Published in The New Climate.·Feb 28Member-onlyWhat Tomatoes and Turnips Tell us About ‘Sovereignty’Is independence compatible with prosperity? I have fond memories of summer holidays with family friends in the early 1950s in a village near Swansea. A short way up the road from the family home was a small nursery where we would go to purchase tomatoes. We followed the elderly gentleman…Brexit4 min readBrexit4 min read
Published in The New Climate.·Feb 15Member-onlyHow I Saved over €1.2k in a Year After Installing Solar PV on my RoofCould you do the same? — At the beginning of last year (2022) I decided to investigate the possibility of installing solar PV panels on my roof. I live in Ireland where the government offers a grant for home energy projects. …Climate Action5 min readClimate Action5 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Feb 11Member-onlyUtopia versus DystopiaPolitical revolution at the time of the industrial revolution. — Edward Despard was born just a few miles from my present home in my adopted county close to the centre of Ireland. On February 21st 1803 he was executed by hanging, followed by beheading, for his part in a conspiracy to assassinate King George III. Peter Linebaugh has examined Despard’s…Revolution5 min readRevolution5 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jan 27Member-onlyBirds Are Not FreeNeither are you — unless you are a parasite — Seeing a bird soaring in a clear blue sky, riding thermals, it is easy to see how the phrase ‘as free as a bird’ was born. But the reality is that the bird is not engaged in the pursuit of pleasure. …Freedom6 min readFreedom6 min read
Dec 23, 2022Member-onlyUnconscious RacismMy generation of Brits was educated to be racist. — I think I can understand Lady Susan Hussey’s repeated quizzing of a woman of colour at a Buckingham Palace reception. Understand, but not condone or excuse. Understand, because I am of the same generation. When I recall my days in primary school, over 70 years ago, I remember how our…Racism4 min readRacism4 min read
Dec 14, 2022Member-onlySeven Contemporary Novels I’ve Enjoyed in 2022Psychological thrillers, 20th century history and a travel memoir — If she Wakes by Erik Therme — Psychological thriller https://www.amazon.com/If-She-Wakes-Harlow-Book-ebook/dp/B09J44N4WY Imagine a situation in which a woman tells you that her sister is mentally deranged and not to be trusted. Then the sister tells you that it is really the first woman whose mental health is questionable. Add to that…20228 min read20228 min read
Dec 10, 2022Member-onlySeven History Themed Books I Enjoyed in 2022From the Tudors to the Hollocaust — Rizzio by Denise Mina — Historical Fiction Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month for February 2022 Longlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2022 I read this one in February. It is a fictionalised account of a real event that took place in Edinburgh in March of 1566. In…20227 min read20227 min read
Nov 22, 2022Member-onlyThe People’s HistoryForget “Dowton Abbey”, “Bridgerton” and “The Crown”. The history that matters was made by ordinary people. — Am I alone in finding it strange that so much twenty first century historical fiction centres on the ‘big house’ and the affairs of the aristocracy, when the trials and tribulations of their tenants and labourers are ignored? We admire Dickens and a few others who highlighted those struggles when…Industrial Revolution5 min readIndustrial Revolution5 min read
Nov 18, 2022Member-onlyWriting Stories That Need Telling.An interview with Rebecca Bryn Ms Bryn’s latest fact based historical novel has just been placed on pre-order. In a recent exchange of emails we talked about writing historical fiction, snobbery and gardening. What follows is a lightly edited transcript. FP: It’s almost 4 years since my last interview with…Welsh History7 min readWelsh History7 min read
Oct 31, 2022Member-onlyRacism, Misogyny and FeminismIt’s time to end discrimination based on fear of the other. — I define racism as the belief that I, and people like me, are superior to everyone else. People with obvious physical differences — skin pigmentation, stature, disfigurement, obesity, for example — or whose ability to survive and compete is limited as a result of mental or physical impairment, are inferior…Transphobia4 min readTransphobia4 min read
