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Author Archives: Stephen Shellard
Roncadora
I arrived at the Coach and Horses last Thursday with no intention to write anything about the evening which was to come. But I went home with a different idea entirely for the event celebrated not just poetry but … Continue reading
Tower of Song
This essay on song writing is also available as a video podcast on YouTube or can be listened to as an audio podcast or download an MP3 file. I have no plans to podcast regularly, though I do have one … Continue reading
Posted in Misc
Tagged bob-dylan, folk-music, indie-folk, Joni Mitchell, leonard-cohen, music, Poetry, singer-songwriter, songwriting, writing
1 Comment
The Curse of Small Political Parties
How Fringe Factions Fuel Dysfunction in Israel and Beyond [1,097 words, 6 minutes read time] When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th 2023, they massacred 1,195 people, 736 Israeli civilians (including 38 children), 79 foreign nationals, and 379 members of … Continue reading
Posted in Brexit, Comment, Electoral Reform
Tagged "Labour Party", Corbyn, elections, Gaza, israel, news, Politics, uk-politics, war-crimes
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Finding a Way Through
Basic Income, Artificial Intelligence and Reimagining Immigration Universal Basic Income (UBI) – that is to say provision of a living allowance for all citizens regardless of their employment status – is an idea that has interested me for many years. … Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Economics
Tagged ai, ArtificialIntelligence / AI, Automation / JobDisplacement, ClimateMigration, EconomicReform, Economics, FutureOfWork, GlobalChallenges, ImmigrationPolicy, news, PolicyWonk, PoliticalEconomy, Politics, ProgressiveEconomics, SocialSafetyNet, TechEthics, TechFuturism, technology, UniversalBasicIncome / UBI
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The Reporter
A lament for a small town newspaper Not long after publishing my memoir, Remembered Fragments, I thought it might be an idea to contact the Newry Reporter in order to draw this momentous event to their attention. After all, at … Continue reading
Posted in Comment
Tagged Community News, Digital Media, journalism, Journalism ethics, Local Journalism, media, Media Consolidation, Memoir, Newry, news, Newspapers, Northern Ireland, Nostalgia, writing
2 Comments
Publishing’s Age of Change
Kirkcudbright Book Week, Selkirk Arms 9th March 2025 Is it truly impossible for aspiring writers to break into the publishing industry? At this, the penultimate event in Kirkcudbright Book Week 2025, the panel of experts seemed to think so. The … Continue reading
Did I Say That?…Next Question!
Arguments for Defence and Foreign Aid Spending in a Volatile World. [2130 words] I’ve spent a good part of my life arguing in favour of defusing conflict by means of unilateral disarmament and negotiation. I now find myself in the … Continue reading
Indebted
Why and How the UK Can and Should Invest Now in Grid-Upgrade and Solar Power The national debt is a perpetual and festering sore in any discussion of our economy. The more we borrow, the heavier the millstone we pass … Continue reading
On Street Fighters, Gladiators and Philosophers
When I first heard news of the spat on Elon Musk’s X between US Vice President JD Vance and former Tory politician, Rory Stewart it brought to mind the Sunday school classes I reluctantly attended over sixty years ago. JD Vance, … Continue reading
Posted in Comment
Tagged AmericaFirst, bible, Charity, christianity, ethics, faith, JD Vance, jesus, Nationalism, Politics, Populism, Religion, Rory Stewart
2 Comments
Carruchan 
Beatle Blethers
I really enjoyed the first episode of the Beatle Blethers podcast with Alan McClure and Gerry Hassan. It was a lively conversation, yet Alan and Gerry managed to avoid that excess of bonhomie, weak jokes, and loud laughter which can … Continue reading →