Jan 29The Fall of Edward Colston and the rise of ‘cultural lawfare’A legal front in the culture wars? Much how clapping for the NHS was more about getting to know the neighbours during lockdown than actually applauding people for doing their jobs, David Starkey’s take on the Colston statue for February’s The Critic is an informative reminder that the erection of…Edward Colston4 min read
Dec 19, 2021Not Another Christopher Hitchens piece: his part in my SalvationPermanent Revolution with the Hitch It’s become a bit de riguer to mock fans of Christopher Hitchens and I can completely understand why. As Tomiwa Owolade puts it in his memoriam piece to the journalist, the devotional tendencies of his online ummah often seem “profoundly un-Hitchian”. I am, however, never…Christopher Hitchens7 min read
Aug 17, 2021A Conservative (Liberal) Mind on Critical Race TheoryUPDATE: So this one actually took off. Thank you to all those who read, and liked it enough to clap. Thanks to Tee Em and Frank Font for some particularly kind and thoughtful responses in the comment section. …Critical Race Theory11 min read
May 14, 2021Britain has passed the ultimate Brexit test: survival.Nationalist stagnation in Holyrood means Sturgeon and her followers will have to find another path to partition. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That’s what perhaps sums up the electoral stalemate between unionists and separatists in the Scottish Parliament after the elections last Thursday…Britain3 min read
Mar 9, 2021Megxit: this too shall pass2021 has already seen two narrative assaults on Britain die. How long will Meghan’s last? “No shock lasts more than 48 hours. There’s too much appetite for the next shock.” Harold Wilson reassures the Queen after revealing he has Alzheimer’s. Chronically late to every party, I just watched the final…Meghan Markle5 min read
Dec 31, 2020At the Gate of the Year: a poem, two monarchs, my grandmother…and God.In memory of Patricia Timmons and all those who passed from Covid-19 💛 Christmas, 1939 George finds himself — hardly for the first time — lost for words. But the stakes are rather higher than they have been in the past. …Covid 196 min read
Oct 5, 2020A Trivial Dispute…or the Trial of the Brexiteers?Review: A Strange Romance and Trivial Dispute, by Ian Dixon Potter (Golden Age Theatre Co.), The White Bear Theatre, Kennington First the good news. Both protagonists of these two extended monologues are not only superbly well-performed, they are written as full, breathing characters with no sense that they are simply…Theatre Review3 min read
Aug 24, 2020Whither Unity? How supporters of the UK are dividing into ‘Unionists’ and ‘anti-Nationalists’.Whither Unity? How the supporters of the UK are dividing into ‘Unionists’ and ‘anti-Nationalists’. It is no secret that supporters of the United Kingdom are not renowned for their unity. A central premise of the new Alliance 4 Unity is that the Scottish anti-separation parties have their votes split three ways in every election, while the SNP hoovers up all support from nationalists, plus…United Kingdom5 min read
Jul 21, 2020George Galloway convinced me that Britain was worth keeping. Can he convince his fellow Scots?Since Hamilton was released on Disney+, a new intake of fans have been treated to its perfectly pitched characterisations of the USA’s Founding Fathers. Among the most beloved is Thomas Jefferson, portrayed as a brash, flash Southerner who nonchalantly bursts into the second half with the rakish number “What’d I…George Galloway6 min read
Jun 5, 2020Why Trump’s Bible stunt proves monarchy is the best form of governmentI am still not quite sure why I am supposed to be more angry about it than the barbaric arson attack on it, but I had to admit that President Trump’s now infamous stunt at the historic St John’s Episcopal Church did leave me uneasy. The furious responses from the…President Trump5 min read
