20th Century
The Death Railway
Most Puffins will have watched David Lean’s 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai which is based on a novel published five years previously by French author Pierre Boulle. Whilst both book and film [more…]
Blog
20th Century
In The Steps of The First Army
“Seven years ago today — on November 8, 1942 — Anglo-American forces landed on the coast of French North Africa between Casablanca and Algiers. It was the beginning of a campaign which could have been [more…]
Authoritarianism
A View From The Greenhouse; Fear & Loathing In Dumfries & Galloway, Hate Crimes….Innit?
It was great to meet up with old friends and meet some new ones at the “Northern” get together. The more intrepid amongst the august gathering braved a short, if wet, walk down (and back [more…]
21st Century
Kenya’s ‘Hustler Man’ Vs. Burkina Faso’s ‘Upright Man’
The differences in the performance of the “Hustler Man” in Kenya and the “Upright Man” in Burkina Faso is a function of genuine belief in transformational leadership, on the one hand, and mere self-serving populist [more…]
20th Century
Of Poetics and Politics
How do you like your Poetry? Richly allusive, with detectable rhythm, a certain musicality about it? Or do you prefer a stripped-down, unembellished terseness-to-the-point-of-inarticulacy, a Tacitean, telegraphic brevity? Whichever, preference is yours, would you consider [more…]
Elections
Polling Predictions #7
Hello puffins one and all. Today is Resurrection Day but not for the hindu dwarf. His prospects are looking as dim as ever. Try as he may, nothing improves his chances. Little wonder, the man [more…]
Animals
Larry’s Diary – Week Two Hundred And Twenty-Eight
Monday Good morning friends from your favourite cat reporter. I’m all set for a week of the scuttlebutt from the corridors of Number 10. I nearly wrote ‘corridors of power’ but thought better of it. [more…]
Arts
Postcard From Peter Hitchens
I, or rather the staff of Question Time Review Headquarters, owe Mr Peter Hitchens an apology or at the least, an explanation. The problem is my letter box. A fiddly affair, it’s not on the [more…]
Hobbies
Going Postal’s Monster Easter Quiz
What do you or your family know about Easter, and how it’s been celebrated over the years? 120 Easter questions, with the answers at the end. Doing the whole quiz in one go might be [more…]