As perverse as it sounds, Vladimir Putin gave a pretty good speech on Friday in proclaiming the illegal seizure of four provinces of Ukraine where his military campaign is falling apart faster than a rusty Kalashnikov. I don’t mean it was good in the sense of being eloquent, morally uplifting or intellectually stimulating. It was … Continue reading ‘Make Russia great again’: Why Putin’s annexation speech hit its mark
Category: politics
Vladimir Putin and the fiction of war
Theatre Europe (screenshot from C64 Wiki) When I was growing up there was a computer game called Theatre Europe. It allowed you to play out, from the comfort of your Commodore 64 or ZX Spectrum, a 30-day campaign between Nato and the Warsaw Pact countries, and it had three possible outcomes: either one of the … Continue reading Vladimir Putin and the fiction of war
The Weinstein spectrum
Since the protective cocoon around Harvey Weinstein started to crumble a few weeks ago I've been following the #metoo hashtag on Twitter with mixed emotions. Specifically a blend of horror, shock, disgust, bewilderment, helplessness and dismay. Some people have berated men for our deafening collective silence on the issue, but I'd argue that this is … Continue reading The Weinstein spectrum
After 2016, whither democracy?
At the end of a year dominated by the politics of fear and division, a few bold individuals resolved to speak up for the values of solidarity and compassion. Here are the words of one of them: “Even with the inspiration of others, it’s understandable that we sometimes think the world’s problems are so big … Continue reading After 2016, whither democracy?