So far in my University blog posts I’ve been writing about how it feels to be here. How I’m getting on with the culture and work of academic life after many years of doing the practical kinds of activities I usually write about on this blog. But I haven’t written about any of my academic …
Tag Archives: democracy
In Praise of Patience & Democracy
I first published this ‘Patience’ post early in March this year. Now, here in mid-April, I’m publishing this revised edition for two good reasons: To update you on how the garden is going, and because, while gardening, I’ve been thinking about democracy. ✹ I’ve never been a particularly patient person, quite the opposite in fact. …
The End of The Futurist
The smell was like the whole of the 20th Century falling down. That lath and plaster smell of a hundred years of smoking and sweating and damp and steam and hot summers and frozen winters and lives being lived and died from. And today I just happened to be passing, just happened to be on …
The Small Matter of Democracy
It’s been a confusing week in politics. The Referendum and its European aftermath that I’ve already written about on here. Followed by the spectacle of our two main political parties choosing consecutive days to appear to tear themselves apart. No one I know was very surprised to see the Tories behaving so badly, but when …
On An Ordinary Day
On an ordinary day On my way to vote, In my ordinary place On my way to vote, Through ordinary streets On my way to vote, With trees at the end On my way to vote, Crossing ordinary roads On my way to vote, Into ordinary parks On my way to vote, Full of ordinary …
In Defense of Free Speech?
Today I was in town keeping an eye on the place. Nothing unusual in that you might think. For some self-appointed reason that’s the kind of thing I do. But today I was there looking for fascists and making sure, in so far as I could, that they did no harm. All week a particualrly …