Why were we stupid enough to push out Blair? Not many of us agreed with everything he did, but still- the most talented politician of a generation, and one who, despite his flaws, gave the genuine impression that he believed something. Even in his darkest days, his support rarely dipped below 30% because at the […]
I'm Ben West, 19, from Southampton UK. From October I'm a History & Politics student at Oxford, but beforehand, I'm travelling overland (by train) to Iran, crossing the US during the 2008 elections and reporting from Chernobyl's 'red zone'...
So having found a job for my last remaining month in the UK before the fun begins, I’ve now got the time (and money) to begin the planning of routes, learning some Farsi and buying kit such as a few decent pairs of socks, for starters.
As you may know, onn the 28th of May, I […]
The raindrops are wriggling along the window like sperm, leaving watery streaks behind them. They consume, mercilessly, the idle droplets in their path, who cling on for dear life. Barely clothed trees wobble by, as adolescent grown men with long greasy hair, ponytails and glasses discuss their expert knowledge of the American military genius’ most […]
When Richard Nixon went up on national TV following the announcement that he was under investigation for Watergate, he uttered the infamous line: “I am not a crook”.
And everyone instantly, regardless of their opinion on the affair, involuntarily thought of him as a crook. According to the linguist (hold in here, this is actually quite […]
From the Democratic debate in New Hampshire last night, it’s now clear that the contest between the candidates has effectively come down to two key characteristics which, in 2008 will matter the most to voters. These are experience and change. The third, electability, is an equally important issue likely to be on the minds of […]
Benizir Bhutto’s assassination this week rightly sparked widespread revulsion and protests across the globe, from ordinary people and politicians alike. Love her or loathe her, the murder of a political figure by their opponents (whoever, in this case, they turn out to be) flies in the face of everything the words ‘democracy’ and ‘liberalism’ are […]
While few would doubt that in the period between the 1798 Irish rebellion and the lifting of the Corn Laws Britain’s relationship with Ireland changed dramatically, it seems clear that such changes in policy resulted less from the initiative of such governments than in response to agitation and pressure from the Irish themselves. What was […]
In response to: ‘Give us Wings’-Brendan O’Neil, Guardian Unlimited 8/07
Has to be said, Brendan, you have a point. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of an accelerating plane and the sudden jolt as it lifts off the runway and begins to gracefully rise as the world gets smaller and smaller around you. Not to mention […]
Is ‘greenness’ simply a lifestyle choice? A lot of us, this blog’s readership included, might be perfectly comfortable with that assertion. Thanks to events over the past decade or so, the ‘green’ lifestyle has become an option for the West’s middle classes, but it is by no means the only one. The suburban ideal, like […]
When Oscar, a furry emerald Muppet living in a trash can down Sesame Street coined the phrase ‘it’s not easy being green’, it was a fair description of the environmentalist’s dilemma. A relatively short time ago (by some of your standards anyway!), I grew up with Bert and Ernie’s bathtub exhortations to save water, […]
In response to:
Madeleine Bunting, June 4, 2007 The Guardian
While, on the whole you make some pretty good points, it does concern me that you seem to regard Bob Geldof as synonymous with the Make Poverty History Campaign, when, in reality, the two were, to a large extent seperate.
The Make Poverty History campaign was led […]
