This week Pakistan played Australia in front of an empty stadium in the United Arab Emirates, a thousand miles from home. Since the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in 2009, some countries have refused to tour Pakistan. This is at a time when the future of test cricket is being questioned due to larger […]
October is Mental Health month, and for me, it began with the news that my latest book was voted Jack the Ripper Book of the Year at the Jack the Ripper Crime Conference in London. Many of the 333 suspects described in the book suffered from what we might now call mental health disorders. Then […]
This weekend marks the anniversary of one of history’s most notorious crimes. On 30 September 1888 two women, generally regarded as the third and fourth victims of a single killer, were killed in separate incidents in Whitechapel. After these murders the police made public a postcard and letter purporting to come from the killer. He […]
Whenever I see pictures of the Brexit bus promising more funds for the NHS I am reminded of the speech below which was given in Parliament, by the late Tony Benn on 22 November 1995. There was a boat race between the NHS and a Japanese crew. Both sides tried hard to do well, but […]
We hear a lot about online privacy but are we neglecting physical privacy, which potentially matters more to many people? I have witnessed numerous deliberate acts of trespass, such as people walking dogs on private land, jumping over fences to take drugs on school grounds, playing in other people’s gardens, using their swimming pools, and […]
Following his failed leadership challenge Peter Dutton faces allegations that he misused his ministerial powers to grant visas to people in immigration detention. Similar allegations occur almost everywhere that an individual is given authority to overturn decisions made by underlings or processes. Presidents issue pardons, Governors grant reprieves to those on Death Row, tax inspectors […]
In the last eleven years no Australian Prime Minister has completed a full term in office. As they can’t govern themselves perhaps they should consider reverting to British rule. Consider the advantages. MPs get to keep dual citizenship and their jobs. Farmers can relocate their businesses to the more suitable British climate and use the […]
In a slow news month, you can rely on a tabloid newspaper to recycle an untenable theory about Jack the Ripper. This week the Sun reinterviewed John Morris who wrote a book in 2012 accusing Lizzie Williams, wife of Sir. John Williams. She was not the first woman to be accused, and sadly won’t be […]
With all the pessimism around contemporary politics it is easy to ignore positive developments, such as a plan by the UK government to end homelessness within nine years. We’ve heard similar statements before but, this time, it offers real hope to 250,000 people currently sleeping on the streets of the world’s 28th richest country. The […]
