Travel
Postcard from Iceland
A fat lot of help the Sultan of Oman was. About as much use as a chocolate teapot in the Al Hararis Plain during the hottest hour of an Omani desert day. Creepy sleepy sniffy [more…]
Articles by Always Worth Saying
Arts
Always Worth Saying’s Question Time Review
Question Time 25th January 2024 The Panel: Alex Burghart (Conservative) Jonathan Ashworth (Labour) Bronwen Maddox (CEO of Chatham House) Sonia Sodha (Columnist and Author) Konstantin Kisin (Satirist and Podcaster) Venue: Gillingham Despite, or perhaps because [more…]
20th Century
Postcard From Oman
Bob? Remember when I told you despite all the tall tales of derring-do in exotic locations, I work in a supermarket and don’t actually have a passport? Tempted the fates. Something’s cropped up. The sort [more…]
Arts
Always Worth Saying’s Question Time Review
Question Time 18th January 2024 The Panel: Bim Afolami (Conservative) Emily Thornberry (Labour) Hashi Mohamed (Barrister and Author) Kate McCann (Political Journalist) Venue: Peterborough Emily Thornberry, not her real name, Lieutenant Colonel (temporary) The Right [more…]
20th Century
Monuments, Ley Lines And a White-Coated Jobsworth
Salisbury Plain The 1949 page of our old family photo album is confidently captioned ‘Bournemouth’ but neglects any images of the Hampshire Riviera resort. Not to worry. They say that getting there is half of [more…]
Arts
Always Worth Saying’s Question Time Review
Question Time 11th January 2024 The Panel: Andrea Leadsom (Conservative) Lisa Nandy (Labour) Anand Menon (Professor of Politics) Lord Stuart Rose (Chairman of ASDA) Venue: Oxford Lord Stuart Rose, not his real name, Stuart Alan [more…]
Democracy
Kenya at 60: Field notes from the neo-colony
Despite the veneer of progress, what does a historical critique of East Africa’s capitalist beacon reveal? The linked photograph shows the spectrum of nationalist politics at independence: (from left) Achieng Oneko, who introduced Kenyatta to [more…]
20th Century
The Dreaming Spires
The 1949 page of our old family photo album is confidently captioned ‘Bournemouth’ but neglects any images of the Hampshire Riviera resort. Not to worry. They say that getting there is half of the fun [more…]
Authoritarianism
Starmergeddon
What is Starmerism? Quite. Last weekend, Labour Party historian MP Jon Cruddas questioned the present Labour Party leader’s readiness for power, damning him as one who has few ties to the movement’s roots or ideology [more…]