2024-05-07 00:00
I recently explored the Atari 2600 Plus, diving into games like "Circus Atari" while appreciating the aesthetics reminiscent of the 1970s—a simpler yet complex time marred by events li… Read More
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Whirled Peas features commentary about the political, social and cultural issues of the day, as seen from a social liberal perspective as well as reviews of
2024-03-18 11:04
Many artists have an unmistakeable style. Van Gogh’s brushstrokes are unlike anyone else’s; they may be imitated but never repeated. Hemingway’s prose is clippe… Read More
2024-03-14 08:04
Regency and Georgian romantic dramas remain very popular; is it because we long for the constraints of civility?
The post No Filters, No Limits, No Romance appeared first on Whirled Peas Read More
2024-03-13 15:59
The early days of the web were magical; how did a tool for infinite connection turn into one fostering endless division?
The post Disenchanted appeared first on Whirled Peas Read More
2024-03-12 10:24
“One Day” is refreshingly different: it is a portrait of a romance but it is painted in generally dark colours. There is regret, memory, tears, bitterness, and yet it is beautifu… Read More
2024-03-10 15:29
Ridley Scott turned the story of Napoleon Bonaparte into a big budget epic; how does it compare to 1970’s “Waterloo”?
The post Review: “Napoleon” starring Joaqu… Read More
2024-03-09 16:14
All things eventually decline; is the phenomenon of far right populism a symptom of this?
The post The Writing on the Wall appeared first on Whirled Peas Read More
2024-03-04 15:44
After my Swedish grandmother died in 1996, my family and I sorted through some of her belongings. We found a few German-language books among her personal effects. Hidden in their… Read More
2024-02-28 08:29
I finished my second PhD on January 11th. This further degree, in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, proved to be a stark contrast to my first, which was in Creative Writing. I recall… Read More
2023-04-26 17:04
I generally don’t watch “reality TV”. I remember when British television launched Big Brother. It was baffling. It was as if the contestants were lab rats in a maze and we… Read More
2023-01-23 15:12
Charles may very well be the last King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The conditions which support monarchy no longer exist.
The post Farewell, Monarchy appeared first on Whirl… Read More
2023-01-05 09:21
There has been a constant expectation that something would pop Trump's balloon: backing Kevin McCarthy may be it.
The post The End of Trump appeared first on Whirled Peas Read More
2022-12-07 09:48
Perhaps it was inevitable that Reverend Warnock would win the Georgia runoff. Reverend Warnock was by far the superior candidate. Warnock did not discuss the relative merits of b… Read More
2022-11-22 16:43
Current policies focus on helping the wealthy keep more of what they have. At what point is this pure folly?
The post The Folly of Wealth appeared first on Whirled Peas Read More
2022-11-21 16:26
For years I didn't think of myself as being autistic; I merely thought I was odd...I've been on a journey of self discovery.
The post Life with A appeared first on Whirled Peas Read More
2022-11-18 10:00
I am old enough to remember the dot com boom. It was like the Palaeolithic Era. It was well before the “tech bros” had evolved, though the Neanderthal versions were there. I was… Read More
2022-04-02 12:18
Picture the following scenario: a leader of Russia has been in situ for circa two decades. He is credited with leveraging higher oil prices into increased living standards for his peop… Read More
2020-08-01 12:02
Every so often, I get emails from America which give me an insight into what is going on in the minds of Trump supporters. The latest in this series is entitled “Rowboat for You”… Read More
2020-06-13 13:36
I used to work in political communications; I was a volunteer. I wrote articles, campaigns, press releases, even an MP’s Maiden Speech. I took a step back from that in recent years, bu… Read More
2020-06-01 13:36
It could have been very simple. Boris Johnson could have sacked Dominic Cummings as soon as he had evidence that his special advisor had broken lockdown rules. Johnson would have… Read More
2020-05-25 13:26
Before I begin this piece, I will add a disclaimer. I am a white person in my late 40’s. I have grown up in a white neighbourhood. There were people from a broad variety of backgrounds… Read More
2020-05-19 07:42
I’m still in lockdown. This is because I’m living with someone who is in a vulnerable category, and another person who has a letter saying they are are “shielded”. Th… Read More
2020-05-06 21:48
After coming to power in 1933, the Nazis worked hard to sell their ideas about eugenics to the masses. A particularly nasty example of these “re-education” efforts is a film enti… Read More
2020-04-19 12:53
In these days of lockdown, perhaps the most liberating moments occur on days when the sun is shining. I put the laundry on to wash, it finishes, the machine beeps loudly, and I take the wet… Read More
2020-03-24 08:52
The coronavirus gave me the worst illness I have ever experienced. I’ve had chills and fever that were so severe that I couldn’t shift out of bed. I was still shivering even with… Read More
2020-03-16 10:49
The NHS believes I have the coronavirus. The pleasant GP on the other end of the phone ran through my symptoms while I lay in bed. She told me that there is no testing at this point in time… Read More
2020-03-13 21:50
“Oh, damn.” That was my first thought when I woke up on Friday the 13th. I had that scratchy feeling in the back of the throat, my lungs felt like there was something they wanted… Read More
2020-03-04 10:27
I went to bed on the evening of March 3rd with the radio tuned to the BBC World Service. I’m a light sleeper at best, so from time to time, I heard snippets of the Super Tuesday result… Read More
