David Cameron has announced that Britain is a Christian country. That’s sort-of true – we have a state religion, even (the Church of England). But British Christianity, British religion, isn’t particularly zealous. Most of us don’t go to church (or mosque, or temple). We pay lip service to the religion that our parents had, but [...]
I grew up and still live in inner-city Manchester, so I’m used to ethnic diversity. On the other hand, I went to (almost entirely white) Roman Catholic schools and I’ve got an xbox live account¹ so I’m – unfortunately – familiar with hateful racism². I’m distressingly familiar with the argument “I’m not racist, but” – which [...]
In my unending quest (I’ve just started it actually) to improve the quality and enjoyability of British TV viewing, I have decided to compile a list of TV shows that would be very much improved by only showing the last ten minutes of each of them. Here are the shows that I propose should be [...]
Today is a day of public sector strike action in the UK. The Great Strike of my generation, perhaps. I support it. (I’m going to write a bit more, but that’s going to be the gist, so if you’re in a hurry…) Strikes in general are important. The most powerful weapon the ordinary worker has [...]
There are a lot of protests going on all around the world right at the moment, which means that wherever you live you can’t have failed to notice that people are getting a bit pissed off with the ruling elite. I can’t argue with that. In Libya, Egypt and Syria – all across the Arab [...]
As large UK companies serving the basic needs of Britain, you are responsible for employing hundreds of thousands of unskilled and semi-skilled workers – and keeping them employed throughout the recession. As large, profitable, companies, you are capable of providing jobs for our increasing numbers of unemployed – particularly school leavers and other young people, [...]
I quite like Remembrance Day. I donate to the Royal British Legion (only a couple of quid), I wear a poppy, I observe a silence. I remember and appreciate the sacrifices people made to create a country I could be proud of living in – one that battled intolerance, tyranny and segregation. I like that [...]
Recently there has been a great deal of debate about the way women are treated online. Women bloggers have started to talk openly about the threats of sexual violence they receive, in response to their articles, and the way people attempt to degrade them, instead of debating with them. They say that whilst male bloggers [...]
Currently trending on Twitter is the hashtag #GrandTheftAutoMemories – presumably because the trailer for GTA V has just been released. I’m quite a fan of the series, so I thought I’d have a look to see what people were saying. Don’t. It’s terrifying – the topic is moving pretty quickly, and every other post is [...]
Unemployment is on the rise again, and with it comes the rhetoric of the right. We hear talk of the ‘workshy’, we hear people on benefits referred to as ‘scroungers’, and of a ‘dependency culture‘ in which it is suggested that the unemployed just aren’t trying to find work. Mr Humphrys is neither the first nor [...]
