Author Archives: bernardporter2013

An unexpected pleasure of our long drive up from Rotterdam to Stockholm was to visit the north German/Hanseatic churches along the way; all built in brick, usually regarded as an inferior building material to stone – more domestic than monumental … Continue reading →

For those of you who haven’t come across these already, here are Trump’s running-mate’s takes on (a) Donald Trump himself in 2016; and (b) the corrosive effect of his own alma mater (Yale), and of universities generally, today. The first … Continue reading →

Even serious works – like this blog – need a scherzo. Here’s mine for now; some superficial holiday observations. After a pleasant month in Less-than-Great Britain, Kajsa and I are now on our way back to Sweden: her lifelong home … Continue reading →

Apparently the suspect in the latest assassination attempt against Trump – young Thomas Crooks, killed on the spot, of course, as American suspects tend to be – was a registered Republican, and a poor shot. (That’s what we’re told so … Continue reading →

I watched the 1966 World Cup Final on TV yesterday afternoon – the first time I’d seen it in colour. (Colourised?) I was impressed by (a) the lack of play-acting after fouls – victims got up quickly and even shook … Continue reading →

Sorry yet again for the long silence. A (minor) eye operation and various social commitments have intervened. Plus loss of energy. Isn’t old age a bugger? ‘Never get old’, as I tell my younger friends; until I realise what the … Continue reading →

Global wars in the past – i.e. those that have spilled over the confines of single continents – have generally been fought about territory, trade, religion, sovereignty, security, ideology, race, and/or the personal ambitions of those most responsible for provoking … Continue reading →

Whatever became of noblesse oblige? In feudal times it was supposed both to justify the upper classes, and to soften their impact on society more generally. The idea was that if you were very rich and privileged, you had a … Continue reading →

OK, I’m back in Blighty, after six months. And what a contrast to the European countries we’ve driven through! Dirty streets, shuttered up shops, few public amenities working, a corrupt government, and a vile public political discourse; quite a shock, … Continue reading →

I’ve had a host of messages – well, three – regretting my decision to give up blogging, and pleading with me to come back. So here I am again; presently preparing for our journey back to Blighty – by car … Continue reading →