We have been here before

As I write, the news is dominated by the Grenfell Tower disaster. Yesterday it was confirmed that in the recent refurbishment flammable plastic cladding was installed rather than the recommended fire-proof alternative. This gave rise to a saving of £2/square metre. It is far too soon to say whether this was the main reason for […]

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The Lonesome West

Amid a world-wide shift in political alignment, we have yet another once-in-a-generation call to the ballot box. Tony Blair cannot bring himself to support Jeremy Corbyn to be Prime Minister. Tony Blair is extraordinary, even amongst a group of people as unusual as ex-Prime Ministers. I find him every bit as unlikeable as Donald Trump. […]

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À la recherche du temps perdu

Theresa May seems to have been dreamily reminiscing about her childhood in an Oxfordshire vicarage. She wants to open new grammar schools in order to create a Great Meritocracy. It may be a stage-of-life thing. I find it takes very little provocation to make me think about my youth. Simon Wessely writes an entertaining blog […]

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Sometimes bad is bad

I watched the 2014 documentary about Gerry and Sylvia Anderson “Filmed In Supermarionation” the other day. It was really entertaining. Four Feather Falls, Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and Thunderbirds were part of my childhood, although I lost interest somewhere around the first broadcast of Joe 90. My favourite part of the documentary was when Gerry […]

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The flame still flickers

I have had a good idea. Let’s acknowledge that the functionalised system of care in mental health was never a clearly articulated policy, that it was never based on proper evidence, that most patients and professionals dislike it and that it does not work. Let’s abandon it. All we have to do is to agree […]

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Hard times in the land of plenty

Most people know someone a bit like Donald Trump. The only unusual thing about him is the huge amount of money that he inherited. He parades his faults shamelessly. I would be reluctant to talk to him at a party, let alone vote for him. The polls suggest that many people gave him their vote […]

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