07 July 2016 Friends and Enemies Unlikely détentes around the world. by Neil Tidmarsh As Britain and the rest of Europe are busy redefining their political and economic relationship, it’s interesting to note that other countries around the world are also forging new ties and restoring old ones. Some of them are surprising, to say… Continue reading Issue 61: 2016 07 07: Friends and Enemies (Neil Tidmarsh)
Tag: Neil Tidmarsh
Issue 59:2016 06 23: A sportsman’s sketches (Neil Tidmarsh)
23 June 2016 A Sportsman’s Sketches With apologies to Ivan Turgenev. by Neil Tidmarsh It’s been a bad week for Russian sport. The Russian soccer team are out of the Euro 2016 championships. Beaten by giants, perhaps? By Germany, or Spain, or Italy? No. By Wales. And Slovakia. In the first round. At least it… Continue reading Issue 59:2016 06 23: A sportsman’s sketches (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 58:2016 06 16:Wachet Auf!(Neil Tidmarsh)
16 June 2016 Wachet Auf! International co-operation is the dream; supra-national coercion is the nightmare. by Neil Tidmarsh I lived and worked in Spain for a year in the early 1980’s. It was an exciting moment. Franco had died only a few years before, and Spain was anxious to make up for lost time after… Continue reading Issue 58:2016 06 16:Wachet Auf!(Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue58: 2016 0616: Who Are You? (Neil Tidmarsh)
16 June 2016 Who Are You? Imposters and mistaken identities. by Neil Tidmarsh Last week, a policeman in Israel offered shelter to a fleeing civilian after a terrorist attack on a market in Tel Aviv. He let the man into his home and then hurried to the scene of the atrocity. Four Israelis had been… Continue reading Issue58: 2016 0616: Who Are You? (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 57:2016 06 09: Germany v Turkey (Neil Tidmarsh)
09 June 2016 Germany v Turkey The unfriendly warm-up to Euro 2016. By Neil Tidmarsh Germany has a problem; Turkey has the solution. Turkey has a problem; Germany has the solution. Jolly good. Sorted. Done and dusted. Isn’t it? Well… Germany’s problem is that it is bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis in Europe. … Continue reading Issue 57:2016 06 09: Germany v Turkey (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 56: 2016 06 02: President Sall Strikes Again (Neil Tidmarsh)
02 June 2016 President Sall Strikes Again Good news from sub-Saharan Africa. by Neil Tidmarsh This week, an ex-president of an African country was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment. Hissène Habré was president of Chad from 1982 to 1990. In those eight years he proved himself a ruthless dictator… Continue reading Issue 56: 2016 06 02: President Sall Strikes Again (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 56:2-016 06 02: Europe – A Synergy-Free Zone (Neil Tidmarsh)
02 June 2016 Europe – A Synergy-Free Zone No cheer for Europe in the 21st Century. by Neil Tidmarsh The continent of Europe is not a very happy place at the moment. In Brussels last week, there were violent demonstrations against austerity measures and labour reforms. Eight protesters and two policemen were injured (one of… Continue reading Issue 56:2-016 06 02: Europe – A Synergy-Free Zone (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 55: 2016 05 26: Once there was a King… (Neil Tidmarsh)
26 May 2016 “Once There Was A King…” Scheherazade lives. by Neil Tidmarsh “Once there was a King…” So begins the traditional storyteller, wearing a fez and brandishing an ancient sword, in any café in any town in the Middle East since the beginning of time. (It’s a custom that survives even in today’s war-torn Damascus,… Continue reading Issue 55: 2016 05 26: Once there was a King… (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 54: 2016 05 19: The Non-Existent Carrot (Neil Tidmarsh)
19 May 2016 The Non-Existent Carrot What TTIP can tell us about the EU’s corrosive affect on Europe. by Neil Tidmarsh Last week, Greenpeace in the Netherlands leaked documents about the talks between the teams from the USA and the EU trying to negotiate a free-trade deal – a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). … Continue reading Issue 54: 2016 05 19: The Non-Existent Carrot (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 54: 2016 05 19: The International PUIP (Punch-Ups In Parliament) League (Neil Tidmarsh)
19 May 2016 The International PUIP (Punch-Ups In Parliament) League Sports report – the season so far. By Neil Tidmarsh Fellow fans and followers of this ignoble sport will all agree that the 2016 season has got off to a cracking start, with old favourites South Africa and Turkey each hosting a series of spectacular… Continue reading Issue 54: 2016 05 19: The International PUIP (Punch-Ups In Parliament) League (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 53: 2016 05 12: The Full Brazilian (Neil Tidmarsh)
12 May 2016 The Full Brazilian Politics stripped naked; a hot and painful process. By Neil Tidmarsh I can’t keep up. These Latin American rhythms are much too fast for me. I’ve always been a rubbish dancer. The Samba, the Bosa Nova, and now this rapidly-changing and complex dança which the politicians of Brazil are… Continue reading Issue 53: 2016 05 12: The Full Brazilian (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 52:2016 05 05:The Gold Aureus of Carausius (Neil Tidmarsh)
05 May 2016 The Gold Aureus of Carausius What an ancient coin can tell us about Brexit’s potential by Neil Tidmarsh The UK gives £50 million to the EU every day. That’s £350 million every week. £18¼ billion every year. Staggering sums. The EU does gives some of it back again – there’s that hard-won… Continue reading Issue 52:2016 05 05:The Gold Aureus of Carausius (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 52:2016 05 05: The Hunger Gap (Neil Tidmarsh)
05 May 2016 The Hunger Gap Food for thought. by Neil Tidmarsh Have they gone too far this week? The pro-Russian separatists of Ukraine might have got away with the annexation of Crimea, they might have got away with establishing the breakaway peoples’ republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, but have they at last bitten off… Continue reading Issue 52:2016 05 05: The Hunger Gap (Neil Tidmarsh)
