The industrial revolution wasn’t all about the spinning jenny and steam power. Money talked, and it needs to again if power and prosperity are to flow to the UK regions.
The golden days of the 1960s protest song may be past, but music is still used across the world as a vehicle to voice political views. More than a sideshow, it can be a form of mobilisation and an expression of ‘soft power’.
The Athenian politician Cleon was one of the earliest demagogues. An effective, if vulgar speaker, he made extravagant promises and delivered extravagant accusations.
As the budget deficit fades from political view, anxiety shifts to the much wider current account deficit. It may signal UK dynamism, but neither financing nor closing it look easy after Brexit.
The Olympic Games are a theatre — sometimes farce, sometimes tragedy, reality TV, morality play or soap opera — where geopolitical, social and technological dramas are played out.
Trump appeared surprisingly presidential. According to a scholar of American political rhetoric, there were echoes of Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Reagan.
The major parties seem to be having considerable difficulty drawing lessons from the recent election campaign. Of course, there are many. The most obvious, but probably the most difficult for them to accept…