David Hockney at Tate Britain: blistering in scale, depth and presentation
- 20 Feb 2017
Ever vibrant and joyful, Hockney deploys ranges of colour in a way that never bores or wearies. Pretty much the whole range of David Hockney’s work over the last sixty years is currently on display at Tate Britain. This is the third exhibition of Hockney’s work in recent y...
On marriage Justin Welby is going to have to pick a side and go for it
- 16 Feb 2017
The Archbishop’s defeat marks a historic turning point in the future of the Church of England. The defeat for Justin Welby in the General Synod is a very personal one. An Archbishop, who puts leadership at the heart of his ministry, faced an apparently stunning rejection of...
The Church of England needs a second Elizabethan Settlement
- 13 Feb 2017
Parliament needs to reform the nation’s church. The Church of England’s General Synod meets this week in London. It is the Church’s Parliament. Its meetings are generally ignored, receiving coverage only when controversial or divisive issues are debated. General Synod has t...
The easy bit of Brexit is over – now comes the hard part
- 10 Feb 2017
For all the huffing and puffing the fact is the UK has yet to formally talk to anyone but itself about Brexit. For three days in early February 2017 the House of Commons debated and voted on an historic issue – should the Prime Minister be given the authority to give the Eu...
The key to navigating Trump’s new world: only connect
- 6 Feb 2017
Staying connected is the key to success for you, me, Donald Trump and Theresa May This week my email stopped working. Technically the term is “went down”, a term which gives a pleasing, if spurious, sense of a physical event having occurred. I gazed into the screen, everyth...
Trump has the opportunity to do something historic. Will he squander his chance?
- 23 Jan 2017
For a winner Trump seems gripped by a raging sense of insecurity. On the face of it Donald Trump’s pre-occupation with the size of the crowd at his Inauguration is perplexing. Who cares? Really it seems such a piffling point. There were many people there in Washington on th...
Theresa May lays out her vision for Brexit
- 17 Jan 2017
For the first time in a long time we have a Prime Minister with a clear sense of purpose. The Prime Minister has set out clearly her guiding principles and for Brexit. She told us much we already knew, and confirmed other things that had been reasonable assumptions if you h...
May has the strength of character to make a success of 2017
- 5 Jan 2017
For those who think politics does not matter last year provided a rebuke. Politics matters. Politicians matter. How we chose them and who we chose to elect matters. The year ahead will be one of great year of change and the outcome will rest on political leadership. Do our l...
British persistence: One hundred years ago, one hundred years on
- 23 Dec 2016
One hundred years ago Britain was preparing to celebrate the third Christmas of the First World War. 1916 had been a difficult year. The great battles of the Somme and Jutland had been fought. Neither had been lost, but neither quite won either. Overall victory was not yet in ...
An oath of allegiance to British values is an absolute stinker of an idea
- 19 Dec 2016
Christmas is nearly here and everyone is tired and distracted. The last year and a half has been a tumultuous one for British and international politics, and in the UK MPs, Peers, Ministers and their officials are all looking forward to a break. Many are still trying to come t...