“We know and we have seen that conferences are events which bring together important people who are unable to act on their own, but who together are always able to resolve that in fact nothing can be done… Why is [Europe] unable to forecast and prevent one crisis after another?… Today the European spirit andContinueContinue reading “Presi in Paris”
Tag Archives: Futurology
All Washed Up
Andrew Parker, the head of MI5, told BBC Radio 4 listeners today that the service could do with new surveillance powers to tackle the terrorist threat. That’s hardly surprising, according to the cynical view that you never let a good crisis go to waste. If necessary, you create one. We face a toxic combination. OnContinueContinue reading “All Washed Up”
Live and Let Live?
Welcome publicity was received this week from the National Secular Society, the result of a survey of the views of minor parties on secularism and religion. The NSS focused-in on our policy of phasing-out religious involvement in publicly-funded education. Ironic, given King Alfred’s victory for Christianity over paganism? Well, that was the accusation in oneContinueContinue reading “Live and Let Live?”
The Great Burh
“Paris… A city that must have been magnificent in the Twentieth century, Dimitri thought. He had few memories of it. He was only ten in 2016, when his family had fled the city plagued by anarchy and hunger to return to Russia. Most of the monuments had been burnt and destroyed, and its museums andContinueContinue reading “The Great Burh”
The Management of Savagery
“You know of course that no-one can make known any skill, nor direct and guide any authority, without tools and resources; a man cannot work on any enterprise without resources. In the case of the king, the resources and tools with which to rule are that he have his land fully manned: he must haveContinueContinue reading “The Management of Savagery”
I See No Ships
Horatio Nelson is often misquoted as saying these words; relying on the London media might leave you equally in the dark about the ways in which the governance of Wessex is changing. On Friday, the Coalition announced yet more devolution to Wales. An extensive package in fact, even though, as Plaid Cymru have noted, itContinueContinue reading “I See No Ships”
Jeux Sans Frontières
Events in Paris this week have exposed Europe’s anxieties to the full. Let’s consider some of the possible reactions. On the far Right, and among the not-for-prophet movement generally, this is I-told-you-so time. Even those who disagree with the politics must find recent analysis strikingly prescient. And at least it’s an opportunity to highlight someContinueContinue reading “Jeux Sans Frontières”
The Spirit of ‘15
Last year’s commemorations of the First World War were a good excuse to re-open old wounds and close our eyes to modern Europe. Now consider that 2015 marks the 200th anniversary of Waterloo and the 600th anniversary of Agincourt. In 2014 the French were our glorious allies against the Hun. This year, it will beContinueContinue reading “The Spirit of ‘15”
A Taste of Wessex
Political fiction has a long and influential pedigree, from More’s Utopia to Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. One of our aims is fun: to make politics relevant and enjoyable. So here’s a brief glimpse into one possible Wessex of the future. A very Happy Scottish Referendum Day tomorrow to all our readers: may all be inspired byContinueContinue reading “A Taste of Wessex”
Not Gingerbread Houses
What have we been saying? That the range of demands increasingly being placed on our countryside could soon exceed the supply of rural land. Now it’s been confirmed. Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership has published a report – The Best Use of UK Agricultural Land – quantifying the UK-wide shortfall at up to 6ContinueContinue reading “Not Gingerbread Houses”
Wessex Regionalists 