Monthly Archives: July 2018

Jewish fathers and their sons

Posted on July 31, 2018 by

“Rabbi, I brought him up in the faith, gave him a very expensive Bar Mitzvah and spent a fortune educating him. Then last week he tells me he’s decided to be a Christian. Rabbi, where did I go wrong?” The … Continue reading →

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Book Review: A A Dhand ~ Girl Zero

Posted on July 31, 2018 by

The hackneyed British thriller genre featuring maverick Detective Inspectors is moved on by Dhand. Detective Inspector Harry Virdee is British-Asian brought up in Bradford where his father owned a corner shop. As a teenager Harry murdered a thief who was … Continue reading →

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Chris Grayling: A Tory extremist

Posted on July 27, 2018 by

…. Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Justice between 2012 and 2015, announced his populist plans to make prisons, already hideous tombs of violence, death and terror, ‘less lax’ and more ‘spartan’, introducing severe restrictions on prisoners’ ‘privileges’ – … Continue reading →

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Why football is better than discus throwing

Posted on July 27, 2018 by

“….you spin around with a special disc trying not to fall over. You chuck it as far as you can. The winner is whoever chucked it furthest. ‘And then what?’ ‘No, that really is it.’” O’Farrell, John. There’s Only Two … Continue reading →

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Bringing Joy and Happiness

Posted on July 24, 2018 by

Richard M

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A Bizarre, Wonderful Democracy: the London Borough of Havering, 2018

Posted on July 24, 2018 by

The May, 2018 election was keenly fought in the London Borough of Havering. Havering is a thriving democracy with nine parties elected to the council chamber. There were 2011 candidates for 54 elected positions. The people of Havering favour the … Continue reading →

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1951 – Cherry Pie

Posted on July 23, 2018 by

Replete with dinner, just eaten Mum brought a golden pie in from the kitchen The jug of custard quickly followed, “Be careful, the cherries have stones Just leave them round the side of your dish”. Soon after we, three boys, … Continue reading →

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My worst day!

Posted on July 20, 2018 by

There I was sitting at the bar staring at my drink when a large, trouble-making biker steps up next to me, grabs my drink and gulps it down in one swig. “Well, whatcha’ gonna do about it?” he says, menacingly, … Continue reading →

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Bertrand Russell in Brixton prison, 1918

Posted on July 20, 2018 by

For the first two months of his sentence, life at Brixton prison suited Russell perfectly. Freed from the demands of both political campaigning and romantic attachments,* he was able to live precisely the kind of cloistered, contemplative life he craved. … Continue reading →

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Henrietta Maria: the Heretic Queen of England 1625-49

Posted on July 20, 2018 by

When Henrietta Maria married Charles the First, England’s vicious anti-Catholicism made her a hate figure. She was a child-bride of fifteen when she married the 25 year old Charles. Her brother, Louis XIII, agreed marriage articles with Charles, which were … Continue reading →

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