British general election (1): the most uncertain election in living memory
December 28th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
OK, Christmas is now over. Let the General Election campaign begin. For the first time ever, we’ve known the exact election day almost five years in advance, thanks to the introduction of fixed term parliaments. So effectively we now have ‘a long campaign’ of four months or so until polling day on 7 May 2015.
Now I’ve been following General Elections in Britain since 1964 when I was 16 and not old enough to vote: I’ve voted in every General Election since that of 1970 when I was first old enough to vote; I’ve even been a candidate in two General Elections and my daughter-in-law is a candidate in the next one. So I’ve followed these things for 50 years – but I’ve never known a General Election when I had less idea of the outcome.
Among the most uncertain elements of this election are: the impact of UK Independence Party especially in England, the impact of the Scottish Nationalist Party north of the border, the collapse of the Liberal Democrats, the rise of the Greens, the nature of the leaders’ debates on television, and the impact of social media.
All this leads to the following conclusion in a piece in today’s “Observer” newspaper:
“The most likely outcome of election 2015 is another hung parliament and another coalition, with neither the Tories nor Labour winning an overall majority. But with a little over four months to go – and so many influences at work – you won’t find many pundits who are willing to go further than that. Get ready for the most unpredictable election of recent times.”
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
U.S. presidential election (2): will Elizabeth Warren really run?
December 28th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Haven’t we been here before? Eight years ago, it looked pretty certain that Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic primaries to become her party’s candidate in the US presidential election of 2008. Then along came Barack Obama, a former professor, a newly elected senator, a charismatic speaker, more radical than Hillary. And we all know what happened.
Now we stand on the verge of a new set of primaries to decide the candidates for the presidency in 2016. Again Hillary Clinton is the firm favourite to win the Democratic nomination. Again we have those in the party pushing an alternative: someone who is a former professor, a newly elected senator, a charismatic speaker, more radical than Hillary. The difference is that – so far – Elizabeth Warren has insisted she is not going to run.
In British politics, Warren would be mainstream Labour Party. But, in American politics, she is seen by some as a “dangerous radical” or “actually the devil”, as explained in this profile in Britain’s’s “Observer” newspaper.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
“Herostratus” – a review of a film you’ve never heard of, let alone seen
December 27th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Indeed you might well not want to see this film but, if you’re seriously interested in cinema, you should know about it.
You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Where did civilisation begin?
December 27th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Over Christmas, I bought “The Times Concise History Of The World” which is a wonderful book to browse, full of colour maps and fascinating facts.
One can see very clearly how civilisation emerged in the so-called “lucky latitudes”. The first civilisations arose in the alluvial basins of four major rivers which drain from the mountain fringes where agriculture began:
- The Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia starting around 3500 BC
- The Nile in Egypt starting around 3200 BC
- The Indus in India starting around 2500 BC
- The Yellow River in China starting around 1800 BC
Many people seem to think that the rise of civilisations is a matter of the superiority of certain races. Actually it is all to do with geography and climate.
Posted in History | Comments (0)
The chariot race sequence in the 1959 film “Ben Hur”
December 26th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
While visiting relatives for the Christmas period, I caught some of “Ben Hur” on television, a film I have of course seen before. But I wanted to see the famous chariot race sequence again.
It is a terrific piece of crinematography, created at a time when there were no computer generated effects. You can read about the creation and shooting of the sequence here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Why is it called Boxing Day?
December 26th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
“Employers used to give presents to servants on Christmas Day. But because they were working, they would open those gifts – presented in boxes – the following day, giving Boxing Day its name. Another theory is that the name comes from boxes left in churches filled with coins that would be distributed to the poor on Boxing Day.”
Where do all the Christmas traditions come from? You can check out the origins here.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
All I wanted for Christmas
December 25th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I have received books totalling 2,000 pages and DVDs adding up to 8 hours.
Perhaps I need to give up my portfolio career and start that much-postponed retirement …
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (2)
Was Jesus really born in a stable?
December 25th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Evangelical scholar Rev Ian Paul, a theologian and former Dean of Studies at St John’s theological college, Nottingham, has argued that the entire nativity story may be based on a misreading of the New Testament, reviving an ancient theory that Jesus was not, in fact, born in a stable. You can read more here.
Maybe, just maybe, Jesus was not the result of a virgin birth either – but I wouldn’t want to spoil your Christmas.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
A short guide to the Chinese political system
December 24th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Over the past three months, I have lectured to no less than five visiting delegations from China, explaining the nature of the British political system. I have emphasised the uniqueness of the British model and compared it with other democratic systems, pointing out that I have guides to the political systems of 12 nations on my web site.
I have been regularly asked by members of these delegations if I have written up an explanation of the Chinese political system. Previously I have not, on the grounds that China is not a democracy unlike the other countries I have addressed (although Russia hardly merits the term).
However, I’ve used the early part of the Christmas/New Year break to write up “A Short Guide To The Chinese Political System” which you can read here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
What does the ‘X” mean in Xmas?
December 23rd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Do you find the word “Xmas,” as an abbreviation for Christmas, offensive? Many people do. You won’t find Xmas in church songbooks or even on many greeting cards. Xmas is popularly associated with a trend towards materialism, and sometimes the target of people who decry the emergence of general “holiday” observance instead of particular cultural and religious ritual.
But the history of the word “Xmas” is actually more respectable than you might suspect.
The abbreviation predates by centuries its use in gaudy advertisements. It was first used in the mid 1500s. X is the Greek letter “chi,” the initial letter in the word Χριστός which actually means “Christ.” Indeed X has been an acceptable representation of the word “Christ” for hundreds of years. This device is known as a Christogram. The ‘mas’ in Xmas is the Old English word for “mass.”
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)