It must have been something of a shock for those attending a global-warming rally this week to find themselves caught up in an international debate about a dead rock star’s penis. Before turning to the state of the planet, the governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, revealed that he had become increasingly concerned about a famous… Continue reading Jim Morrison – the rock star who flashed for freedom
Read moreTo an outsider, it would have seemed a normal enough gathering: 25 chaps of a certain background, of a certain age, at a gentlemen’s club in London. Around the long table, there was the usual mix of banterers and jokers, nodders and listeners. It was a reunion of prep school friends, probably much like any… Continue reading We grow kinder as we get older
Read moreThe co-author of Families and How to Survive Them has embarked upon his Alimony Tour. One of the comic themes of this travelling one-man show derives from his divorce from his third wife Alyce, and the expensive settlement which followed. It could have been worse, one gag goes. “Imagine how much I’d have had to… Continue reading Divorced, and back on the couch
Read moreHere’s a song dedicated to the expat community…. I’d Rather Be French by TerenceBlacker
Read moreIt is time for town-dwellers to be very brave. We are about to venture into the perilous unknown. There is a place, according to no less an authority than the director-general of the National Trust, which is “alien” and “full of unfamiliar, unexpected things”. Today’s generation, Dame Fiona Reynolds has warned, “runs the risk of… Continue reading The hidden terrors of the countryside
Read moreWhat stirring news it has been that the National Grid has performed spectacularly well this year, posting a mind-boggling 45 per cent increase in its pre-tax profits for the first six months of this year. The impression in some quarters has been that it as if a great British institution – the National Health, say,… Continue reading Beware the “vision” and “values” of National Grid plc
Read moreThis is the story of Harry, who doesn’t care where it’s at, so long as love is in the air. Harry Loves Porn by TerenceBlacker
Read moreAt a meeting of fans who supported a large football club, a man in his forties once stood up to speak. “This is our club,” he said. “Let’s face it, nothing matters quite as much as this – wife, family, whatever. For me, the club always comes first.” There were mutters of agreement, a smattering… Continue reading A father’s fancy footwork
Read moreA few concerns have been raised about plans for closer co-operation between the British and French armies. There have been quacks of alarm from traditionalists and little Englanders, fearful that the essential character of our soldiery will be compromised by contact with French brothers-in-arms. “British Army Under French Orders”, read one front-page headline over a… Continue reading Aux armes across the Channel
Read moreThere was a time when politicians were social outsiders, too derided and distrusted to be able to influence everyday behaviour in the wider world. In one area, though, they are turning out to be trend-setters. With dimple-cheeked Old Etonians in government and the Mayor of London spouting Latin when asked a tricky question by Jeremy… Continue reading The return of our old friend, cultural snobbery
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