Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
Kenya goes to the polls today and Kenyans hold their breath
August 8th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
A month ago on my fourth visit to Nairobi, I did a blog posting about the coming general election in Kenya. That election – and a host of other polls – will be held today and, given the experience of previous elections and the closeness of the rival coalitions, there are real fears about the […]
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Russia: Re-exerting its dominance
August 7th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
At this time of year, my professional commitments are light, so I sign up for a number of short courses at the City Lit further education college in central London. My fifth such course of this summer was delivered by a lecturer called Robert Behan and it was titled “Russia: Re-exerting its dominance”. The course involves two […]
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The rise of populism: causes and consequences
July 28th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
At this time of year, my professional commitments are light, so I sign up for a number of short courses at the City Lit further education college in central London. My third such course of this summer was delivered by an American lecturer called Dale Mineshima-Lowe and it was titled “An introduction to populism: a view of America […]
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Fifty years since the Six Day Arab-Israeli War of 1967
July 25th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
At this time of year, my professional commitments are light, so I sign up for a number of short courses at the City Lit further education college in central London. My first such course of this summer was delivered by Dr Noman Hanif – UK born of parents from Kashmir – and it was titled “The […]
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The coming referendum on independence for Iraqi Kurdistan
July 17th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Regular visitors to my blog or Facebook page will know that I have been in Nairobi for 12 days visiting my son and his family. I flew back overnight and, in spite my tiredness, I found myself in serious conversation with the driver of my cab home. When I asked him where he was from, […]
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The coming general election in Kenya
July 9th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
I am currently in Nairobi for my fourth visit to my son and his family since he moved here two years ago for his work. What is different about this visit is that it falls just a month before a general election in Kenya and election propaganda is much in evidence. Now the political and […]
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Holiday in Sri Lanka (1): introduction
May 10th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Top of my bucket list is the wish – so long as I have reasonable health and adequate wealth – to have visited as many countries as my age. I am 69 next month and my latest holiday is to my 70th country: the island of Sri Lanka. It is a two-week organised tour with […]
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Canadian trial for universal basic income
April 29th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
I’m interested in the political idea for an universal basic income and, a couple of months ago, I blogged about the proposal here. Also I’m a believer in evidence-based decision-making including in the sphere of public policy, so I was pleased to see this news: “The Canadian province of Ontario will launch a trial run […]
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A short guide to the French Presidency and how it is filled
April 21st, 2017 by Roger Darlington
On Sunday, the French electorate goes to the polls to vote in the first round of elections for a new President. Unusually four candidates are doing similarly well, so the results this weekend are very uncertain. If you want to know about the role of the French President and how he or she is elected, […]
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How do people decide how to vote in an election?
April 19th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
The calling of a snap General Election in the UK was a genuine surprise; the result is unlikely to be one though. A survey published on the day of the announcement put the Conservatives on 44% and Labour on only 23% while, when asked who would make the best Prime Minister, 50% went for Theresa […]
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