What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
Keir Starmer is, by all reasonable measures, a decent man — someone who has consistently chosen steadiness over spectacle. His supposed “crime” is not malice but naivety: trusting an individual mired in scandal, appointed as a representative of a US administration already drowning in it. Perhaps the infamous “dark arts” of Mandleson would have been … Read more
An exploration of sunk costs, stubborn loyalty, and the psychology of sticking with things long after they’ve stopped serving us. There’s a moment – usually around episode three – when I know. I instinctively grasp that the Netflix series I’ve committed my evening to is going nowhere. The plot is staggering around like a Notts … Read more
I was a late entrant into the cyber world of social media. Like a reluctant guest at a party who ends up hogging the karaoke machine, once I was in, I was hooked. I became a cheerleader, pom poms aloft, shouting into the digital void. But let’s be clear: my online persona – save one … Read more
I never imagined that a complimentary cup of tea at John Lewis and a free cinema ticket from Sky would spark such a profound shift in perspective. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale wasn’t my choice. On the surface, it embodied everything I recoil from—entrenched privilege, inherited power, and the polished veneer of inequality. And yet, … Read more
During the last four weeks I’ve been sucked into the terrifying vortex of end-of-life care for a loved one. Initially having a cursory knowledge of the adult care system, I have had to learn at breakneck speed, and during this turbulent time I have been introduced to the most incredible human beings – care professionals … Read more
Sid Vicious was once asked whether he wrote ‘for the man in the street.’ He apparently responded that he didn’t, because “I’ve met the man in the street and he’s a cunt.” Thomas Jefferson remarked, “The government you elect is the government you deserve.” Today’s election results and the rise of Deform UK have finally … Read more
Is an escape from the Madding Crowd essential? Along with billions of unwilling and unwitting participants, I presently live in a universe where the President of the United States, arguably the leader of “the free world” – whatever that flimsy statement ever meant – openly blames a sovereign nation state for being invaded by a … Read more
The ideal antidote to the real prospect of a bunch of Bond villains vying for world supremacy – from President Musk and his willing assistant Nick Nack (aka Donald Trump) in the West, to President (for life) Xi in the far East, via the loathsome Scaramanga and Blofeld in middle earth – maybe closer than … Read more
The collective national sigh of relief as Labour wrenched the reins of power from the corrosive grasp of the Conservatives following the July 2024 election was apocryphal. Amongst other repulsive traits, sleaze, gaslighting, and being serenaded by lies, damn lies and scandalous statistics would surely be destined for the tip, along with the political careers … Read more
The 4th of July general election heralded a true Monty Python tenet: and now for something completely different. But as a former Tory voter, member of the Conservative party, and borough councillor, I still had some unfinished business. I was exhausted – relieved, yet perplexed. Pinching an alleged descriptor from the former Home Secretary, James … Read more