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Author Archives: Stephen Shellard
This is not Idlib
Is this unprecedented? Maybe; But this is not the Somme, It is not Paschendale. This is not Idlib. We are in lockdown, we feel threatened by an unseen enemy; But this is not Auschwitz, This is not Sobibór. This is … Continue reading
Micawberism and the Post Covid-19 Economy
There is rising concern for the fate of our economy in the wake of the current crisis. The 6 o’clock news on BBC Radio 4, opened with some alarming headlines warning of the “unprecedented” recession which is awaiting us once … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, In the time of coronavirus
Tagged "Mr Micawber", "New Deal", "The Great Depression"
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Uncharted
From a clear blue sky The mist came down, Unheralded by the sirens That play loud in our ear. We turn to peer at our companions, confounded. And now, uncertainly, We take our first steps into this new reality, Destination … Continue reading
Posted in In the time of coronavirus, verse
2 Comments
Into the Mystic with Donald Trump?
Why should we listen to Rory Stewart? Well, there is plenty of evidence that he a person of capability, but really it is a matter of judging for yourself, and contrasting his proposals with the variety of others that we can see in play, from, on the one hand, the uncompromising centralised management of the Chinese to, at another extreme, the mystic workings of Donald Trump Continue reading
Posted in Comment, In the time of coronavirus
Tagged "Boris Johnson", "Donald Trump", "Rory Stewart", COVID-19, pandemic
1 Comment
Known Unknowns, Unknown Unknowns and the Importance of Social Distancing
The UK Government has come under some critical scrutiny in the face of a response to the advance of coronavirus that has differed significantly from the consensus emerging from policy being implemented across many countries. Robert Peston, writing on the … Continue reading
The consensus amongst poets….”We’re stuffed!”
“we’re stuffed: I can’t really see a way out of this, there are too many interested parties who have no appetite or incentive for taking their foot of the gas.” — Simon Armitage Continue reading
Posted in Environmental
Tagged "Extinction Rebellion, "Kate Andrews", "Simon Armitage", "Simon Stevens", climate, Monbiot, Poetry, Theatre, Thunberg
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The conversations that just can’t get started
“This story is fundamental to McCann’s thesis that it is the lack of such face to face encounters which is holding change back in Northern Ireland. He engagingly explores the reasons why such conversations are difficult and how they may actually take place” Continue reading
Posted in Podcasts etc.
Tagged "Equal Marriage", abortion, DUP, LGBT, sectarianism, Ulster
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Correlation and Common Sense
” To establish that someone was in the room at the time of the murder does not, it must be admitted, prove that they committed the crime; but it certainly makes them a suspect.” Continue reading
Carruchan 
If the fool would persist in his folly …
“If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.” This aphorism from William Blake, amongst other things, supports the notion that to be playful, without the fear of error, is an important condition for learning. Innocence and … Continue reading →