Recently I gave a session to a group of feisty 12-year olds (incl Crawf Minima) on the general subject of Public Speaking. I hit upon a truly magnificent formula, drawing on the idea that it’s always good to take along a ‘thing’ to a talk to illustrate the point and […]
We mere Britishers tend not to follow in detail the goings-on in the USA, where a new literary genre has appeared – the Fantasy Autobiography, often wildly feted in the name of progressive causes. Here is Mark Steyn’s handy round-up of some superb examples which include, ahem, President Obama himself: His Kenyan grandfather was […]
How often do we hear that, especially on the Today programme? We face this problem – why doesn’t the government do something? Rarely is the case made is that we have these problems precisely because the government is ‘doing something’ – something absurd. And that by far the best thing […]
After this horror it gets even worse: Anna Wintour, the formidable British editor of American Vogue, has been named as a leading fundraiser in the re-election campaign of Barack Obama – an effort that has led to renewed speculation that she might be in line for a political appointment, potentially […]
Here is my Commentator piece on the Wisconsin election: The key fact in last night’s Wisconsin recall election? Over 30 percent of households with a union member in them voted for Walker. A strong majority of people in Wisconsin got the core Tea Party political and moral message: stop unaffordable […]
Over at Hugh Hewitt in the USA, an unexpected comparison: ES: The Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election will have a major impact on every race in America for generations to come. HH: It’s a precursor election, 1979, Maggie Thatcher swept into power in England, took on the unions, and what followed? […]
"It looked like the Romney campaign planted Dr Evil in the house of Obama and he said, ‘You know, on the day the grim job numbers come out let’s have someone who reeks of ornamental excess announce that the peasants can have a place at the table’. It’s just unbelievable." […]
I’ve mentioned here previously the fact that Polish diplomats are under strict instructions to remonstrate strongly against any use of the expression ‘Polish concentration camps’ or the like to refer to the Nazi death camps built on Polish territory during WW2. Well, they have a fine opportunity to take this […]
Ann Althouse reminds us of a fascinating account of what was going on in President Gerald Ford’s mind when back in 1976 he made his ruinous observation (at least probably ruinous for his election chances) that there was "no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe": JIM LEHRER: Let’s go back at the […]
As you know, this blog takes the view that in a globalised world a terrorist threat to the networks that support modern life are a threat to us all. And that international law doctrines of self-defence and ‘national sovereignty’ need to be redefined accordingly: if a state wants the benefit of modern […]
