As you probably know if you are a regular, I live off the Mill Road, Cambridge’s ethnic strip. I do so not out of solidarity with the city’s immigrant population nor as some kind of fashion statement. I would much rather be in one of the areas where the rich white people live, but I […]
Read MoreFrom “The Tragedy of David Blunkett” in today’s Economist: “the British have lost their primness about sex, but they still hate a queue-jumper” Whatever you think of his policies, you have to feel something for the poor man. If you were choosing how your career was to end would you prefer it being: supported to […]
Read MoreWhen the subject of British public attitudes to genetically modified organisms comes up at Genome Campus breaktime conversations I tend to make two standard contributions. I rail against the “Frankenfood” hysteria of the UK tabloid press (not to mention the bloody Archers) that has all but prevented a rational debate on the subject. I advance […]
Read MoreOn page 3 of the Cambridge Town Crier there is a half-page advertisement with the following heading: THE PERSE SCHOOL A sixth form school with a notable academic record and a wide range of extra-curricular activities On page 5 of the Cambridge Town Crier a news report begins: “A female teacher at the Perse School, […]
Read MoreThey certainly weren’t irresistible today, but Arsenal, at their best, still astonished. There were times when they made Man Utd look like an infants school team in midfield; shame they couldn’t finish anything. The simple truth is you can’t afford to make a mistake like Sol Campbell did at Old Trafford. Man U’s talent and […]
Read MoreMy dad spotted this one and I didn’t. Mind you, I haven’t been into town in daylight for two weeks.
Read MoreOn my doorstep this week, I picked up a pile of Labour leaflets that I will be delivering around my patch [thanks, Allan!] and I also picked up a copy of the Liberal Democrat’s “local” “newspaper”, Cambridge Herald. [I make no apology for the ‘Blogtastic scare quotes.] This publication’s factual news reports by members of […]
Read MoreHow I'm going to miss them. The “Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq” and their completely misleading Cambridge University crest are to morph into “Cambridge Solidarity with Iraq”. It's about fifteen years too late for most of the dead, guys. You're in good company: that was Rumsfeld's problem too. Never mind, nice to have you along […]
Read MoreAn American correspondent wrote to me yesterday to say nice things about PooterGeek. In his email he confessed to being puzzled about certain aspects of British culture as presented on these pages. For example, he couldn’t get his head round the idea that people in this country would be embarrassed to go out and buy […]
Read MoreI only discovered the satire site Social Scrutiny earlier this week. Here’s a good one from a “report” on Tuesday about the doomed Beagle 2 space probe: “Beagle 2 – too ‘irredeemably British to succeed’, according to report. ESA Departmental Head, Dirk Porn pointed to what he called “The Henman Effect” to explain the Mission’s […]
Read MoreWhile I’m on the subject of The English Way of doing things, here’s a reflection upon former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain’s retirement. A photo of him playing is captioned “Nasser Hussain: changed England’s culture of defeatism” We wish.
Read MoreIt goes a bit like this: Americans are fat people with hunting rifles in enormous cars. They are led by a rich idiot cowboy who would rather drive his gas-guzzling cavalcade over the supine bodies of his country’s underclass than sign binding agreements with other peace-loving nations. They make vulgar films, which they force upon […]
Read MoreThe numbing predictability of it. Unfortunately I can't link to this, but the main political cartoon in today's Guardian has Bush with a missile-shaped "inhumane dog controller" in his hands and Blair as a lap-dog looking up at him with a missile-shaped bone in his mouth. Sharon is a fat hound wallowing in blood behind […]
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