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    Early morning tootle

    An early start today, lots to do. Argentina vs Australia in the Rugby Championship was first on the agenda, then a trip to the bottle bank at Malone House and then …too early still for most purveyors of good coffee…so a nice tootle along the Lagan into town. Tried my…

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  • Aesthetics

    Entering into the conceptual space created by an artist sounds a bit poncy, but all it really means is making an effort to engage with the work. There’s a small gallery locally that has some interesting works of art. This took my fancy… My interest in art is partly due…

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  • Less is more

    I am enjoying Carol Ann Duffy’s online poetry classes. She is an easy listen and a very good communicator. She described how she used haikus to write a poem about Dorothy Wordsworth. Its tight structure of three lines comprising 5 syllables 7 syllables and 5 syllables means that every word…

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  • While I am pondering the problems of Keir Starmer’s government, a comment or two about mixed economies might be timely. If you are a party with socialist principles you are expected to maintain the safety net for those in need. That comes with a cost and finding the money for…

    Continue reading →: Spend and cut
  • In Eastern Europe there has been an interesting development and a shift in far right or populist politics. A new party has been started by a former soldier, Jaroslav Svejk. The Party of Moderate Progress (within the bounds of the law) may well command the centre ground in the Balkans.…

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  • Yes, it’s the UK Prime Minister ‘s birthday today. He’s 62 and is already showing signs of assertiveness. Before the landslide election victory he marshalled his MPs to toe the party line and is now having to make the hard decisions about where cuts will be made. As a pensioner,…

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    The blame game

    Political leaders and their parties when in opposition find fault with practically all decisions made by the government. Should they gain power they are frequently faced with the same decision-making dilemmas. Economics and the choices about scarce resources is not an exact science. There are ethical dilemmas when prioritising which…

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  • Richard or rugby?

    I have checked the Ulster Rugby home fixtures for 2024-2025 and there are eleven home games I could attend as a season ticket holder. Unfortunately there is one home fixture that clashes with a performance of Richard III at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Maybe I’ll wait to see what the…

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  • Our youngest son is a bit of a dab hand at carpentry. He deconstructed the bunk beds that he and his brother had outgrown and fashioned two garden twin-seater benches. That was a decade or more ago. Since then the benches have stayed out in the back yard in all…

    Continue reading →: Keeping it simple
  • Five books

    There is some excitement among Open University students starting course modules in October 2024. Our course books have either arrived or are on their way. For level 3 undergraduate courses we are expected to comprehend and comment on quite complex issues. But that is the pleasure of studying a subject…

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