A sense of belonging
Trudging through the snow on my way home the other evening, I stopped at a pedestrian crossing. Crossing the road in the opposite direction was a known homeless man clutching his tattered sleeping bag.
‘Spare some change please? he asked.
I refused, knowing that any money given to him would most likely end up being spent on [...]
Social attitudes, not age, influence drinking
Sir Liam Donaldson’s recommendation to the Government that children should not be allowed to drink alcohol under the age of 15 is, in my view, simply wrong.
Sir Liam contends that alcohol can be damaging to young people- a point that I wholeheartedly agree with and understand. But nothing magically happens at the age of 15 [...]
Coon cheese and other delights
I’m a huge fan of the comedian Stephen K Amos, and was lucky enough to catch up with him at the Latitude festival last summer.
One of his jokes recounted his experiences in Australia. Walking down the street, he could hear people shouting out: ‘coon! coon!’ Turns out they weren’t racially abusing him, but using the [...]