Author: Richard Hall

The battle against Covid increasingly resembles a rather bizarre episode of Dad’s Army mocking the idea of British genius and resolve.

The first in our series of articles (second here) looking at the looming supply chain crisis in the UK. Sir John Hayes (Conservative MP for South Holland and the Deepings) is a stalwart of the Tory party right wing and an ardent Brexiter. At the beginning of June he wrote a piece for his local […]

Sport can be about harmless fun and exercise but argues it’s only when it gets competitive that it brings out the worst in people. He concludes “Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting.

The European Super League is no more. Like the famous Norwegian Blue parrot, it’s bereft of life, expired and ceased to be. I’d like to imagine those behind it were thinking of it as a welcome and imaginative idea that would raise morale after a year of Covid lockdown. Instead, they were hit with a […]

American presidents often like to use the first 100 days of their administrations to set the tone of their presidency. As we approach the 100th day of true Brexit (that is, the end of the so-called transition period, even if not all checks on imports are still being done), it seems reasonable to apply the […]

Have you ever organised or joined a demonstration over something you felt strongly about? If the new Policing Bill being rushed through Parliament this week comes into law, in the future you could find yourself facing a jail term of 10 years if you do.Why? The reasons are set out by Chris Daw QC in […]

Dysfunctional families have long been the bane of sections of the British media and society – hated for their anti-social ‘f*** you’ behaviour, their casual attitudes towards marriage, their dependency on state handouts and the sometimes very disreputable characters they associate themselves with.

is crassness whilst also mocking the idea that it should be treated reverentially.

A minor skirmish in the ‘Culture war’ which has altered the landscape in recent years is taking place largely out of sight and mind in Lincoln, a small city which tries to punch above its weight. This skirmish is one sign of local government breakdown.

Memorials are a feature of the landscape. They reflect moments in time in a variety of forms. They commemorate, celebrate, inspire and educate. They enhance their surroundings. They can have more sinister purposes too, such as intimidation and the reinforcement of personality cults.

On becoming Conservative leader and prime minister in July 2016 Theresa May boldly stated “Brexit means Brexit and we’re going to make a success of it.” Twelve weeks before the UK cuts all links with the European Union (EU), it’s time to audit that statement. On 26 June 2016 it became clear that the politicians […]

Why cinemas and other arts venues need their version of Eat Out to Help Out I love cinema. From occasional visits as a teenager (which needed careful planning because I lived in a rural village served by just a couple of buses a day), to retirement, when I can make a spontaneous decision to see […]