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Category Archives: Comment
Reasons to be cheerful, blue zones and the importance of stopping eating before you’re full up.
A recent edition of the Reasons to be Cheerful podcast, features an interview with journalist Dan Beuttner who has collected and analysed the data on those communities across the world which have gathered some celebrity for the longevity of their … Continue reading
Posted in Comment
Tagged "Hunza Valley", "Loma Linda", "Reasons to be cheerful", Beuttner, bluezone, Caucuses, Nicoya
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Science and nonsense: diet, viruses and vaccines
I was recently told a story about a medical professional who, whilst explaining the benefits he was experiencing from a “low carb” diet, disclosed that it was his intention not to take the coronavirus vaccine; he was “…not going to … Continue reading
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
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
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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
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
How Many Political Parties do we Really Need?
“One of the few advantages of the First Past the Post [FPTP] electoral system is that it simplifies the choices set before the electorate by the rather brutal device of limiting the number of parties which have any meaningful chance of winning seats. A proportional system inevitably brings more marginal parties into contention for seats and so has the opposite tendency. ” Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Electoral Reform
Tagged "Political Parties", electoral reform, FPTP, PR
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Donald Trump First, Donald Trump First, Donald Trump First
Recent events in Charlottesville have shone a light on the attitude to race of President Trump and his now departed political strategist, Steven Bannon. For a moment Trump seemed to be making his position clear: “When we open our … Continue reading
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Carruchan 
Afghanistan. I’d like to support Joe Biden, but it’s hard to argue with Rory Stewart.
At just under 30 minutes, this interview of Rory Stewart by the New Statesman’s George Eaton is well worth a listen. I don’t think you’ll find a more informed commentary on the current situation in Afghanistan. https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2021/08/rory-stewart-interview-why-afghanistan-marks-end-liberal-interventionism