Category Archives: This sceptred isle

Following the Twitter feed of David Lammy, the member of parliament for Tottenham, there is a sense of astonishment at the abuse he suffers. Racism, profanities, semi-literate rants, the ramblings of angry and violent minds seem the stuff of everyday … Continue reading →

“Son, could you pass me my wallet?” I rose from the seat in the barber’s shop and took down my father’s coat from where it hung. “A good performance from the England football team, in the end,” said the barber. … Continue reading →

In an age when all of the information in the world is available on the device in one’s pocket, it seems extraordinary that the mistakes of history might be repeated, that the same things would be believed. Read the history of … Continue reading →

Two lorries passed along the country road, one a greengrocer’s van and one from an oil merchant. The first was pale green with lettering in yellow, the second a deep red with blue and white detail, both probably dated from … Continue reading →

The Guardian newspaper described it as “a bruising week in a difficult year” for Prime Minister Theresa May. Were I the prime minister sitting down to Sunday lunch in Downing Street or Chequers, I think I would feel rather contented at … Continue reading →