journalist, writer and recovering physicist
The UK government’s Brexit roadshow in Berlin has taken on a comical turn. Or at least that’s how our German cousins will see Keeper of the Public Purse Phil Hammond’s insistence that “it takes two to tango”. Spreadsheet Phil is a most unfair moniker for such a star entertainer. In short, we have an unhappy […]
Read More →The British political media today are focused, bordering on obsessed, with the German “charm offensive” of finance minister Phil Hammond and hapless Brexit gofer David Davis. I emphasise the word obsessed, as that is how the UK’s Brexit stance is aptly described by Almut Möller, Berlin office chief for the European Council on Foreign Relations. […]
Read More →All you need to know about today’s government reshuffle… Larry remains the First Feline of the Treasury, whilst Palmerston refuses to cede his patch at the Foreign Office. Strong and stable. Steady as she goes.
Read More →I see that the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has entered 2018 with a call for a summit focused on science in the UK post-Brexit. Whatever their personal views of Brexit, including whether EU withdrawal will actually happen, the committee members are doing their job, and one hopes that the summit comes up […]
Read More →The EU’s lead Brexit negotiator Michelle Barnier has in a press conference this morning said that the UK’s transition period out of the union will end on 31 December 2020. This is the official view of the European Commission, and Barnier’s announcement is likely to be met with the usual hot air and indignation in […]
Read More →My reading of the ‘breakthrough’ agreement between the UK and EU is that there is a little progress on the rights of EU27 citizens in Britain following Brexit, and this is welcome. But, when it comes to the detail, England’s lame-duck leader and her Brussels interlocutors are kicking the can down the road. Brexit is […]
Read More →John Harris’ article in the Guardian today has sparked a discussion within the NUJ’s Ethics Council, of which I am a member. The subject is the line between journalism as impartial reportage and opinion. What follows below is a reworking of my reaction to Harris. Harris raises some interesting points about the line between analysis […]
Read More →The tragic death of pedestrian Kim Briggs following a collision with cyclist Charlie Alliston, who was riding a fixed-wheel bike without a front brake, was a huge media story yesterday in England. Alliston was acquitted of manslaughter, but convicted of “causing death by wanton or furious driving”. The jury were unconvinced by a weak prosecution […]
Read More →Given the omnishambles of current English politics, a cynic might argue that Brexit is now little more than a hypothetical scenario, and an utterly absurd one at that. Still, for the sake of an interesting narrative, let us be generous to the Brexiteers and assume that England’s departure from the EU proceeds as unplanned. My […]
Read More →Where: Locks, Docks and One Smoking Ferry When: Sunday 25 June 2017 Meet: 10:00 @ Cutty Sark Gardens, SE10 9LW (by the foot tunnel entrance) It has been nearly three years since I left the Great Wen for pastures East Anglian, and I so miss leading social cycle rides for the Dog & Bell Crew. […]
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