Voters reward Boris but what about the fog of Brexit Newspeak?
by Rashmee
Posted on May 14, 2021
/ LANGUAGE The May 6 elections in England showed something interesting. People want to be team-players. In a pandemic, they want to support their government, particularly when it has tried to do what it can to keep them safe. Accordingly, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party gained approbation — and votes — because its government overcame its … Continue reading “Voters reward Boris but what about the fog of Brexit Newspeak?”
Read MoreThrough the film lens: For three days, south London became Berlin
by Rashmee
Posted on May 2, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND For three whole days this past week, our local swimming pool – a handsome, 50-metre, outdoor affair – has been playing a starring role in a movie. I exaggerate. I don’t know if it’s a starring role. That a film crew came down and co-opted the pool and the surrounding … Continue reading “Through the film lens: For three days, south London became Berlin”
Read More#CHfuturescapelondon is fantastic – as a video game – not as a brave new world
by Rashmee
Posted on April 18, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND I’ve often thought that Aldous Huxley would’ve been a good city planner. A robust imagination is an asset to anyone, but especially to city planners. Huxley’s early 1930s novel ‘Brave New World’ shows us the London of the future in AF (After Ford) 632 or 2540 AD according to the … Continue reading “#CHfuturescapelondon is fantastic – as a video game – not as a brave new world”
Read MoreLobbying and cronyism in Britain: fat cats and other felines
by Rashmee
Posted on April 16, 2021
/ LANGUAGE Britain’s so-called lobbying and cronyism row is anything but. It’s about fat cats, lean mean hunters, entitled purebreds, scruffy strays, trainable tabbies, rebellious rescues – in other words, all sorts of felines padding through the corridors of power. Lobbying and cronyism is a feature, not a bug of British politics. The language being … Continue reading “Lobbying and cronyism in Britain: fat cats and other felines”
Read More‘A rude old man from a bygone age?’
by Rashmee
Posted on April 11, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND I have a niece who is a Duke of Edinburgh scheme awardee. When Prince Philip died, barely two months before his 100th birthday, I asked her how she felt. “Sad,” she said, “I always liked him, he was funny.” Now my niece was, by no means close to Prince Philip. … Continue reading “‘A rude old man from a bygone age?’”
Read MoreA glorious week for Britain? Depends on who you ask
by Rashmee
Posted on March 29, 2021
/ BLIMEY BLIGHTY This week, parts of Britain could be hotter than Saint Tropez or Ibiza. The southeast of England could be sweating in temperatures as high as 24 degrees centigrade. And lockdown rules are easing. In Wales, “stay local” measures have been lifted. In England, outdoor sports facilities open today (Monday, March 29), with … Continue reading “A glorious week for Britain? Depends on who you ask”
Read MoreBritain as a force for uber good?
by Rashmee
Posted on March 22, 2021
/ BLIMEY BLIGHTY I seem to remember Tony Blair popularising the use of the phrase “Britain as a force for good”. As prime minister, Mr Blair repeated it so often, the phrase became almost meaningless, just the usual twaddle of politicians and other snake oil salesmen. It was hard to believe at the time, anyway. … Continue reading “Britain as a force for uber good?”
Read MoreImmersive theatre Vs the real thing
by Rashmee
Posted on March 20, 2021
/FAITH, HOPE… An interesting experiment comes to an end today (March 20). The Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) ‘Dream’, live immersive theatre on television screens in your living room, wraps up its high-tech stuff. So the virtual curtain comes down on a week of performances in which gaming technology and VR was used to allow audiences … Continue reading “Immersive theatre Vs the real thing”
Read MoreGreenwich Park and the city on the hill
by Rashmee
Posted on March 14, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND At least once a week we amble through Greenwich Park, a couple of hundred acres of green space with a history that reaches back through the arches of the years. Hundreds of years. Once upon a time, this space, owned by the Abbey of St Peter at Ghent in Belgium, … Continue reading “Greenwich Park and the city on the hill”
Read MoreLike any business, the Royal Family must supply the goods that keep it profitable
by Rashmee
Posted on March 11, 2021
/IT’S THE BUSINESS The truest analysis of the Harry and Meghan interview with Oprah has to be in business terms. Meghan called the British Royal Family “the Firm”. And it is. It is an institution that sells the idea of itself to remain rich and relevant. Mark Landler put it exceedingly well in The New … Continue reading “Like any business, the Royal Family must supply the goods that keep it profitable”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK