Over at the Commentator I have been offering some thoughts on grammar and good English: What to make of this claim that grammar lacks "encoded rules"? First, the trivial logic point. It does not follow that because a language evolves and is necessarily always changing, there is not at any […]
Leading UK journalist Angus Roxburgh has written a book about Putin and Putinism, drawing on his extensive experience in Russia (including a stint as a media adviser to the Putin team): The book is good in revealing all sorts of fascinating stories about the Putin period. My favourite is the […]
The story that emails sent from Education Secretary Michael Gove’s wife’s email account might count as official emails for Freedom of Information purposes rumbles on. This is an interesting point: Department for Education spokesman said: “Emails are not automatically considered an official record. Special advisers are not required to maintain […]
Off to give some specialist skills training in The Hague on Negotiation, including a session on Ambiguity. A good place to start is UNSCR 242, where differences over the absense of the word ‘the’ in the English version but not the French version continue to bedevil the Middle East peace […]
When we look at the savage ‘cuts’ in public spending (not), why not start at the top? Namely the FCO’s busy anti-bullying industry? This is what you taxpayer suckers are spending your money on! Powerpoint slides for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office describing what to do to avoid bullying or […]
My piece over at Telegraph Blogs about language teaching and learning in UK schools has attracted 226 comments so far. First, an apology to Will Hutton. My piece said that Hutton’s Guardian article on this subject did not make clear that learning languages is hard work. Openmind2010 points out that […]
Will Hutton’s recent misleading piece in the Guardian about the decline in language learning in UK skills needed some serious demolition. And here it is, by me over at Telegraphs Blogs: … in my experience both at school and later at the late FCO Language Centre, a big part of the […]
Craig Murray and I have a fleeting moment of agreement, rather like ships sailing in opposite directions who pass and exchange friendly waves. He commented on my earlier piece about Libya and MI6, responding to another reader: Your second point rests on the premiss that if government ministers approved something, […]
Long time no write. Somewhere between Writer’s Block and despair at the surging stupidity seen in all directions. Plus nursing my aching ankle and visiting Liechtenstein on a new ADRg Ambassadors training expedition. The roleplays in Liechtenstein included a couple of exercises where chairing a meeting was part of the […]
Here at Commentator are my vivid thoughts on the way The Rules drive out common sense discretion in public services in general, and at Leeds Crown Court in particular: Stop right there, Mr Ambassador! What would happen if the Embassy in Warsaw went out of its way at a senior […]
