Lovely writing and imagery, Sally. You have inspired me to try more creative writing, for want of a better term!

I drafted this piece in June 2020 for the Rethink series of ‘post-Covid’ opinion pieces which was initially broadcast in the first half of 2020 on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, and the BBC World Service. I have Tweeted about quite a few of the #RETHINK broadcasts, many…

I wrote first drafted this four weeks ago, before Christmas, and think I identified the inflection point in Covid politics. For some reason, I left it till now to post. Nevertheless, my parallel may not be appropriate… It feels like we are at the point in the War on Terror…

Yesterday the House of Commons voted for a number of statutory instruments (ie: regulations) for England, including Covid passes (#VaccinePassports); compulsory vaccinations (#MandatoryVaccinations) for NHS workers; and making facemasks compulsory in a wider range of venues. …

We seem to live in a culture in which many organisations (and some people) think others should do work for them for nothing, on the basis of some possible, unstated future benefit. (I’m not just thinking internships.) And maybe many people can work sans remuneration. But not me.

Today is World Press Freedom Day (#WorldPressFreedomDay), which media organisations are rightly highlighting and celebrating. Via the BBC Media Centre, BBC Director-General Tim Davie stated: “In the midst of the Covid pandemic, it is clearer than ever why people need access to trusted, impartial news. Trusted information is an essential…

Why aren’t more people being trained as ICT appliance installers and engineers for the home? Where are the digital plumbers? Who are the network electricians? What is a car mechanic for a computer? Why aren’t more people being trained as ICT appliance installers and engineers for the home? After a year of lockdown, they can only be a minority of households that don’t have broadband…

The tendency in debate to use implicit or explicit moral condemnation of one’s opponent has moved from those who were on the Right to those who affiliate with what was the Liberal-Left. I will be writing more on these themes, including how we can better debate, rationality and the culture of offence, and understanding other people — One of the most egregious characteristics of debate in [[Modern British politics]], is treating people whose views are opposed to yours as if they are somehow morally depraved and irresponsible.

On Friday in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France, a teacher was brutally executed by an individual. …