Monthly Archives: August 2017

First Eton (see last post). Now it’s Winchester and Charterhouse – both in the top half-dozen English Public schools in terms of ‘prestige’ – that have been caught exam cheating: (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/08/27/exclusive-three-britains-leading-independent-schools-caught/); plus, a while ago, one of the government’s prized … Continue reading →

Corruption is even affecting the ‘public’ schools. It’s reported today that a ‘deputy head’ at Eton, no less, one Mo Tanweer, has been sacked for giving out public exam questions to other teachers (or ‘masters’) – and so to their … Continue reading →

It’s just possible that the popular backlash against Brexit has started, if a survey showing that a quarter of those who voted for it last year now feel that Farage, Johnson et al ‘misled’ them, is to be credited: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/brits-believe-they-were-misled-over-brexit_uk_599bf511e4b04c532f441339. … Continue reading →

One of the effects of the London Blitz of 1940-41, and of the German air raids that continued thereafter, was the exodus of civilians from the most vulnerable parts of the city, initially temporarily, consisting mainly of women and children … Continue reading →

An eccentric Danish inventor builds his own submarine and takes it out into the Baltic. With him is a female Swedish journalist, who’s writing a feature about him. The sub mysteriously sinks. The Dane is rescued, but there’s no sign … Continue reading →

I misspent much of my youth watching county cricket. (Maybe not misspent. Where else could I have learned about skill, subtlety, chance, patience, honour – in other words ‘playing the game’?) At that time Essex didn’t have a single venue, … Continue reading →

Anders Borg, ex-Finance Minister, is in the news in Sweden for exposing his penis and grabbing other people’s crotches (here it’s called ‘Trumping’) at a drunken party. (See https://www.ft.com/content/c7ce0f46-7a88-11e7-9108-edda0bcbc928.) If only our British scandals were as harmless. It was only … Continue reading →

Is it democracy? Is that where the fault lies, if such it be? Brexit was a democratic decision, albeit narrowly. Trump was elected by enough of the people, at any rate, to satisfy the ground rules of American democracy. Is … Continue reading →

Vince Cable has it exactly right. I’m ashamed of my generation. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-4764742/Lib-Dem-leader-SIR-VINCE-CABLE-attacks-Brexit-fanatics.html

One of the problems with Brexit is how to replace the free trade we presently enjoy within Europe, but which we might lose – especially after what is called a ‘hard’ Brexit – with something else as profitable. At the … Continue reading →