Archive for month: April, 2012

For God’s sake

30 April, 2012 (10:12) | All articles | By: Stuart Fraser

I popped into Launceston the other day. And very soon popped out again. Set up in the middle of town on the back of a juggernaut were a bunch of evangelical Christians sharing their good news with the aid of a top-volume soundtrack of soft rap and hip-hop. They were singing about their salvation and […]

Making a meal of things

23 April, 2012 (14:39) | All articles | By: Stuart Fraser

I’m not making this up: last week the BBC News at Ten covered the distressing worry that budget cuts mean fewer free school meals will now be available to children in need, complete with the observation that for many of the poorest children, a free school lunch represents their one square scoff of the day. This […]

All growed up

16 April, 2012 (21:43) | All articles | By: Stuart Fraser

Something really rather odd seems to have happened when I wasn’t looking: I, apparently, have grown up. When did it happen? How did it happen? I have no idea. But it did, obviously, for today I found myself in a room with my parents’ friends and contemporaries and I was as old as I remember […]

They want it bad, and that ain’t good

9 April, 2012 (12:17) | All articles | By: Stuart Fraser

The trouble with most political systems is that they require an innate faith in the goodness of human nature. Capitalism needs us to believe that those with cash will share it around, that goodwill will enable wealth to trickle into every corner of society, that striving for profit will create mutual benefit in all fields […]

Called to the court of The Crab

2 April, 2012 (11:31) | All articles | By: Stuart Fraser

There’ll be some bile, grumpiness and a rude picture along in a moment, but if you’ll just forgive me there’s something I have to do first. With a total lack of consideration, my dear friend John died some time in the early hours of my birthday, last Friday.  Another typical piece of attention-seeking. He was […]