In all the furore over the statue of Colston in Bristol and the subsequent threat to that of Churchill in Whitehall I am left pondering one question. Why do we have statues? They are something I have never really thought about. They stand there unnoticed by most of us, in public parks, city centres and, … Continue reading Why statues?
Why voting should not be mandatory
Voter turnout in this country is not great. At the 2019 general election 67% of the people that are eligible actually put their mark on a ballot paper. So what happened to the other third? Why did they not vote and what can be done about it? One way of solving the problem would be … Continue reading Why voting should not be mandatory
Are COVID-19 regs discriminatory?
After nine or so weeks in lock down, tempers are fraying. Frustrations are bubbling over even though there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Slowly some of the restrictions are being lifted yet I am left asking myself the question. Are the COVID-19 restrictions discriminatory? Unfortunately I think the answer is yes. … Continue reading Are COVID-19 regs discriminatory?
When democracy isn’t enough
In my recent blog The existential threat of nationalism, I touched on how nationalism and populism are an existential threat to humanity and that I would explore what is to be done in another blog. Well, this is it. I would like to go further and add that democracy is an existential threat to humanity, … Continue reading When democracy isn’t enough
The existential threat of nationalism
I have been listening to ‘The End of the World with Josh Clark’ a podcast on iHeartRadio. It was recommended to me by my eldest daughter and while I am fairly new to podcasts, I am enjoying the experience, even if the series is very disturbing. I won’t spoil it for you but each episode … Continue reading The existential threat of nationalism
PPE
No one should be criticised for not being able to see the future but criticism is valid when a vision of a likely future is laid out and those responsible do not take action. This is the accusation against the government and its seeming inability to provide the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to the … Continue reading PPE
Constituency boundaries
Should constituency boundaries be left to politicians to decide? Surely not, however well intentioned they are, there will always be a temptation to manipulate them in an attempt to divert votes in favour of their own party or away from the opposition. Instead it should be left to mathematics and geography with the politicians only … Continue reading Constituency boundaries
Votes that count
A couple of months ago, in less troubled times, I wrote a blog proposing an alternative voting system for the UK. It is a form of proportional representation yet holds a strong element of the first past the post system (FPTP) which at least gives a degree of local political representation. I wrote the article … Continue reading Votes that count
A new world emerges
Covid-19 is the pandemic that the world has been waiting for. Ten years ago I remember attending events about the possible threat of bird flu. Everyone was talking about how it would sweep across the world and that we needed to start planning right away. Fortunately the virus didn’t make the leap from birds to … Continue reading A new world emerges
The need for democracy is greater than ever
The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world on its head. Every aspect of our lives has been affected, including politics. At the time that we need good society leaders the most, we find that we are represented by a government that the majority of us did not vote for. Are they doing a good job? … Continue reading The need for democracy is greater than ever
