Highlights
I hate this
But does it matter? — I don’t usually say that sort of thing here. I try to be more measured, less personal. I’m talking about the police face recognition vans obviously. This might not surprise you: I mean that I don’t like them. I’m an old git after all, a man who’s written here before […]
Nearly half a bicycle
The atomic theory in Kilburn — This place (on Kilburn High Road) has been morphing steadily from dry cleaner’s to bike shop over the last few years. I remember being surprised one morning to see a few kids’ bikes lined up for sale outside but I’d say the shop is now approaching 50% bike shop. […]
Where is my patriotism?
Come, love of country, fill my heart… — I do love Britain. I guess I love England more. London most of all. I hope that in my life I’ve honoured the place I live and not disgraced it or undermined it (I support England and GB in sporting events – I fly a little flag […]
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The right to be annoying
For some reason, people have been asking me lately about the increasingly visible Trots at Spiked! and the Institute of Ideas. Why are they so cynical and snotty? What is…
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Blunkett’s ‘coiled spring’ interview in The New Statesman
“Britain, says the Home Secretary, is now “like a coiled spring”, febrile and tense, and ominously on the lookout for scapegoats. David Blunkett interviewed by John Kampfner. Pity anyone whose…
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Two good articles from The NYRB
From the current New York Review of Books, Freeman Dyson’s clever and humane review of Michael Crichton’s ‘Prey‘ – another blow against the tech determinists – and Timothy Garton Ash’s…
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Never mind congestion charging…
…London needs one of these.
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The extreme case
Labour MP and DCMS Select Committee member Derek Wyatt has laid out the case for radical reform of the BBC – cutting it back to Radio 2, Radio 4 and…
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A sunny day in Soho
It was a beautiful day in Soho. Spring is definitely in the air.
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Bowblog merchandise!
I’ve always liked Cafe Press – a really simple way of creating and selling custom merchandise without actually having to do anything – so I thought I’d have a play…
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Massive sense of proportion failure
Is it just me or is it completely inappropriate to send a boy whose main crime seems to be a chronic case of adolescent alienation to jail for two years…