Archive for January, 2011
The sinking of the “Laconia”
January 10th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I’ve now managed to watch the two-part, three-hour television drama on the sinking of the “Laconia” which was broadcast in Britain on BBC2 on 6 and 7 January. The film is a British-German co-production written by Alan Bleasdale. It tells the remarkable story of how, on 12 September 1942, the German submarine U-542 sank the […]
Posted in History | Comments (1)
How to build progressive activism online
January 10th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
This past weekend, I spent a whole day attending a conference to discuss how political and social activists can better use online tools to advance progressive causes and messages – the first such event in the UK. If that seems an odd way to occupy a Saturday in a cold and dark January, all I […]
Posted in Internet | Comments (3)
Will culling quangos work?
January 7th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I declare an interest: I sit on three bodies – the Communications Consumer Panel, the Ofcom Advisory Committee for England and the Consumer Focus Board – that are to be abolished under the terms of the Coalition Government’s so-called cull of the quangos which is to be given effect by the Public Bodies Bill that […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
How the polypill will save lives
January 6th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
There was a report this week of a new trial to test the so-called polypill which combats heart disease and strokes. This is good news and hopefully, within a few years, this pill will be on the market. It could make a real difference to millions of lives. Two years ago, I participated in a […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (1)
Israel: the politics and the land
January 5th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I’ve just added an 11th entry to the short descriptions of various political systems on my web site. Israel has a very different political system than most democratic states as explained here. Almost four years ago now, I spent a fascinating week in Israel touring the country and talking to lots of people. You can […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Ed Miliband’s first 100 days
January 4th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
So how is Ed Miliband doing as Labour leader three months into the job? It’s not been an outstanding period but conversely, at the same point in Gordon Brown’s leadership, most people misjudged the man (the other way of course). Given the electoral arithmetic, this is a marathon and not a sprint. In this assesment […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
The rise in VAT
January 4th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Eight months ago, I did a posting on why value added tax (VAT) would go up whoever won the then impending General Election. Today VAT rose from 17.5% to 20% – the highest ever level. The tax is regressive and will hit hardest low income families and it comes at a time when the economy […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (1)
New year and new thinking
January 3rd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
One of the most visited sections of my web site is my advice on “How To Think Critically”. Over the holiday period, I’ve revised the advice a bit, so you might want to check it out here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
The future of Gaza
January 2nd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
“We do not want to hate, we do not want to feel all of this feelings, we do not want to be victims anymore. ENOUGH! Enough pain, enough tears, enough suffering, enough control, limitations, unjust justifications, terror, torture, excuses, bombings, sleepless nights, dead civilians, black memories, bleak future, heart aching present, disturbed politics, fanatic politicians, […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Happy New Year everyone!
January 1st, 2011 by Roger Darlington
After the coldest December in the UK since 1890, Vee and I spent New Year’s Eve quietly at home and watched on BBC television as up to 250,000 in central London enjoyed a spectacular fireworks display.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)