When I first visited Northern Ireland, about summer 1990, there were army checkpoints and patrols everywhere and if you looked at a soldier (which as a curious visitor you were inclined to do) he’d point his big gun directly at you. Representing the Student Liberal Democrats I was the only politician on a Continue reading →

For too long I have suffered the inadequacies of a razor with just three blades, but no longer. The Gillette Fusion Power has five blades plus one. The first shaves me close, the second closer, the third closer still, the fourth yet closer and the fifth… well you get the idea. So many Continue reading →

‘Those who like this sort of thing, will find that this is the sort of thing they like,’ Abe Lincoln, I think. 42nd Street offers very little story; it’s just an excuse for a series of set pieces. And while many people are very happy with that, it can get a little repetitive. Continue reading →

I remember meeting this guy before… it’s… it’s only Antony Gormley! Now where were we…? I remember now… we were on Crosby Beech of all places. I’ve always felt a little mistrustful of Antony Gormley, in that all these self-portraits smack of a little egotism. But it’s hard not to be drawn to Continue reading →

Cameron’s visit to Rwanda is clearly a stunt, but that’s not a bad thing in itself. There’s nothing wrong with bringing attention to an issue with a well planned spectacle… and Tory MPs reverting to their Boy Scout days to build a few toilets is quite a spectacle. The real test is not Continue reading →