On Yer Bike
Firstly, an apology. On Twitter today, I wrote the following, in reference to the media storm surrounding the Addison Lee CEO John Griffin’s inflammatory comments about cyclists: “Addison Lee bloke is clearly A Bit Of A Twat, but you’re all acting like cyclists aren’t awful, awful road users. #boycottaddisonlee” “As a runner, I loathe cyclists. [...]
Read MoreInternational Mudslinging Day
So it was International Women’s Day last week. It’s a day that never passes without a metric fudgeton of acrimony, which is sad, because it should be an incredibly positive occasion. Early in the day, the Usual Suspects emerged from their caves to haunt that bastion of heavyweight social commentary, that unthinking man’s pulpit, Twitter: [...]
Read MoreEverything we’re saying nothing about
Lemondrizzlegate I baked a lemon drizzle cake a few weeks ago. It was delicious – zesty, zingy and moist. One of my few baking triumphs. I decided to bring a few slices into work. It is the Done Thing, and I hadn’t Done it yet. So I Did. A lot of people liked it. They [...]
Read MoreWouldn’t it be nice if we were older?
Well frankly, it was about time. This week, the Coalition government threw an apparent bone to young people. Speaking as a young person (and I’ll have none of that sniggering), I am well aware that I don’t tend to be at the political centre of gravity. There is a great scene in a new film, The [...]
Read MoreOnce more with feeling
Britain is in bloom. Our unseasonable October may be over, but London hasn’t been this floral since the Chelsea Flower Show ended. This year’s Remembrance poppies have ignited an unusual amount of controversy – on the football pitch and in Whitehall. This is the time of year we come together to remember – firstly the eminent [...]
Read MoreAs a feminist…
Yesterday, I tweeted the following about this Liz Jones article: “New game in the office. We’re just starting random setences with ‘As a feminist’: “As a feminist, would anyone like a cup of tea?” #LizJones” (Link.) I wanted to articulate my views more fully, so here goes… Anyone who meets me, or reads what [...]
Read MorePolitics = economics + psychology
I had lunch with a friend who works in financial services at the weekend. We talked, amongst many other things, about politics, and the recent and understandable domination of politics by economic issues. He put it simply: ‘politics is economics now’. He’s half right: politics is economics plus psychology. That may seem pedantic, but I’m [...]
Read MoreHardworking platitudes
If I ask you to picture a hardworking family, who springs to mind? The Obamas? The Camerons? The Beckhams? How about the family who run your local grocery store, or your friends from church? How about your own family? ‘Hardworking’ is subjective. Some people would say models and professional footballers are hardworking. Others would strongly [...]
Read MoreVirtually fact-free
When the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis last week, everyone was outraged – one way or another. The liberal left were outraged that a man whose conviction rested on nine witness testimonies was denied clemency when seven of them were withdrawn. The conservative right were outraged that anyone would question the exalted justice system of [...]
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