There was a time when the mere mention of the name Germaine Greer - pioneering feminist author of 'The Female Eunuch' - made grown men (and only grown men) adopt the Direct-free-kick-defensive-wall position favoured by all modern footballers. I had no such reaction when, the other day, I turned on my car radio and was sucked…
Telling it like it is (?)
Alan Coren, the late editor of Punch, once wrote that, while touring Europe he climbed to the top of a hill to get a panoramic view of Luxembourg - only to find there was a tree in the way. The first time I flew into Luxembourg airport a few years ago, was also the first…
Hungary for knowledge
1984 (the 326 page book, rather than the 366 day year of the same name) describes how a totalitarian regime could keep a lid on knowledge through a Ministry of Truth, Newspeak's Doublethink, and the dreaded Thought Police. Democratically elected governments have, traditionally, had more trouble in keeping a handle, let alone a lid, on…
Tax Break 