As the tabloids scream with excitement, “Our boys launch submarine missile attack on Gaddafi”, an important question has to asked. Where is this latest spark of genius going? We could do what we did in Iraq the first time around in the early nineties. Make a lot of noise with tanks and planes then leave… Continue reading “Our boys in action!” Woop Woop!
Category: Europe
Hinault and Lemond
I was looking around online earlier and came across this great picture of Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond settling their differences at the top of Alpe d’Huez during the 1986 Tour de France. It’s a defining moment in Tour history, a truly inspiring image and a tribute to the sportsmanship of both riders. The two… Continue reading Hinault and Lemond
British jobs for British workers? I don’t think so.
The expression ‘British jobs for British workers’ is quite simply laughable. The biggest hole in the current argument involving contractors at the Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire is that they are not British jobs at all, in fact they are French. French jobs that have been won, fair and square, by an Italian contractor… Continue reading British jobs for British workers? I don’t think so.
Rioting in the streets is good, no?
I’m referring to the state of chaos and confusion that is the country of Greece this week, two before Christmas. It seems that the ignition for this spate of rioting was the shooting of a fifteen year old boy by Police, but I think that the real momentum is probably rooted in more wide ranging… Continue reading Rioting in the streets is good, no?
Berlin, we have a lot to learn
I’ve always had a particular interest in post war communism, and as a child I couldn’t get enough news footage from Red Square, the Politburo and the Berlin Wall. The Soviet Union seemed to have something that I found fascinating, not communism because that was too obvious and oppressive. It was probably the fact that… Continue reading Berlin, we have a lot to learn
The Tour De France in London
I have a new job in the West End, which means I’m great, but also means no more walking through Whitechappel on the way to work. Not that Oxford Circus is anything to rave about but it beats running the gauntlet of Brick Lane at 8.30 every morning. I don’t know why everyone goes on… Continue reading The Tour De France in London
Obergurgl, a week in Austria
I’ve always said that Austria is one of my favourite countries in the world, I love the place. My mum says it’s all a bit toy town, but I’m not buying it. Just because it’s clean, safe and unervingly honest doesn’t necessarily make it a bad place to live. These maybe uncool qualities in modern… Continue reading Obergurgl, a week in Austria
Me and Mand in Ibiza
Driving past billboard adverts for Pacha and Space was as close as we got to clubbing in Ibiza last week. Not that it’s beneath us or anything like that, far from it, the fact is that we wouldn’t have been up to it even if we wanted too. The Island of Ibiza is world famous… Continue reading Me and Mand in Ibiza
Did you get a deal?
Quite often, when I tell someone that I’ve brought something or that I’ve booked a holiday the first question that comes back is, “Did you get a deal?”. Getting a good deal now seems to take precedence over choice, quality and availability of any purchase, whether it be a house or a weekend in Vienna… Continue reading Did you get a deal?
If This Is a Man The Truce, Primo Levi
I came to this book with ‘Arbeit macht frei’ ringing in my ears from a recent TV documentary, as it happens within a few pages the ironwork sign that is ‘Work makes freedom’ rears its ugly head with a morbid predictability. The unknown is probably the most terrifying aspect of this book, the idea of… Continue reading If This Is a Man The Truce, Primo Levi