I think Stephen Moss is wrong to suggest that the British have only recently become patriotic–I think they probably always were to a much greater degree than BBC programming suggested. Some kind of shift in perceptions of Britain has, however, taken place. Whereas the Union Jack used to associated with the European far right, now…
Says Gabriel Laguna here. Re his essay: I wonder if the sense of godliness induced by romantic love is why an inability to accept the existence of a deity used (sorry, can’t think of a ref) to be identified with an incapacity to love truly.
The weird and wonderful Karim says I’m bizarre, which suggests I’ve made some kind of progress from when the woodwork teacher threatened to break my legs. If I don’t get my keys and mobile back by lunch, I will move to Tunisia and sing 80s music in beach hotels. If you see a blonde walking…
Fred Hiers in Hernando Today (“Smelly plant continues to reek havoc”) knows what he’s up to. Crazychester (“I can hardly wait to reek havoc (or is it reak?) with my system”) probably doesn’t. Reek Havok is (or was) a sound scientist from the future.
Some guys have asked if I want to buy a shooting licence for a village up in the hills. No way. (Also: I’ve got a rough idea what to do with handguns, but I’d wreak havoc with the kind of weapons these folks use, particularly in a dark forest full of men full of brandy.)