Category Archives: Uncategorized

Old churches

Posted on March 2, 2016 by bernardporter2013

How can a modern agnostic (like me) love old churches? Well, it’s simple, really. Christianity takes credit for them, but Christianity didn’t build them. They were built by people, as expressions of their own creativity and labour . They were … Continue reading →

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The Snoopers’ Charter

Posted on March 1, 2016 by bernardporter2013

A revised version of the Government’s so-called ‘Snoopers’ Charter’ – allowing interception of all our phone and email traffic, among other things – is to be presented to Parliament today. Here’s a historical piece I wrote for the Independent on … Continue reading →

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Tragedy or farce

Posted on February 29, 2016 by bernardporter2013

To paraphrase Marx: ‘History repeats itself: first as Hitler, then as Trump’ (Eighteenth Brumaire). There’s no doubting that the circumstances behind the rise of ‘the Donald’ and of certain European right-wing mavericks today do bear an uncanny   resemblance to those of … Continue reading →

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First past the post

Posted on February 29, 2016 by bernardporter2013

Our voting system in Britain is a clear disgrace, and will be even more so when the Conservatives have finished – as they have started – gerrymandering it to their advantage even more: boundary changes, ‘reform’ of TU funding, and … Continue reading →

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1956

Posted on February 28, 2016 by bernardporter2013

I’ve just reviewed two books about the year 1956 for the LRB. I hope they publish it (they don’t always); if not I’ll put it up here. The 1950s have a bad reputation in historical retrospect, as a time of … Continue reading →

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Cameron’s mom

Posted on February 24, 2016 by bernardporter2013

David Cameron’s mother has come out as a champion of the junior doctors in their quarrel with the government. At Prime Minister’s Questions today, Cameron was twitted about this. (Not by Corbyn. He refuses to get ‘personal’.) His reply: ‘Ask … Continue reading →

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Europhobia

Posted on February 24, 2016 by bernardporter2013

I can no longer remember how I voted in the 1975 Common Market referendum. I do however recall one of my feelings at the time, which was  of irritation at those ‘pro-Europeans’ who presented opposition to British membership as necessarily … Continue reading →

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BTL

Posted on February 22, 2016 by bernardporter2013

I listen to the radio all night. (I can’t be left alone in the dark  with my own thoughts.) I did the same when I lived in the USA. The fare there was usually crazier than on Radio 4 and … Continue reading →

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Cameron and Europe

Posted on February 19, 2016 by bernardporter2013

It’s pretty obvious what’s going to come out of the negotiations Cameron is pursuing with our European partners just now (Friday afternoon), in the next few hours or days. Much of it is pure theatre. The negotiations are drawn out … Continue reading →

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Heroic failure

Posted on February 19, 2016 by bernardporter2013

My latest Guardian review. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/19/heroic-failure-and-the-british-by-stephanie-barczewski-review

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