As we made our way to the concert hall, not a single one of us under the age of 55, I didn’t really know what to expect from a progressive rock band that I last saw at the Hammersmith Odeon, in 1981. Progressive rock is rather like progressive politics. It’s complicated, sometimes pretentious, and even […]
Opinion
The Dutch Cartoon Competition Was Wrong Because Geert Wilders Organised It
The cancelled Dutch cartoon competition was not about Islam. It was all about Geert Wilders. It was way too long since we heard from the flamboyant leader of the Dutch extreme-right-wing party PVV, Geert Wilders. Let’s face it, the Dutch parliamentary elections are a thing of the past, and the present coalition is doing very […]
José Mourinho’s Constant Wrath Lands Him In Dante’s Inferno
As a Manchester City supporter, I won’t cry too loud about the troubles José Mourinho finds himself in, at Manchester United. I’m referring to laughing until I cry, of course, and the fact that we must always show respect for the opposition, no matter who they are. Showing respect is a quality that Mourinho doesn’t […]
Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte – A Martyr To Multinationals?
Dutch politics is currently preparing itself for a war of words concerning the ruling coalition’s proposals to scrap Dutch dividend tax. Under present rules, companies have to pay 15% tax over profits that are distributed to shareholders. This sum is withheld on the amount that a shareholder receives. However, shareholders who live in the Netherlands […]
Planet Of The Apes…Men In A Post #MeToo World
Just as I thought that the oppression, harassment, and exploitation of women, were part of the male genome, I came across a “non-profit” organisation that claims to be able to cure most men from being fondling creatures in underground trains, hotel rapists, and housewife-beaters, in the space of 48 hours. The Mankind Project, responsible for […]
Sarah Jeong – Fake Racist, Fake Newspaper Editor?
In the same way that Winnie the Pooh illogically blames the size of Rabbit’s door, for not being able to get through it, Sarah Jeong – a Korean/American lawyer, journalist, and a lot of other things – blames racist tweets…for the fact that she sent out racist tweets. Even though I don’t follow her logic, […]
Fighting To Remain – The London March Of The Penguins
You may not agree with this post, and you may even accuse me of being pro-Brexit, but this is the way I feel when I hear the reasons that prompted some to take to the streets of London. I harbour feelings of dismay in witnessing a country that I love, covering itself in ridicule, in […]
How Catholic Conservatism Could Conquer Secular France
Marion Maréchal is the grand-daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the French extreme-right-wing Front National. She wants to implement a political ideology that is soaked in a thick mantle of Catholicism. It is ironic that, in the eyes of many, the return of Catholicism may be the answer to the battle (if battle there is) […]
Brexit Musings (20) – Online EU Registration And Gartner’s Hype Cycle
According to UK home secretary, Amber Rudd, an application system for EU nationals wanting to remain in the UK after Brexit (are there any?) will be, “as easy as setting up an online account at LK Bennett”. If you are anything like me, you won’t have heard of LK Bennett, yet alone opened […]
Emmanuel Macron Cannot Change French “Strike Culture”
There is another culture that the French are proud of, besides the “cultural exception” represented by their language, in the face of Anglo-Saxon dominance. It is the right for you to strike, regardless of whether your actions will close schools, disrupt the business commuter, or leave the unsuspecting tourist stranded at Charles de Gaulle airport. […]