Here I am sitting in a café in Dorking pondering how and why some people get paid for writing newspaper columns or other pieces on things they know remarkably little about, as it were, as a job; and now I’m perhaps about to do something comparable, venture a few words on ethics. But I guess… Read More »
We were triply indebted to the Mickleham Choral Society during Christmas 2021. First, they provided us with a much-needed dose of seasonal normality after nearly two years of pandemic disruption: they brought us belatedly together once more to celebrate a traditional village event. Second, they pulled off this concert with an under-strength choir and on… Read More »
I have grown accustomed to revisiting the books read in the past year with a view to selecting a few to recommend. In 2021 I am surprised to discover that I read considerably more than in previous years; maybe the lockdowns and lack of alternatives to reading helped out here. At any event, my list… Read More »
Somewhere or other – maybe in a publication, or more likely a blog – I referred to what I called the pendulum paradox. I chose to illustrate this by comparing the sociologist with the historian. Sociologists like me look for patterns in events, and at least some of us then move on to search for… Read More »
Blogs for me provide a way of thinking out loud. Basking in the sunshine of retirement, when CVs take a back seat, they allow for an experimenting of ideas and hypotheses. Ownership of text is no longer important, so the prospect of acting as a catalyst for others is exciting and affords a sense of… Read More »
Another quick explanation of the technical phrase ‘greedy bastards’ might be in order here: in my published writings and my blogs this denotes those transnational (Bauman calls them ‘nomads’) ‘capital monopolists’ (financiers, major shareholders, CEOs of multinational corporations etc) who buy power from leading national politicians to make policy in their own interests, namely, the… Read More »
It may or may not be related to the fact that I’ve just turned 73 that I’ve found myself more often reflecting – or introspecting – on what it is I do when I write. I think fatigue has something to do with it. I tend to write in bursts, most notably in cafes on… Read More »
This is my 400th blog, another milestone of sorts. In the past I’ve ruminated on the pluses and minuses of blogging, but I’ve little new to add, so here’s a quick one on the companion rewards of buying power by donating to the Conservative Party. You get cultural kudos as well as favourable policy shifts.… Read More »
Not In the Mood You can’t turn it on and off like a tap, you’re either grabbed by the throat, a rabbit cornered by a hungry stoat, or you’re totally lost without a map. This is the way when a pristine sheet of white paper stares back at you, daring you to commit… Read More »