Charlescrawford

LATEST ARTICLES ( 189 )

• 2013 Orwell Prize: Bloggers Gone!

  Poised as I was yet again to waste time and scour my year's output to find some items worthy of entry in the 2013 Orwell Prize for Bloggers, I then discovered... Read more

  Posted on 21 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Robert Bork

  The great American jurist Robert Bork has died. Here is an eloquent summary of his influence - and the shameful attacks on him by Ted Kennedy among others - by... Read more

  Posted on 19 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Gun Control, Risk, Health and Safety

  My new piece at the Commentator explores the wilder shores of the UK's Health and Safety neurosis in the context of how we look at 'risk' - and asks rhetoricall... Read more

  Posted on 16 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• What Footballers Deserve

  Now and again I have talked here about the curious idea that people 'deserve' agreeable (to them) outcomes. Here is a classic: Redknapp’s first meeting... Read more

  Posted on 15 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• London Chess Classic 2012

  Now and again this site alludes to my brief glory days as a chess player, or at least an avid chess follower. So yesterday I was pleased to be invited by... Read more

  Posted on 08 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Climate Change Negotiation: Europe Learns at Last

  The Climate Summit at Copenhagen was a supreme example of collective European negotiating incompetence: Copenhagen was a startling example of how this big tent... Read more

  Posted on 08 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Difficult Conversations - at School

  I am gearing up to give a coaching/skills session next week at a school on the general theme of Difficult Conversations. Notably with other colleagues - but... Read more

  Posted on 06 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• The Bodies on Mount Everest

  An aspect of Mount Everest that has stayed well away from my sphere of reference - until now - is what happens to those who die in the effort of making it to th... Read more

  Posted on 04 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• How to Approach a Foreign Government?

  Here's one to ponder. Purely hypothetical of course. Say you are an ex-diplomat turmned consultant of no little erstwhile seniority, and you are asked to help... Read more

  Posted on 01 December 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Capitalism and Innovation, Hard at Work

  Check out this fascinating article about the surging business opportunities in Houston for research into better energy solutions. Link good ideas with creativit... Read more

  Posted on 25 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• When is a Budget Cut Not?

  My latest piece over at Telegraph Blogs looks at how far if at all we can fathom out whether any given EU Budget outcome represents a 'cut', and if so a cut of... Read more

  Posted on 23 November 2012 BUSINESS, CURRENT, ECONOMICS, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• That EU Budget (Again)

  Decision time (or not) for the EU Budget for the period 2014-2020. I have written extensively on this subject. Here is my classic analysis (in two parts) from... Read more

  Posted on 21 November 2012 BUSINESS, ECONOMICS, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• More on Terrorism (Explained)

  My post about looking at terrorism in terms of both legitimacy of outcomes and legitimacy of process has prompted a friendly reply from Eddy Canfor-Dumas (Head... Read more

  Posted on 21 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Cracking Old Secret Codes

  Stop what you're doing. Now, read this superlative article by Noah Shachtman at Wired about how an old complicated code describing a secret society's rituals wa... Read more

  Posted on 21 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Terrorism - Explained

  For no obvious reason the Browser is recycling a strange 2010 interview with Lord Alerdice, who played a significant part in negotiating the Good Friday... Read more

  Posted on 18 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• What If Universities Changed?

  Having progeny of my own wending their way through 'education' and exams, I am struck by how little it has changed since I was their age, apart from the expecte... Read more

  Posted on 15 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Bosnia's Unconstitutional Constitution - Sorted?

  Back in 1998/99 I was one of the first people to point out that Bosnia's new post-war Constitution as promulgated by the Dayton Accords had a unique feature. Th... Read more

  Posted on 14 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• EU Budgets Again

  Here I am after a long gap (spent trying to earn some money) back at Telegraph Blogs, offering my thoughts on the various EU Budget rows now unfolding: The EU... Read more

  Posted on 14 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Vultures and Haircuts

  Worrying news for Greece and for other countries looking for major bail-outs. Treat all sides fairly! Or else the lawsuits start. But what if treating all... Read more

  Posted on 03 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY

• Can Bullets Stop Trains?

  If you shoot a pellet at an oncoming train it won't make any perceptible difference to the train's speed. Obviously. But what if you shoot tens of thousands of... Read more

  Posted on 03 November 2012 CURRENT, POLITICS, SOCIETY