A 73-year-old warning about the need to be in the present

A 73-year-old warning about the need to be in the present

It was somewhat provocative, I admit, to stand in the queue for the supermarket – the statutory two metres behind the man in front and two metres ahead of the woman behind – reading a copy of The Plague. At one stage my reading was interrupted by a chuckle. I looked...
There are now three halves in British politics

There are now three halves in British politics

One of the unsung heroes of British politics is Dave Brown. Never heard of him? It’s amazing how some of the most gifted and talented artists don’t get the recognition they deserve. Dave Brown is the principal cartoonist of The Independent, which still exists as a...
Talk of a coup in Britain is not exaggerated

Talk of a coup in Britain is not exaggerated

It is the lot of those who first see something coming to be dismissed as cranks. Those who say something is ‘the thin end of the wedge’ or any number of similar metaphors are often accused of overreacting or having a sense of paranoia. By the time they’re proved...
They are demonstrating in my name

They are demonstrating in my name

As provocative questions go, it’s hard to think of a more provocative or more insulting one than Adam Boulton’s on Sky News last week. ‘You’re a load of incompetent, middle-class, self-indulgent people who want to tell us how to live our lives?’ said the veteran...
The democratic case for resolving Brexit

The democratic case for resolving Brexit

Regular readers of this blog will know I’m a Remainer. I voted for the UK to remain in the European Union, and I think were much better off as a member. But leave that to one side for a moment. I’m also a democrat, and I care for the future of my country, and that...
Raw eye-witness testimony of being a child in a competitive environment

Raw eye-witness testimony of being a child in a competitive environment

Call it prejudice, call it snobbism, call it elitism, call it what you will – I have a thing about self-published books. I suppose my subconscious says that, if a publisher isn’t willing to publish a manuscript, there’s a reason for it and the book probably isn’t very...
The Stephen Lloyd case shows there is no room for nuance in politics

The Stephen Lloyd case shows there is no room for nuance in politics

Politics ought to be synonymous with good governance, but it’s not. It’s a game you have to play to get into a position where you can practise good governance. And politics doesn’t seem to have any room for the nuances and counterintuitive positions that make for good...
I’m now not so sure history will treat Nick Clegg kindly

I’m now not so sure history will treat Nick Clegg kindly

As Nick Clegg’s biographer, I have always tried to stay above – or detached from – events involving him, so I can judge them dispassionately. But I can’t help feeling an intense seam of sadness at the news that he has accepted a senior role with Facebook. In fact it...
Serena Williams owes at least two people an apology!

Serena Williams owes at least two people an apology!

Serena Williams’s name will be all over the world’s media over the next 24 hours. It shouldn’t be – Naomi Osaka’s should, as she was a 100 per cent deserved winner of the US Open women’s singles. More importantly, Williams only has herself to blame for what happened...