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…and the winner is:
Speaking ill of the dead is in bad taste. I suspect that speaking ill of the winner of a competition is no better. So I have a problem. I may not speak ill of the winners of the US presidential primaries, may not speak ill of the Brexicists and may not even speak ill of…
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Word of warning
I put to you – though of course you are entitled to disagree with me – that a successful democracy is contingent on an informed and responsible electorate. Mind you, democracies being what they are, the electorate rules (though parenthetically, of course, the market also has a slight say in the matter; in most matters,…
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The Mujica effect
The former Uruguayan President Mujica has long since left office, but his legacy will live forever, I hope. In Tanzania a new president has gained so much popularity after his first 100 days in office, that he now enjoys more than 90% support. What do the two have in common? They slash expenses on pomp…
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Rule of Law
The other day a colleague who is familiar with my slightly subversive views maliciously presented me with a philosophical challenge: – How come you who so fervently believe in the rule of law defend people like Edward Snowden and Julian Assange? It is true that I passionately believe in the rule of law, defined by…
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Point of view
In my town, people don’t like Mr Putin. Come to think of it, I don’t like him much myself. In my town people look down their noses at Rambos, and Mr Putin, it would seem, is a Rambo. Around here, they prefer the spindly type, the Spidermans, agile and supple. And they don’t condone belligerence…
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Two sides of Mercy
Christianity claims to be merciful. And indeed, for believers who have no problem with the awkward concepts “original sin”, “immaculate conception”, “resurrection”, etc., who are happily married, give birth to healthy children, and who don’t have to steal to feed their young, the mercy of Christianity may well be a blessing. Caring for their loved…