No Sacred Cows
Scepticism served medium rare
Category: Essays
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I regularly watch Mehdi Hasan on his Zeteo channel. I have always admired him. He is quick-witted, combative, incisive, formidably well informed and, at his best, almost impossible to evade. He has a particular gift for pinning politicians to facts when they would much rather disappear into rhetoric, and for spotting the evasions, sleights of…
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I spent a night recently at the Sofitel Le Faubourg in Paris, invited by someone I am very fond of and respect. The hotel is next door to the American Embassy, in that small and polished part of the city where wealth, power, diplomacy and fashion seem to have gathered together for mutual reassurance. Approaching…
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What kind of Britain are we trying to build? Before answering that, it is worth asking what happened to the Britain many people once thought they were living in. For much of the post-war period there was a growing assumption that life would gradually improve. Not in a straight line and not for everyone, but…
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Why Did British Political Debate Become So Superficial? Watching France 24 or Euronews discuss Brexit can be a mildly disorientating experience for a British viewer. Not because they are always right, or because European journalism is somehow immune from bias, laziness or theatrical nonsense. It plainly is not. Germany has Bild; France has BFM TV…
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There was a time when ordering a meal involved an exchange between two human beings. One stated what one wished to eat, another pretended to be interested, and eventually something resembling it arrived. The system was not perfect. It depended upon memory, goodwill, language, competence and, occasionally, even eye contact, all notoriously unreliable technologies. Fortunately,…
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Today’s attack at Bondi Beach was, according to early reports, aimed at a Hanukkah celebration. If that is confirmed, it will be yet another example of something humanity has failed to confront honestly. Religion has repeatedly given stupid people an excuse to commit unspeakable atrocities against their fellow humans. Not because faith uniquely creates violence,…
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Escape from Eight Hours of Techno Torture, to Sanctuary at the Macaca Beach Bar We came to Khao Takiab for a peaceful night by the sea. Softly lapping waves reflecting the full moon, a light breeze, a swim in warm water. Instead, we found ourselves with a front-row seat at a deafening eight-hour Full Moon…
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The early morning songtaew was peaceful. A lay ascetic sat opposite me, quiet, composed, radiating the sort of calm that makes everyone else behave for once. No drama. No noise. No need to pretend the world is listening (as in the earlier blog). Fast-forward to the return journey, where tranquillity died a swift death. In…
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A beach that once held shells and seaweed now spits back our own rubbish. What would have shocked those of us who grew up before the plastic age barely registers today.
No Sacred Cows 