Boris sees himself as the mega hawk about Putin and his intentions. He proclaims a determination to see Putin beaten back from Ukraine and warns of going soft on Russian aggression. Without discussing the merits of either case, it seems to me that the ordinary people of Ukraine have suffered enough and that diplomacy needs […]
The move by the tennis authorities to cut Wimbledon from the ranking points system in retaliation for the ban on Russian players is right. I absolutely disagree with the current fever for banning individuals from sport, or anything else, just because they are Russian. Individuals are not their government and to ban or punish people […]
Adolf Hitler is reviled as the greatest tyrant in history. Yet behind this well-deserved image, there was a man with personal and political secrets known to very few and almost unknown to conventional historians. This remarkable novel reveals his hitherto unknown connection with England, including a secret pact with Churchill. It is based on the […]
A quick answer is world events. The pandemic recovery, labour shortages, supply chains, gas prices, Brexit, Covid surge in China, war in the Ukraine. The key point is that human history in one long chain of events, some good, some bad. What effect those events have on individuals or the society or country in which […]
The West is making sure that Putin becomes the western world’s number one ogre. In its backing for Ukraine the West can see no bad in its new ally and no good in Russia, its old adversary. I have repeatedly warned of the dangers of this partisan approach to a humanitarian disaster on an epic […]
The political entanglements and miscalculations which create the conditions for war are many faceted, nuanced and complex. But once war breaks out there are only two elements, depending which side you are on. The Good and the Bad. This is certainly the case in Ukraine right now. But if the suffering of the innocent is […]
It does not matter how many blue and yellow flags you hang, how much you demonstrate support for a brave and resilient people, how much you deplore the suffering of innocent civilians, how much you sing Zelensky’s praises, how much you demonise Putin as a tyrant, butcher and war criminal. There is a fundamental truth […]
What is now happening to innocent civilians, women and children who are neither politicians nor in the military, is both heart rending and unforgiveable. The brightest part of this whole Ukraine disaster is the astonishing numbers of ordinary people across Europe and beyond, extending welcome, warmth, food and shelter to what amounts to millions in […]
Yes is almost certainly the answer. There is just so long you can keep outrage about parties and lies brewing, as the driving force of the political agenda. Shocking though the saga is, it actually has very little impact on everyday life. People feel badly let down, betrayed even, having suffered terrible emotional pain and […]