The people have spoken by Angela Caldin
It is accepted wisdom that on 23 June 2016, the people of the UK ‘spoke’ in the referendum on whether to leave the EU or to remain. The verdict was in and there was nothing to do but abide by it. However, it’s now becoming increasingly clear that the people probably didn’t know what they were talking about. Clear cut issues 72% of those eligible spoke, which means that 28% didn’t speak which amounts to quite a lot of people – 10 million or so by my calculation. The margin of difference in… Read More
Alt truth by Susan Grimsdell
Reading the news lately, you’d think ‘alt truth’ is a Trumpish invention. Of course it isn’t – lies and damned lies have been around since the beginning of time. The trouble with lies is that they quickly take on a life of their own and become truth. Jonathan Swift (born 1667), understood this power. He said, ‘If a lie is believed for only half an hour it hath done its work’. Housing falsehoods Once a lie is out there, a whole web is spun around it, until the original lie is buried… Read More
Prince Harry and a modern monarchy by Angela Caldin
Prince Harry has been in the news recently, giving a lengthy interview to Newsweek in which he talks about what it’s like for him being a member of the royal family. There’s no doubt that he’s achieved a great deal in his young life: serving in the army in Afghanistan; founding the charity Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help vulnerable children in the country which has the second highest HIV rate in the world; being patron of the anti-mines charity the HALO Trust which pursues his mother’s goal of ridding… Read More
My vote, my voice by Angela Caldin
The right to vote, which all adults over 18 in the UK have (apart from prisoners and the mentally incapacitated), embodies the true meaning of equality. The right to vote is not restricted by race, sex, belief, wealth, or social status. This means that your vote and my vote and his vote and her vote all have the same power. It means that even though one vote is one small voice, it still has the power to be heard and all those small voices can come together and make one huge voice. If… Read More
