Category: Communication & Management

Was this really “Match of the Day”?

As a society, we are so used to the idea that freedom of speech is a fundamental right that we tend to forget that it is also fundamental to a well-run society that some jobs are reserved to people who voluntarily surrender their right to speak on specific topics. Well-known examples include judges, civil servants and, er, BBC football presenters. As a result, the UK’s news agenda was recently dominated by a contest in which both sides turned in a poor performance.

Trump was a riot – and I mean that literally

Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial is underway. His lawyers argue that, when he told supporters to “fight like hell”, he was only speaking figuratively. His lawyers are wrong.

I learned to write

I have been rather quiet on these pages, lately. I have been working on another writing project.

I’m partial to a bit of Beeb

On a day when I am learning it may be OK to eat red meat after all, I’m also having to re-think my attitude to the BBC.

Reporters Sans Frontieres: not my idea of a knock out

I was disappointed to read recently that the UK has dropped to 40^th place in the World Press Freedom Index. Among the 39 countries which are said to offer the press greater freedom than the UK are South Africa, Surinam and Namibia, according to the ranking body Reporters Sans Frontieres. But then I noticed that the UK’s ranking was three places ahead of the USA which guarantees freedom of the press under its constitution. What’s going on here?

Journalists in a tiz at Supreme Court’s win-win decision

I’m not sure quite how to say this. So I’ll say it twice:

Yesterday, a young graduate won her claim against the government’s back-to-work scheme. She argued that the regulations and the manner of their implementation were unlawful. Despite taking its case all the way to the Supreme Court, the government lost on three separate grounds.

When did you stop ****ing your wife?

I don’t know how to put this politely, so I’ll follow The Times and use a lot of asterisks.

My attention has been caught by a recent news item (£) in which a vicar was taken to task for describing the Archbishop of Canterbury as a w****r.

Harry’s Bottom and the Right to Privacy

Today’s big argument is said to be about privacy and the public interest. I think there must be more to it that that. Most commentators seem to be going round in circles.

Redknapp admits his guilt?

We all know that Harry Redknapp is innocent of tax evasion. A jury has decided that unanimously.

But readers of The Times newspaper may have been a little surprised by the verdict. Redknapp had, after all, admitted criminality. Or so the paper reported on 28 January 2012. Quoting evidence given during the trial, the paper reported Redknapp as saying in a taped interview with the police:

Beaten before we start?

Fabio Capello, manager of the England football team, says he realised before Tuesday night’s game against Wales that his team were about to put in a poor performance. It was the attitude of the players during the pre-match warm-up that told him what to expect.