Norman Geras’s piece on the rights and wrongs of Israel’s military action in Lebanon and elsewhere is hard to fault, while his conclusion that much criticism of Israel reveals pre-existing hostility towards that nation and its people, demands exploration. Norm even provides a useful checklist by which we can tell if a critic Continue reading
I’ve always wondered where larger ladies with a fondness for Chav pink got their clothes and sort of suspected it was somewhere like Ethel Austin (which, up until its recent makeover, I always thought was a charity shop). The supermarkets entering the clothes market has been a good thing. They’ve driven prices right Continue reading
My old school only forced the occasional religious assembly upon us, but when they did it was done big style. It was said that the old woodwork teacher, Lionel Thomas, who shouted a lot while tolerating vicious bullying, was well into the laying on of hands. When pupils (sat quietly at the back) Continue reading
The trailer for Charlie Brooker’s Screen Wipe makes it look just another cynical TV review show padding out the digital schedules. And maybe it is. But I love it. What made last night’s Charlie Brooker’s Screen Wipe so good to a nerd like me was the homage to Mike Leigh’s Naked. Mike Leigh Continue reading
Having been kicked out of the house by the plumbers (new boiler), it was disappointing to find Diamond Dogs still sweeping outside. I thought 9.15 was late breakfast. It’s all variations on a theme, but checking out alternatives — Australian, builders, big, small — was hard work. Anyway. The Chorlton Eatery is next Continue reading
