Archive for the ‘British current affairs’ Category


A review of the book “But What Can I Do?” by Alastair Campbell

February 24th, 2024 by Roger Darlington

The last book that I read was “Why We Get The Wrong Politicians” by Isabel Hardman. In my view, that work put too much emphasis and blame on individuals for the current state of British politics, spent far too much time describing the problem and very little time suggesting remedies, and was overly pessimistic about the present […]

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“Why We Get The Wrong Politicians” by Isabel Hardman (2022)

January 27th, 2024 by Roger Darlington

This analysis of British politicians was first published in 2018 (when it was a winner at the Parliamentary Book Awards) and then revised and updated in 2022. I was given it as a present for Christmas 2023 and therefore read it in a year (2024) when we will have a General Election which is almost […]

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The next General Election …

November 7th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

will be held on Thursday, 7 November 2024 – a year today. Remember where you heard it first.

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Is Lucy Letby a case of the banality of evil?

August 19th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

Understandably, the British media is awash with coverage of the recently-concluded, ten-month court case in which Lucy Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six more. The newspaper which I read – the “Guardian” – today devotes its first 12 pages to the case. I love children. I love […]

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Would a universal basic income work? Let’s try it.

June 6th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

“A universal basic income of £1,600 a month is to be trialled in England for the first time in a pilot programme. Thirty people will be paid a lump sum without conditions each month for two years and will be observed to understand the effects on their lives. Two places in England have been selected […]

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A review of the book “A Duty Of Care” by Peter Hennessy

May 6th, 2023 by Roger Darlington

I used to know Peter Hennessy in the 1970s when I worked for the Wilson/Callaghan Labour Government and he was the Whitehall Correspondent of the “Times” newspaper. He is now a Professor of Contemporary British History and a crossbench member of the House of Lords. Like many of us, he has thought about the impact […]

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A sign of these economically troubled times

December 23rd, 2022 by Roger Darlington

A message today from the hotel in Milton Keynes where I’ll be sleeping this Christmas: “We’re so excited to be welcoming you to stay with us once again. But, much like many businesses across the UK, we’ve been experiencing supply chain issues across a number of different areas, including team shortages, which unfortunately puts some […]

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Are British strikers being unreasonable?

December 16th, 2022 by Roger Darlington

“The notion of “union baron”, boogeymen/women rallying workers to the picket line at a click of their finger, is wide of the mark by a country mile. When a strike happens, it is because any semblance of good industrial relations between workers and employers has failed. Legal strikes require a vote, a high turnout, and […]

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Names of new babies in England and Wales

November 4th, 2022 by Roger Darlington

Names change in popularity. According to the data compiled annually by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and published each September, the most popular names for children born in England & Wales during 2021 were as follows: Position Boys Girls 1 Noah Olivia 2 Oliver Amelia 3 George Isla 4 Arthur Ava 5 Muhammad Ivy […]

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Why do so many migrants wish to reach Britain?

October 9th, 2022 by Roger Darlington

As I regularly do, I spent the day in Milton Keynes entertaining my two granddaughters. Now the local taxi company that I use in the city is staffed by drivers who normally hail from Pakistan. But not today. This time my driver was from Afghanistan. There are many ethnic groups in Afghanistan and I was […]

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