Photo by Ben Prater on Pexels.com The government has announced its plan to set a minimum price of 45p per unit for alcohol. This will mainly affect strong beer, cheap wine and spirit bottles, but not pubs. This is a big change and they’ll be a swirling vat of arguments over the next few weeks,… Continue reading “Hard cases make bad law”: 3 principles for alcohol pricing
Category: Social commentary
Gaza, London, Streatham & the randomness of violence
Photo by Roy Reyna on Pexels.com After a meeting this Thursday, I got the underground from London Bridge station back to my office. As I walked onto the platform, a man spat on the ground just as I walked past. Instinctively I glanced up but I continued walking along the platform and a few yards… Continue reading Gaza, London, Streatham & the randomness of violence
Halloween: a time to confront our real fears (of young people)
Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev on Pexels.com We spent last week on holiday so we were out of London for Halloween for the first time in years. We were in a quiet village but we received a warning about what to expect from one of the locals: "You should expect to be busy, all the kids… Continue reading Halloween: a time to confront our real fears (of young people)
The Power of CBeebies
CBeebies the hugely successful channel aimed at 0-6 year olds, is ten this year. Although not directly a New Labour Project it still perfectly reflects the government’s cultural agenda of the time. Culture not economy At the height of the Blarite Years in the early 2000s a conservative commentator perceptively wrote that: ‘all the lefties… Continue reading The Power of CBeebies
Our Olympic positivity can last – but we’re going to need practice
Photo by Donald Tong on Pexels.com One of the best things about the Olympics was the regular positivity it bought to every day conversations. I first realised quite how far this had filtered through the nation’s psyche when I read the comments after this Charlie Brooker article in the Guardian. The space ‘below the line’… Continue reading Our Olympic positivity can last – but we’re going to need practice
Neither sycophancy nor cynicism: Danny Boyle & the right kind of patriotism
I love sport and have always enjoyed the Olympics but I have never watched an Opening Ceremony until last night. I guess I have never understood what the point of it all is. But last night, I was blown away by the power and pride generated by Danny Boyle's crazy cocktail of comedy, history, dance… Continue reading Neither sycophancy nor cynicism: Danny Boyle & the right kind of patriotism
That figures: what the census numbers feel like
The first figures from the England and Wales census (pdf file) were released today and here's a quick look at how they back up (or not) the changes that we've felt since 2001. 1. The North is getting emptier The overwhelming majority of local authority areas significantly grew in population – the mean average being… Continue reading That figures: what the census numbers feel like
Who will be the fathers?
Photo by Casey Allen on Pexels.com This story was told at my church a few weeks ago: “Elephant herds are formed of an intrictate social web of the extended family. Two or three generations of parents and cousins all play their part – it really does take a whole herd to raise an elephant child.… Continue reading Who will be the fathers?
Seven months on: what were the reasons behind the August riots?
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com One of the key investigations into the causes of the Summer riots is due to publish it's findings tomorrow. The report of The Riots, Communities and Victims Panel is important as its remit was to give a voice to the communities and victims directly affected by the August riots. As ever, those closest to the… Continue reading Seven months on: what were the reasons behind the August riots?
Hustle’s bubble: The Myth of Redemptive Finance
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com The final ever series of Hustle starring Adrian Lester airs tonight and after discovering it just over a year ago I'll be tuning in. Hustle is a BBC drama in which a gang of successful, high living and smart mainly twenty somethings use their considerable skills to con successful, high… Continue reading Hustle’s bubble: The Myth of Redemptive Finance
Grace + Truth 