Following Thomas

See larger image Mormons [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD) New From: £10.31 In Stock Used from: £10.61 In Stock Release date July 17, 2007. Last Saturday, PBS ran a documentary about the Mormons. Lasting in excess of 270 minutes, it detailed the history of the faith and its long struggle to fit in [...]

Review: “The Iron Lady” starring Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent

See larger image The Iron Lady – Double Play (Blu-ray + DVD) (Blu-ray) Director: Phyllida Lloyd Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman, Alexandra Roach, Anthony Head Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over List Price: £24.99 GBP New From: £14.65 In Stock Used from: £12.99 In Stock Release date April 30, 2012. Generally speaking, [...]

Profiles in Timidity and Courage

The Queen’s Speech was long on pomp, short on circumstance. I’ve listened to a fair few of them since I arrived in Britain over 20 years ago, but I don’t recall one quite like this. The Queen is a consummate professional, and she usually reads out these speeches without any trace of emotion. Her words [...]

The End of the Conservative Party

Outrage, but no surprise. Jeremy Hunt’s close relationship with Rupert Murdoch’s empire is the subject of widespread disgust, nevertheless, genuine shock is rare. I was once told that each political party specialised in a particular type of scandal: the Conservatives’ corruption usually involved sex, e.g. David Mellor’s spanking activities while wearing Chelsea Football Club gear, [...]

A Modest Proposal

I remember 1997. I know what it was like to live under the last Conservative government. I recall when “Tory” and “sleaze” were synonymous. I recollect with disgust the antics of Neil and Christine Hamilton, Graham Riddick and David Tredinnick and “Cash for Questions”. I also remember Jonathan Aitken and Jeffrey Archer perjuring themselves and [...]

The Flotsam of War

Every so often, I use an iPad app to listen to American talk radio: I believe it’s a good way to find out what people on the other side of the Atlantic are thinking. This past week, I wanted an explanation for why Rick Santorum was doing so well in places like Alabama and Mississippi, [...]

The Passé Relationship?

After living in Britain for over 18 years, my mother and father retired to New York. On occasion, they go to the theatre: over the weekend, they saw a performance of “Look Back in Anger”, John Osborne’s seminal work, in a Manhattan playhouse. My initial thought was that this was unlikely to be a successful [...]

Review: “The Ides of March” starring Ryan Gosling and George Clooney

See larger image The Ides of March [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Director: George Clooney Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over List Price: £24.99 GBP New From: £12.99 In Stock Used from: £7.99 In Stock Release date March 5, 2012. In my experience, every [...]

At Home with President Obama

The media generated fanfare surrounding Super Tuesday is over. The candidates, no doubt, have retreated to their hotel bedrooms, have taken off sweat stained shirts, hung up media friendly ties, washed off pancake makeup and now lay in bed, asleep. This may be the one time that they are disconnected from the demands of ambition. [...]

Review: “Clinton”, Directed by Barak Goodman

See larger image Clinton [DVD] [UK Version] (DVD) Director: Barak Goodman Rating: Exempt List Price: £22.99 GBP New From: £22.99 In Stock Release date February 20, 2012. In December 2010, former President Bill Clinton and current President Barack Obama held a joint press conference at the White House. The topic was a proposed framework agreement [...]

Me And My Blog

Picture of meI'm a Doctor of Creative Writing, a son, a brother, a boyfriend, a published novelist, a technology enthusiast, and still an amateur in much else.