Afghanistan Over the last few days there have been signals coming from this inflamed country that negotiations with the Taliban are in the frame. I heard the words from President Karzai in a TV interview with the BBC’s John Simpson. Now General McChrystal has talked of negotiations. ‘ There has been enough fighting ‘, he […]
Ulster This blog is fastideous in its neutrality on the issue of which party to vote for in the coming general election and always takes an individual view of events as they unfold. However when it comes to Northern Ireland that neutrality does not apply. I am utterly opposed to the Unionists in whatever form. […]
Obama and Lincoln There are curious similarities between the early part of the two Presindencies. People sometimes say Obama is a President at war like Lincoln, but there is absolutely no similarity between Afghanistan or the War on Terror with the American Civil War. Lincoln had one great objective, which for his Presidency was the […]
The Economy There are signs of an economic upturn, including better than expected unemployment figures. So are we on the right track? It depends which economist you talk to. I am not an economist, but if you ask me the answer is no. Let us liken the economy to a car. As it proceeds down […]
Massachusetts I wonder if this political ‘upset’ is as unexpected as the media on both sides of the Atlantic make it out to be. We know from experience in this country that many by-election seats lost, are won back at a general election. We know also that all but two U.S Presidents did badly in […]
More Haiti The world has watched with increasing dismay as desparate Haitian people beg for food and water from correspondents who move freely in their midst, transmitting pictures to every living room on the planet, patience has turned to despair then anger. Today the papers are coming out with words like shambles and chaos. When this […]
America and Haiti There are two countries for which this event is critical. Obviously the first is Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with a history of weak governance, oppression, poverty and suffering. Now more or less everything has gone including effective government. When the rescue is complete, the tens, now apparently hundreds, […]
Election Gordon Brown is wooing middle class, middle England, middle income voters. This may not work. Indeed I doubt that it will. Labour faces defeat. The Tories face not winning outright. The Lib Dems face holding the balance of power. These are the dynamics of this election. To win an outright majority Cameron has to […]
Exams These have had an unusually high profile in the media recently due to the difficulty in getting to them or providing a venue for them, owing to the weather. There have been complaints of a lack of flexibility among exam boards in making special arrangements or deferring sittings. I have chatted to senior students […]
Haiti Again As a vast mobilisation of the world occurs to respond to this disaster two things are becoming clear. An event on this scale gives the U.S an opportunity to show its very best side when suddenly the giant logistical resources of the military are on offer to bring aid, rescue and medicine to the […]