Monthly Archives: July 2018

No to the politics of polarisation

Posted on 16th July 2018 by Ian

To be honest, I had not expected the meeting to proceed. Announced before the England team reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, its starting time was to be the very moment when the football match kicked off. Checking the … Continue reading →

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Comic life

Posted on 14th July 2018 by Ian

“Alec, would you see to that?” ”I’ll do it directly.” My grandfather’s answer to my grandmother was familiar. Organised, focused, tidy, my grandmother liked things done in a systematic manner, she liked tasks completed, she liked planning and order. A … Continue reading →

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The revolution begins with laughter

Posted on 13th July 2018 by Ian

On a patch of open ground in Belgium, beneath a flyover, four men mimed a song; then pretended to play cricket, using drumsticks for stumps and a guitar as a bat; before joining together for a folk dance. It is … Continue reading →

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Scotched

Posted on 12th July 2018 by Ian

The lawn is separated from the adjoining path by a line of half-buried red house bricks. Perhaps left over from somewhere, perhaps recovered from somewhere, they are showing signs of years of wear. Winter frosts cause spawling;that process where water … Continue reading →

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A fading shadow of the past

Posted on 11th July 2018 by Ian

Steve Wright must be on holiday. It was Craig Charles on BBC Radio 2 for the half an hour during which I listened this afternoon. Steve Wright has an “oldies” feature from three o’clock until half past three each weekday … Continue reading →

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