The ultimate victor is ‘sportswashing’ 

The 2022 men’s Football World Cup has finally drawn to a close, after several weeks of inane and underwhelming sport, where the greatest moments of excitement and controversy came off the pitch.   Yes, Argentina won the tournament, but it would be difficult to crown any true champion other than the phenomenon of ‘sportswashing’. Spoken... Continue Reading →

Is Britain experiencing a (slow-moving) power grab?

Occasionally, the stars align into suspicions constellations. Several factors have united over the past couple of years, suggesting nothing alone, but unravelling a problematic trend when combined. The UK is witnessing a gradual yet inexorable swing further right, in rhetoric and crisis management, underlined by increasing government powers as the expense of civil liberties. Furthermore, influences... Continue Reading →

Revealed: South Australia is a place 

Sydney certainly exists. Most can confidently name Melbourne. A smug minority will inform you that, in fact, Canberra is the capital. But, from my experience, thus ends the familiarity with Australia for anyone living outside its borders. Before arriving, the vast island was a blank desert to my imagination, with Sydney and Melbourne posted somewhere... Continue Reading →

A Grand Farewell to Boris Johnson

At long last, the seemingly inevitable yet always impossibly elusive has finally occurred. Boris Johnson has tendered his resignation as Prime Minister. Sort of.   How long he hopes to cling on (and precisely why, at this stage) is a mystery known only to him, but his last departure is surely imminent. All that remains... Continue Reading →

Microsoft Office integrates ‘Woke’ features into its spell check

I recently discovered, entirely by accident, that the latest Microsoft Office update has added an ‘inclusivity’ check to its editor. The result is a new host of words receiving the dreaded underline, with alternatives suggested once you hover over them.  This includes words like ‘mankind’, ‘manpower’, ‘postman’, or ‘blackmail’. Apparently. Only the latter was actually... Continue Reading →

A voyage to Australia

The eagle-eyed of you might have spotted an extended and (slightly) uncharacteristic absence on this site. Well, exciting news for anyone interested: I’ve relocated to Australia. From the UK, that is. It’s probably important you knew where I started.  After partially re-opening their borders, Australia is beginning to welcome tourists back into the country, witnessing... Continue Reading →

Why can’t we have nice things?

Admittedly, that phrase might be successfully applied to a plethora of significant concerns. I’m sure we could discuss the intricacies of human psychology and community interactions, but that would be boring. And depressing. Instead, I’d like to talk about something fun: Wordle. If you haven’t encountered it yet, Wordle has a fairly simple premise. It’s... Continue Reading →

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