I am sorry but the latest update of my blog platform from WordPress has omitted the justification option button, causing a more untidy looking blog at the margin. I am sorry about this. Hopefully there will be another update to correct the problem.
The Obama administration did much to restore America’s tarnished overseas reputation post Bush II, but paradoxically was entirely out of its depth trying to resolve international problems, which largely it made worse. Trump has all along demonstrated a more focused understanding and has appointed a cabinet which appears to reflect that. Careful reading of the […]
To all followers of this Blog, my best wishes to achieve your goals and ambitions in 2017. A lot is going to happen in what will be a year of many changes. We have Trump, Brexit, Europe, the Middle East, faltering globalization and the rise of an anti establishment political wave called populism. All of it […]
Putin will look back on 2016 with some satisfaction. The Syrian cease-fire, little more than a year after Russia engaged itself directly, is an outcome which took the West completely by surprise. It was even excluded from the negotiations, whilst a NATO member, Turkey has turned east, and allied itself with Russia. The awkward moment of the […]
There appears to have been a breakdown in the notion of smooth transition of the Presidency in the US that is quite surprising and for which Obama appears more to blame than Trump. The Kerry speech over Israel was pointless from a Secretary of State with his bags packed and should have been made three […]
Starting with the caveat that no agreement of whatever type in Syria has so far had a shelf life which can be counted even in hours, this does look like a game changer. It is a triumph for Putin, who has stepped in to fill the vacuum caused by the chaotic state of western diplomacy […]
There is emerging a much more strident Jeremy Corbyn. His Commons performance has been upgraded to a more combative style and his interview in the Guardian demonstrates a willingness to attack much more vigorously the issues of the day. Apparently this is a deliberate move to transfer his popularity among his core supporters into recognition and […]
Everyone can see the world is going through the biggest political and economic change of weather since the end of the Cold War and the advance of globalization. But nobody is sure what this means or where we are headed. There is now more uncertainty out there than I can recall, ever. So I am not, […]
Suddenly we seem to be engulfed in strikes designed to disrupt lives at the height of the festive season. What began on the railways and with the junior doctors, is now spreading. Baggage handlers, cabin crew, post offices, perhaps postmen. Why? Because there is anger out there that too many are not sharing in the […]
No. An important feature of the British way of life is that its citizens are not required to swear pointless oaths. Certain professions are sworn into full membership, as are MPs and members of the armed services. New citizens are sworn in. That is enough. The present ruptures in society, first foretold in my book 2010 […]