UNTIMELY MEDITATIONS
some thoughts on history and politics
A blog on various political issues from a historically informed perspective
Cummings and goings. The lost leader: 'never glad confident morning again.'
He is the ham actor, who has forgotten whether he is auditioning for King Lear, Henry V or Bertie Wooster. He has forgotten his lines,...
Cummings and goings: some intriguing questions about the prime minister
It is apparent that the prime minister regards his special adviser as absolutely indispensable not only to his political project, but to...
Observations on living with Asperger Syndrome
It is not my intention that this blog should be about me, so I have to crave my readers' indulgence for this exception. I believe that it...
Observations on the sudden discovery of the British that culture is essential for human existence
For many years, the British have prided themselves on the 'mixed economy' for arts funding. It has been often asserted that the British...
An urgent warning about Jair Bolsonaro
A common reaction when confronted with the latest truth-defying statement by Bolsonaro (or Trump) is to say: "Do they really believe that...
Some reflections on the sartorial statements of male politicians and 'special advisers'
Although I cannot pretend to have studied the history of costume and fashion in any systematic way, it is interesting to note the...
Some reflections on the elocution of politicians
In the postwar period, a significant number of politicians (Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, and Roy Jenkins) thought it necessary to...
Some brief reflections on VE Day, wars, nationalism, forgetting and 'remembering.'
The 19th century French intellectual, Ernest Renan said (in Eric Hobsbawm's translation), 'Getting its history wrong is part of being a...
Some reflections on human experience of time and space in the pandemic
It has often been asserted, since the beginning of the 'lockdown' that the days and weeks have, for many people, lost differentiation,...
Some historical reflections on 'special advisers', ministers and civil servants
The idea that 'special advisers' are an essential addition to any prime ministerial, or ministerial, career is a relatively new one. The...
Some thoughts on the controversy about the relationship between China and the WHO
Over the past few weeks, a number of politicians have criticised the relationship between China and the WHO. Most notorious among these...
Untimely thoughts on science and knowledge
A constant refrain of politicians during the contemporary crisis has been that they have been that they have been 'following the...