The second life of throw-away lines As is so often the case, it was just a chance remark, a throw-away line — the fluttering of wings that sparked distant consequences — with unlikely life-changing impacts. But, as is said so often in those inspirational leadership seminars, when imagination is stretched…

We rise to play a greater part — (Update 2021) A year on from its original publication, I bring these words to the attention of new readers — especially to those followers gained during this continuing pandemic struggle. The turmoil and confusion that has so destabilized our worlds should be seen in the context of past disruptions. From…

Maybe not. Late up again, this morning. I open the curtains to let in the new daylight. Just over the road, I see a well-ordered, socially distanced, queue of masked parents, each with a toddler or two, waiting for school to begin. Those youngsters, at the start of their schooling…

Lines we crossed in 2020 Whether marking success or failure, the lines we crossed will now, not be erased. They’re often crossed — for sure. Others, pass unnoticed, ’til shattered shocks are seen, across a new divide. We see a tide of new awareness. We see some, swept or dragged…

The UK’s Poverty Pandemic (AKA ‘Cost of Living Crisis’) was already coursing through the lifeblood of society long before COVID-19. Over the past decade, the Poverty Pandemic has been more damaging than COVID-19 and far less easily treated. Indeed, many who promoted Poverty Pandemic’s root causes may dismiss the inequities…

The true story of ‘The Limits To Growth’. When climate scientists talk about Tipping Points, they’re often ready to speak about some new illustration of ‘Impending Doom’: species extinction, violent weather, sea level rise, whale-threatening pollution, mass-migrations, the loss of pollinating bees, and consequential food shortages. They speak of limits…

The 40’s Re-envisioned. Time has passed. You may not be so painfully aware of the horrors of the Forties. Children of that decade are now in their ninth and tenth, and the parents who survived that time have now mostly perished. Those parents were not entirely unaware of the troubles…

Fishing for meanings in an alphabet soup The Joy of Lex — Sarah Olgilvie’s monthly commentary in the UK’s Prospect Magazine — often observes the evolution of words, their usage, and the way they became common parlance. Not all words break out of their inventive family circles: I have yet…

Calming Conflict: Northern Ireland Metaphor and Migration — Despite the long and generous list of acknowledgements, only one person can honestly claim to have read all 846 pages of ‘Calming Conflict’ — the author and veteran ‘Conflict Comprehendist’, (or, more-accurately, Conflict Metaphor Developer) Brian Lambkin. This is not a book that one can casually ‘dip into’: its forensic…