2020-02-29 13:48
“Self-isolation” is the latest term to enter popular vocabulary. People who have been infected with the coronavirus have been urged to remove themselves from society. People who… Read More
2020-02-26 20:00
I must admit that I’m not a “comic book” sort of person. I never collected them. I watched some superhero cartoons on Saturday mornings when I was a boy. I don’t reca… Read More
2020-02-25 12:00
I remember when I first realised that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign was in deep trouble. I was visiting my former home town, New York, and it was just after the first debate. Like ma… Read More
2020-02-15 07:30
When I write these pieces, I’m often not alone. My cat Thomas is usually sitting on the sofa beside me, curled up as close as he possibly can be, often dozing Read More
2020-02-11 12:00
The message from Ireland's election is clear for all democratic governments: listen or be left behind, deliver or be damned Read More
2020-02-07 17:30
At first glance, the Democrats are in a terrible state. The Iowa Caucus was a failure of both technology and organisation: the Republicans can and will use this example to suggest the Democr… Read More
2020-02-05 17:44
Over the past several weeks, I have experienced bouts of insomnia. There’s not been an obvious physical cause. I have tried warm drinks, I have tried listening to relaxing music, I hav… Read More
2019-04-07 17:06
One of the most alarming statements British politicians have made in recent days can be summarised as follows: if we don’t do Brexit and quickly, massive unrest will be the result.&nbs&hell…Read More
2019-03-28 11:13
On the basis of indicative votes, we now know what Parliament wants, or rather, what it doesn’t want to do with Brexit, which is anything. There is a distinct absence, a lack, a… Read More
2019-03-25 11:36
I remember the first time I saw “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. I was visiting the Cheshire town of Wilmslow, and it was being shown in an old movie theatre in the centre of… Read More
2019-03-24 16:27
The last emperor of the Western Roman Empire was arguably Romulus Augustulus, whose reign began in 475 and ended in 476. He was deposed by the Germanic barbarian chieftain Odoacer; acc… Read More
2019-03-18 09:57
Sometimes it takes an outsider’s point of view to see a situation more clearly. Recently, the New Yorker magazine starkly showed how the United Kingdom is now viewed by the rest… Read More
2019-03-15 07:53
I am not a fan of the Amazon series “Transparent”; I live in a country whose government is presently going through a nervous breakdown, so watching the neuroses of others played… Read More
2016-04-08 10:08
The dark clouds obscured the twilight. Rain was falling steadily, large drops bounced off the hood of my olive green jacket. I accidentally cut my finger: it didn’t hurt, but it was on… Read More
2016-02-01 13:00
Author’s note: recent comments by Donald Trump’s spokesperson about other politicians being “half-breeds” reminded me of how the “Death Eaters” in the Har… Read More
2015-07-02 09:00
East Anglia’s summer is at its height. The flat land doesn’t readily retain its temperature, so the evenings are generally cool: the moment the sun tucks in over the horizon… Read More
2015-06-17 11:01
The nominations for the Labour leadership and deputy leadership elections are now closed. As much as one may wish for more contenders to enter the race, rules are rules: one can’t writ… Read More
2015-06-12 05:00
If the summer of 2015 has a motif, it is apparently leadership, or the lack thereof. Labour’s leadership campaign tediously malingers. It’s already clear that the … Read More
2015-06-05 18:27
Two weeks ago, my fiancée and I piled our remaining belongings and our grumpy cats into our aged French car; we then left Bradford. A fortnight is a stutter in time, barely a blink of… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
The story could have had a different outcome. With an alternate set of policies and priorities, 3 year old Aylan Kurdi might have lived. He could have settled in Bedford or Peterborough, gon… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
My black suit was clean and pressed. My white shirt with a herringbone pattern embedded into its weave had been ironed. A silk maroon tie was neatly tucked underneath my stiff collar, tied i… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
I was probably the last human being to see my cat Amelia alive. It was a bright August morning: the coffee maker was gurgling away as it pushed hot water through the freshly ground beans. Th… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Democracy, contrary to what some may think, is not just about mentions in the press, appearances on television or cleverly contrived advertising campaigns. Often, its processes take pla… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
It was serious. Normally, a litter tray at the end of the day is a mess, but this time, it was a horror show. My fiancée had called me down to take a look: up until that point, it had… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
The so-called “War on Drugs”, at least as an exercise in law enforcement, may be drawing to a close. On December 11th, Uruguay legalised the trade and possession of marijuana for… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
New Year’s is, by and large, tinged with regret. If the year has been particularly difficult, there’s marginal relief to be had at its conclusion; if the year has been splendid… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Ed Miliband has just announced revisions in the Labour Party’s relationship with the trade unions. Previously, affiliated unions automatically donated part of their members’ dues… Read More
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