Archive for

I wasn’t going to write about the Norwegian massacre because it has rather fallen from the front pages – then I realised that was precisely the point. Had it been the al Qaeda atrocity that many initially suspected, things would’ve been different. Today’s press would’ve been dominated by commentary about ‘Norway’s 9/11’ and the ‘New … Continue reading →

We were wrong about Megrahi – for all the right reasons.

Sometimes in life, you just have to admit that you got it wrong. With hindsight it was a mistake to release the Lockerbie bomber Adelbasset ali al Megrahi on compassionate grounds in 2009. The Scottish Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, did the right thing by the tenets of Scots law. He thought long and hard and, … Continue reading →

Get over it – the euro is here to stay

 Another week, another crisis in the eurozone. Another last minute deal and another hundred billion or so tossed at the bankrupt Greek government. It’s an odd way to run a whelk stall, and makes you wonder how long it can go on. The consensus among the British press and politicians this week is that it … Continue reading →

Sorry guys: regulation is the only way to restore faith in journalism.

 Throughout the phone hacking scandal, I’ve noted the parallels with the financial crisis in 2008. The concentration of market power in fewer and fewer hands; the negligence of regulators; the complicity of politicians; and the ultimate crisis of a conglomerate that was “too big to fail” – for Lehman Brothers read Rupert Murdoch’s News International. … Continue reading →