Ramblings

  • Prosper UK and David Gauke: Good luck, I guess

    Prosper UK and David Gauke: Good luck, I guess

    One might regard their support of Prosper UK with scepticism: is it driven by principle or opportunism?View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • in Memphis

    in Memphis

    What am I doing here? Why did I ever think I was good enough?View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • The disappearing pr*ck

    The disappearing pr*ck

    No, calm down. What’s your favourite line from Notting Hill?

  • Unfinished business

    Unfinished business

    I’m lying down on the road. All is well. I can stop now. There’s a moment of sweet surrender. All is well.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • The Chorleywood Thunderer

    The Chorleywood Thunderer

    The majority of my letters to the Financial Times made it into print: ten were published out of perhaps fifteen between 2010 and 2015. This might be because they were well-written, relevant, incisive and witty. Or maybe the FT was just a sucker for free content.View post to subscribe to…

  • Good and bad in disposable TV

    Good and bad in disposable TV

    I have never been able to watch more than two minutes of this hyped up, whooping celebration of mediocrity and third division “celebrities”.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • Navigating Politics in International Athletics 1960-84 by Fred Holder

    Navigating Politics in International Athletics 1960-84 by Fred Holder

    Fred Holder was Honorary Secretary of the International Amateur Athletic Federation from 1960-1984. In 1998 he wrote a fascinating insider’s account of this turbulent period of athletics, never before made public. View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • At the birth of The Animals

    At the birth of The Animals

    “I loved Newcastle so much that I failed my exams. I probably should not have gone clubbing during re-sits with Alan Price and Eric Burdon before they got together as The Animals and released House of the Rising Sun.” Wait, what???!!!View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • A hoarder? Excuse me, I’m an archivist.

    A hoarder? Excuse me, I’m an archivist.

    I have a schedule listing the A-level and S-Level results of my entire 6th-form cohort: that has enabled me to intimidate former schoolmates with my knowledge of their shortcomings for half a century.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • Not quite making it

    Not quite making it

    “I’d love to have made it and I think about it every day of my life.”View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • Iggy’s lust for life undimmed

    Iggy’s lust for life undimmed

    Once on stage he was a wild beast. The crowd, a very broad spread of ages, greeted him as the returning hero which he is: the last survivor of the three godfathers of punk, since we lost Bowie and Reed.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • What the song meant to her

    What the song meant to her

    Its aching regret makes it one of the most powerful songs in musical theatre.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • The kill

    The kill

    Did you ever wonder why dogs eat so differently from cats? Warning: contains descriptions and video of an animal being hunted.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • The case for Screaming Lord Sutch

    The case for Screaming Lord Sutch

    Can any other British politician match his record of policy delivery?View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • George and the glis-glis wars

    George and the glis-glis wars

    “Are you or your wife squeamish?” he asked. George, normally a compassionate, politely spoken and gentle man, had been pushed to the edge, as was evident from his reply.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • The spoiler in Captain Corelli

    The spoiler in Captain Corelli

    Why would an author write that? Why would an editor let it through? View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • John Didcock: celebrating a Watford Grammar School legend at 90

    John Didcock: celebrating a Watford Grammar School legend at 90

    It’s quite easy to teach a good pupil. But to connect, as he did, with the more difficult ones, is something special and rare.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • A Complete Unknown – Bob Dylan

    A Complete Unknown – Bob Dylan

    For a hero of the peace and love generation, he sure harboured a lot of hate.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • Chronicles of my Holiday Wanderings (1891-1901) by Harry Bond

    Chronicles of my Holiday Wanderings (1891-1901) by Harry Bond

    From September 1891 until April 1901 Harry kept a meticulous record of his holidays: some by train, some by boat and some by bicycle. It is a fascinating record of a more leisurely age of tourism.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.

  • whatthedickens.com – a play by Philip Blackshaw

    whatthedickens.com – a play by Philip Blackshaw

    Former teacher Philip Blackshaw wrote and directed this excellent school play which serves as an introduction to the work of Charles Dickens.View post to subscribe to the site’s newsletter.