Tweet Keeping Mum – Niall Johnson Not quite Ealing – but close. At times. Ealing comedies were all about tone: a kind of arch, insouciant darkness to relish not just enjoy. The logic of the English social class system followed through to its ultimate absurdity. All the fixed butts of Englishness that were affectionately ridiculed [...]

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TweetThe London Bombings 7th July 2005 This was posted in the week of the London bombings (7/7 2005) on www.writewords.org.uk a writers’ web site I belong to. Many poems had been posted that week trying to express the inexpressible anger and grief we all felt – hence the remarks below written with respect: “Like the [...]

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Tweet About Schmidt – Alexander Payne The late Pauline Kael – one of the consistently best writers on movies for over 30 years and the feistiest, had a pet hate: meretricious movies cynically calculated in conception and performance to manipulate easy emotion and worse, to plug into the worthy sentimentality characteristic of the Oscar Academy [...]

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Tweet After Bush Let us dare to speak of hope of aspiration not of doubt Let John and Robert rest in peace with Martin by their side For they have been dishonoured their sacrifice denied Let us with courage separate as wise and thoughtful men once did opposing claims of church and state that every [...]

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Tweet Toad Ode I always get the bit part In fairy tales and books A slimy one-kiss wonder With execrable looks I was minding my own business A happy, hoppy kind of guy Until that bloody princess Happened to pass by Who asked the primpy airhead To screw up my contented life Transmogrifying my existence [...]

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