Author: Brian

Is this the end of the United Kingdom? It needn’t be, if only…

Easily the most significant and daunting feature of last week’s elections and AV referendum was the sensational victory of the Scottish National Party, with an unexpected overall majority in the Scottish parliament and a...

Pippa and Kate in the words of the poets

Oh, no, not that wedding again? Calm down, dear, it’s only a footnote.  According to the tabloids and the internet, Pippa Middleton, sister of the new Princess William formerly known as Kate, stole the...

In defence of Britain’s decolonisation record

It’s an article of faith among some good folk on the left, Guardian readers every one, that the British empire was a rat’s-nest of racism, oppression and exploitation, and that its eventual dissolution was...

“Quepasa”: an apology

I have unwittingly been instrumental in causing dozens, possibly hundreds, of innocent people, including some complete strangers, to receive messages purporting to contain invitations from me to become my “friend” on a website called...

For and (mainly) against AV: a dialogue

A letter of mine opposing AV (the Alternative Vote electoral system) prompted an exchange with an AV fan which explores some of the arguments, good and (especially) bad, for and (especially) against.  This is...

The strong case for the Libyan intervention, and two reservations

OpenDemocracy has published online two excellent articles stating the case for the current humanitarian intervention in Libya from a left-of-centre, reasoned and humane point of view: one by Anthony Barnett (the founder of openDemocracy...