What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
As megalomaniacs go Vladimir Putin isn’t that special. A Bond villain appearance is the typical and very necessary façade but what exactly motivates them? In Putin’s case money alone is doubtful, since it is probable that he is the richest person on Earth with a personal fortune of circa $200 billion. To put this mind-boggling … Read more
I love a good natter with friends. Convivial conversations are my favourite, although I equally enjoy a delicious debate where opposing views are mutually tested, and the manner of delivery of conflicting opinions is respected, even if a consensus may be unattainable. What I heartily detest is the hijacking of earnest enquiry, more often than … Read more
Who hasn’t heard of Banksy, the unknown artist who has turned graffiti into a desirable art form? The simple, striking sketches of rebellion that sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Where a spray-can effortlessly and uniquely connects the fierce foes of socialism and capitalism, society and counter-culture, pitching religion against secularism, whilst also looking … Read more
Let me, a member of the electorate, make it abundantly clear from the get-go that I dislike Boris Johnson. If you are a paid-up member of his fan club then please exit here. On the other hand, if you are minded to hear me out (for about five minutes), I will regale you with my … Read more
As a kid I remember being traumatised if I had to sit with my parents in the living room whilst any political programme was being aired on the telly. I vividly recall Sunday afternoons being hijacked by an epically long monologue presented by the late (and great) Brian Waldron. Remember that in those days of … Read more
May 2018: Islamabad, Pakistan – I was 267 miles away from Kabul. A 5-hour car journey. Twenty years ago the British Army, as part of an international coalition, were deployed to the war torn country. 456 British Forces personnel have since died. The alliance disintegrated after a decision was made by President Biden to withdraw … Read more
“They are all at it! They all lie!” A statement that I have heard many times and recoiled from on every occasion. Firstly, how do you know? Have you met them all? Secondly, I doubt for one moment that this observation is statistically provable. Finally, why the fuck would you want a criminal representing your … Read more
A strange malaise came across me before the opening game of the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship (hosted in 2021 because of the global pandemic) had even kicked off. I wasn’t at all interested in the tournament and especially in England. The place of my birth. This is seismic for me since the love of football … Read more
Waking up this morning was rather surreal if not totally unpredictable. Hartlepool led the headlines. Many of you may ask, not unreasonably, where is Hartlepool? According to Google, “Hartlepool is a port town in the Borough of Hartlepool, of which it is the administrative centre, in County Durham, England. The town is 17 miles southeast … Read more
The former Prime Minister David Cameron’s willingness to respond ‘positively’ to requests for evidence in the Greensill scandal reminds me of the famous Richard Nixon quote, “There can be no whitewash at the White House” in his first Watergate speech in 1973. Those of a certain age will know how that poorly scripted contrition ended. … Read more