Jul 20, 2018In the Valley of the CluelessThis is Part VI in a series on my time in East Germany. Click on the links for Part I, Part II, Part III , Part IV and Part V. ‘Meine Damen und Herren, we will shortly be arriving in Dresden. Dresden the next stop. Alle aussteigen! Alle aussteigen!’ The…10 min read10 min read
May 16, 2017At Her Majesty’s PleasureAt Her Majesty’s Pleasure This is Part V in a series on my time in East Germany. Click for Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV. ‘Comrades! Comrades!’ Klaus seemed particularly pleased with himself as he walked into our office that morning. ‘I have news. Exciting news.’ We…10 min read10 min read
May 11, 2017The Fixed Term Parliaments Act and why it needs to dieThe Fixed Term Parliaments Act and why it needs to die Of the many empty words spoken during the 2010 UK parliament, few now ring as comically hollow as those uttered by the then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg before the House of Commons in July of that year: ‘by…Politics5 min readPolitics5 min read
May 10, 2017PR polling and the bias of factsPR polling and the bias of facts A striking figure caught my eye this week. Advocates of Proportional Representation (PR) were circulating a poll claiming that 61% of the British public were in favour, in principle, of abolishing our long-standing First Past the Post (FPTP) system and replacing it with…Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
Apr 28, 2017Winning with PR – an FPTPer’s guideWinning with PR – an FPTPer’s guide A lot of British voters – politically engaged and otherwise – are quite fond of our First Past The Post (FPTP) voting system. I am one of them. To the frustration of proponents of Proportional Representation (PR), our age-old way to voting seems…5 min read5 min read
Jan 13, 2017A Night at the OperaA Night at the Opera This is Part IV in a series on my time in East Germany. Click for Part I, Part II and Part III. The flimsy jacket I had brought with me from Wales lay crumpled at the back of the wardrobe. My trainers were stuffed somewhere under the bed. …7 min read7 min read
Jan 11, 2017Dreams of the West. Dreams of the East.Dreams of the West. Dreams of the East. This is Part III in a series on my time in East Germany. Click for Part I and Part II. Noise, dirt, smells, shouts in German, shouts in Turkish, Mercedes, BMWs, the rattle and thud of the S-Bahn. …9 min read9 min read
Jan 5, 2017On getting marriedThe first Monday of the month a group of us would gather, in true British fashion, for after-work drinks down the pub. This particular time, the first session of the new millennium, I was tired and not really in the mood. Just as I was deciding to leave, a colleague…Marriage Equality2 min readMarriage Equality2 min read
Oct 5, 2016Office politicsOffice politics This is Part II in a series on my time in East Germany. Part I is here. By the time I reached the second floor I was already aware that there was a figure waiting for me on the third. I could see the silhouette of a middle-aged…14 min read14 min read
Sep 28, 2016Over the WallOver the Wall ‘Ost-Berlin? Sie wollen nach Ost-Berlin?’ My taxi driver seemed genuinely angry. ‘You really want to go to the East? But why? Why would anyone want to go there?’ Rather haltingly, I explained to him that I had in fact been offered a job in East Berlin. ‘You’re…Germany8 min readGermany8 min read
