Archive for September, 2020
Could the revelations of Donald Trump’s tax affairs finally finish this Teflon president?
September 29th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Four and a half months ago, I did a posting entitled: Al Capone was finally brought down because of his tax affairs. Could the same thing happen to Donald Trump? Make no mistake: the expose of Trump’s tax affairs by the “New York Times” is huge. It is a brilliant piece of investigative journalism and […]
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If President Trump’s secures his Supreme Court nomination, what could a President Biden do about it?
September 29th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
In a recent posting, I ventured to suggest that, following the death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg, President Trump would quickly nominate Amy Coney Barrett as a replacement (which he has now already done), but that enough Republican Senators would oppose such a rushed appointment so near to the election of a new […]
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A review of the 2018 film “RBG”
September 22nd, 2020 by Roger Darlington
The death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who served for 27 years as its most radical member, was a tragedy for the whole of liberal America. Aged 87 and having twice survived cancer, she succumbed to a third bout of cancer just weeks before the election of the President who constitutionally has the […]
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Will Donald Trump get his third Supreme Court nominee? I may be wrong, but I don’t think he will.
September 21st, 2020 by Roger Darlington
The death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a tragedy for the whole of liberal America. Aged 87 and having twice survived cancer, she succumbed to a third bout of cancer just weeks before the election of the President who constitutionally has the sole power and responsibility to nominate a successor. Republicans want […]
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“Presidents & Prime Ministers: What Makes Great Leaders In Times Of Crisis?”
September 16th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
This was the title of a talk given this week by Mark Malcolmson, Principal of the City Literary Institute in London, which I was able to attend online. Mark structured his address around three principles of leadership. Having a clear sense of what is right He cited as examples of this Gerald Ford’s pardoning of […]
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What are the most popular baby names in Britain?
September 10th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Of course, names change in popularity. According to the data compiled annually by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and published each September, the most popular names for children born in England & Wales during 2019 were as follows: Position Boys Girls 1 Oliver Olivia 2 George Amelia 3 Noah Isla 4 Arthur Ava 5 […]
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A review of the novel “The Friends Of Harry Perkins” by Chris Mullin
September 9th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Mullin – then a political journalist – wrote the best-selling novel “A Very British Coup” which was published in 1982. It told the story of a Left-winger who became Prime Minister but was countered by the nefarious forces of the establishment. I found it very readable, but I thought the the characters were caricatures and […]
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America’s size is its strength – and its weakness
September 8th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
We often forget just how big the United States is. It is the fourth largest nation on earth by area after Russia, Canada, and China. It is the third most populous country on the planet after China and India. As a result, the USA has enormous strengths. It is the world’s largest economy and such […]
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A review of the 2017 film “Molly’s Game”
September 6th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
When you’re about to see a movie written and directed by Aaron Sorkin – creator of the wonderful television series “The West Wing” – you know what to expect: lots of fact-laiden dialogue delivered in snappy style and rapid cutting betweeen multifarious characters. There is plenty of these trademark features in “Molly’s Game” but also […]
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In both the USA and Britain, fair elections are under threat
September 2nd, 2020 by Roger Darlington
In the United States, the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) was formed in 1974 after the Watergate scandal to enforce the country’s new election spending laws and the campaign finance abuses of the presidential race two years earlier. The bipartisan, independent agency was designed to investigate potential cases of illegal campaign spending, issue advisory opinions where […]
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