, he writes for children…
Read moreIt will either be a very good time to be a Pom visiting Australia over the next few days, or it could be something of a trial. On Boxing Day, the most important cricket match in the country’s history will take place in Melbourne – that is, if you believe the Australian press. After one… Continue reading Pom-bashing faces the ultimate Test
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