Archive for April, 2014


The cause of liberty has had many heroes – but you’ve probably never heard of Algernon Sidney

April 24th, 2014 by Roger Darlington

I’ve been watching the four-part television series “New Worlds” on Channel Four. It has now concluded but it will soon be available on DVD – see here. It is set in Britain and America at the time of the restoration of the British monarchy with King Charles II on the throne. As always with historical […]

Posted in Cultural issues, History | Comments (0)


OK, William and Kate, but we were there (sunset at Uluru) first

April 23rd, 2014 by Roger Darlington

William and Kate – otherwise known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – are pictured in many newspapers today witnessing the sunset at Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia. You can see some pictures here. A year ago, Vee and I thrilled to exactly the same view and you can read our account here.

Posted in My life & thoughts, World current affairs | Comments (0)


North Korea – the most secretive and enigmatic nation on earth – how much do you know about it?

April 22nd, 2014 by Roger Darlington

The “Guardian” has compiled this 15-question quiz. I scored 8 out of 15 which is above average and received the comment: “You did alright (it’s tricky country).” How about you?

Posted in World current affairs | Comments (2)


Viewing the wonderful cut-outs of Henri Matisse with delightful Czech mates

April 21st, 2014 by Roger Darlington

We have had a very busy, but very enjoyable, Easter hosting a visit by two Czech friends to our home in London. We have known Kaca. the daughter of our dear, deceased friend Pavel [my tribute to him here], since she was three, whereas we have only met Lenka, married to one of Kaca’s cousins, […]

Posted in Cultural issues, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)


The nearest I came to becoming a Member of Parliament

April 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington

I was interested in the news that Austin Mitchell is to step down as a Member of Parliament at the General Election next year. Mitchell first became am MP in 1977 when he fought and won a bye-election in Grimsby occasioned by the premature death of the sitting Labour MP and Foreign Minister Anthony Crosland. […]

Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)


“The Spirit Level” : five years on

April 18th, 2014 by Roger Darlington

Five years ago, Professors Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson wrote a seminal work called “The Spirit Level” which I reviewed here. What do the authors say now about the inequality they described then? “When we published our book ‘The Spirit Level’, the Government of the day was still famously relaxed about people becoming ‘filthy rich’. […]

Posted in Social policy | Comments (0)


How can the consumer voice be heard in the regulated sectors? (2)

April 17th, 2014 by Roger Darlington

This week, I was a speaker at a breakfast seminar organised by the Westbourne Communications agency in central London. The snappy title of the session was “Stakeholder Challenge And Influence: Lessons For The Utilities Industry”. I was invited in my capacity as the Chair of the Customer Challenge Group at South East Water to talk about different consumer models in the regulated utilities. […]

Posted in Consumer matters, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)


The return of the London Labour Film Festival

April 16th, 2014 by Roger Darlington

As regular readers of this blog will know, I’m a big film fan with wide tastes in movies. One type of film, that one sees too little, looks at life from the point of view of organised labour and I’ve devoted a special section of my web site to this category of movie. I was […]

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (1)


How can the consumer voice be heard in the regulated sectors? (1)

April 15th, 2014 by Roger Darlington

This morning, I was a speaker at a breakfast seminar organised by the Westbourne Communications agency in central London. The snappy title of the session was “Stakeholder Challenge And Influence: Lessons For The Utilities Industry”. I was invited in my capacity as the Chair of the Customer Challenge Group at South East Water to talk about different consumer models in the regulated utilities. […]

Posted in Consumer matters | Comments (4)


OK, William and Kate, but we were there (jet boating on the Shotover River) first

April 14th, 2014 by Roger Darlington

William and Kate – otherwise known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – are pictured in many newspapers today enjoying a jet boat ride on the Shotover River in New Zealand. You can see some pictures here. A year ago, Vee and I thrilled to exactly the same ride and you can read our account […]

Posted in My life & thoughts, World current affairs | Comments (0)