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.
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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.”
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Listening – at Christmas and always
December 22nd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
“A few years after I left my secondary school in Manchester, I was invited to help out with the school’s Christmas Fair and I decided to have a go at being Father Christmas. I had recently grown my first full beard and thought that I would enter into the role by rubbing flour into my growth. Though I say it myself, I looked rather splendid and certainly I attracted lots of custom.
I was enjoying myself enormously, bringing a sense of magic to so many young children, but I was mystified by one young boy who paid for a second visit and then astonishingly for a third. The presents on offer were really pretty pitiful, so I asked him why he was coming to see me so often. He answered simply: “I just love talking to you”.
It was then that I realised that, in many households, parents do not encourage their children to talk and really listen to them. This was a lesson that I have taken with me throughout my life. So, at home, at work, socially, always encourage family, friends, colleagues to talk about themselves and their feelings – and really listen.”
This is the first of what is now a collection of 66 motivational stories which I have put together here.
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A review of “Night At The Museum 3”
December 20th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
If you have children to amuse this Christmas or you are still a child at heart (like me), you should go to see what is officially named “Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb” [my review here] – thoroughly entertaining.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The 50 Paddington statues in London
December 20th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
To coincide with the release of the “Paddington” film [my review here], there are currently 50 Paddington bear statues scattered around central London. I’ve loved spotting some of them as I travel between meetings in the capital.
You can see photos of all of them here.
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Farewell to “The Newsroom” by Aaron Sorkin
December 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I’ve just watched a recording of the sixth and final episode of the third and final series of the American televison show “The Newsroom” which in Britain was aired by the Sky Atlantic channel. I have seen all 25 episodes and really enjoyed the show. The final episode neatly pulled together many of the story strands and left us feeling good.
This political drama series was created and principally written by Aaron Sorkin who is noted for his clever (and rapid-fire) dialogue. I have seen and admired almost all his previous work including “The West Wing” (the best ever TV series) and “Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip” and the films “A Few Good Men”, “The American President”, “Charlie Wilson’s War”, “The Social Network” (especially good), and “Moneyball”.
For “The Newsroom”. you can access the official web site here and the Wikipedia page here. So, is it all over? Sorkin says so, but fans of “The Newsroom” have speculated about five spin-off series.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
A short guide to the American political system
December 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I have now completed a series of five lectures at London’s City Lit for a course on “American Political Institutions” delivered very ably by Malcom Malcolmson.
This has enabled me to make major revisions and additions to the page on my web site entitled “A Short Guide To The American Political System” which is one of the most visited sections of my site.
You can check it out here.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
U.S. presidential election (1): the first candidate declares
December 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Former Florida governor Republican Jeb Bush has become the first person to declare that he will seek his party’s candidature in the US Presidential election in November 2016.
His rivals for the nomination will include:
- Chris Christie – current governor of New Jersey
- Rand Paul – a senator from Kentucky
- Ted Cruz – a senator from Texas
- Mitt Romney – former presidential candidate
Over in the Democratic Party, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is widely expected to seek and obtain her party’s nomination. However, other possible runners include:
- Elizabeth Warren – a senator from Massachusetts
- Bernie Sanders – a senator from Vermont
If the presidential contest came down to a Bush versus a Clinton, this would represent a long-term occupancy of the White House by just two families as I discussed here.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (2)
A review of the new movie “St Vincent”
December 18th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Sometimes I have little choice over the film I see. This happens when I have a few hours between meetings in town and I have to find a movie that is on at a nearby cinema in the current time slot and that I haven’t already seen.
This is how I came to view Bill Murray in “St Vincent”. He is good but the story is rather lame. You can read my review here.
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Cuba comes in from the cold – at last
December 18th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
As a friend of and visitor to both the United States and Cuba, I am really pleased that, after 54 years, we have the news of a planned normalisation of relations between the two countries.
When I had a holiday in Cuba almost seven years ago [my account of the trip here], Fidel Castro had just stepped down from power and I was hoping for major reforms in Cuba and much improved relations with the US. It has taken a long time – but now we are making real progress.
I prepared for our trip to Cuba by reading the Fidel Castro biography “My Life” [my review here] and, during the holiday, I read the Martin Cruz Smith novel “Havana Bay” [my review here].
Posted in American current affairs, World current affairs | Comments (0)