Norrie MacQueen
@norriemacqueen.bsky.social
(More or less) retired IR academic and author: UN, peace operations, Lusophone Africa. Old left (in all senses). Citizens Advice volunteer employment adviser.
You wonder what John Reith himself would have thought of the lectures bearing his name being censored. He was no liberal leftist but his BBC was a different, bolder creature.
November 25, 2025 at 10:27 AM
You wonder what John Reith himself would have thought of the lectures bearing his name being censored. He was no liberal leftist but his BBC was a different, bolder creature.
As we listened to the broadcast I said to my wife that the BBC was probably wishing they’d chosen someone more anodyne this year. But censoring a Reith lecture crosses a line. The old man himself would be fuming.
November 25, 2025 at 10:18 AM
As we listened to the broadcast I said to my wife that the BBC was probably wishing they’d chosen someone more anodyne this year. But censoring a Reith lecture crosses a line. The old man himself would be fuming.
“We are happy to correct the record”. Aye, right. “We are putting our hands up - reluctantly - to get one step ahead of a libel action”.
November 21, 2025 at 8:56 PM
“We are happy to correct the record”. Aye, right. “We are putting our hands up - reluctantly - to get one step ahead of a libel action”.
That “English or British” is carrying a lot of weight. Which is it? Creative ambiguity?
October 21, 2025 at 12:00 PM
That “English or British” is carrying a lot of weight. Which is it? Creative ambiguity?
Sadly, it’s not a lack of political nous. It’s a lack of moral courage.
October 19, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Sadly, it’s not a lack of political nous. It’s a lack of moral courage.
She plainly doesn’t have a clue what’s in an A Level syllabus. All just bluster and dog-whistling. And utterly vacuous.
October 14, 2025 at 3:34 PM
She plainly doesn’t have a clue what’s in an A Level syllabus. All just bluster and dog-whistling. And utterly vacuous.
I seem to remember years ago Michael Gove doing some of his signature showoff pontificating on the importance to the nation of a knowledge of Pope and Dryden. Maybe this is Labour delivering.
October 14, 2025 at 3:26 PM
I seem to remember years ago Michael Gove doing some of his signature showoff pontificating on the importance to the nation of a knowledge of Pope and Dryden. Maybe this is Labour delivering.
Some of us are old enough to remember when Blair and Blunkett looked like the new authoritarians. Could we have our Overton Window back where it was then, please?
October 5, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Some of us are old enough to remember when Blair and Blunkett looked like the new authoritarians. Could we have our Overton Window back where it was then, please?
Unfair, I know; it’s just a random snap. But the image of the Home Secretary seeming like Badenoch’s bestie is very unsettling.
October 5, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Unfair, I know; it’s just a random snap. But the image of the Home Secretary seeming like Badenoch’s bestie is very unsettling.
It would certainly add to the gaiety of the nation. But no …
October 4, 2025 at 4:59 PM
It would certainly add to the gaiety of the nation. But no …
Excellent, Richard, I missed that. I’ll now read the article!
September 23, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Excellent, Richard, I missed that. I’ll now read the article!
So far, it seems that the people who don’t (the Labour party) seem to base their objections to this - and pretty well everything Farage says - on practicalities. Where’s the simple moral condemnation? What we used to call ‘Labour values’?
September 23, 2025 at 7:50 PM
So far, it seems that the people who don’t (the Labour party) seem to base their objections to this - and pretty well everything Farage says - on practicalities. Where’s the simple moral condemnation? What we used to call ‘Labour values’?
It's the worry for next year's Scottish Government elections. Reform would have zero chance here with FPTP - but the d'Hondt system might give them a real presence at Holyrood. But it's a price that rightly has to be paid.
September 23, 2025 at 9:13 AM
It's the worry for next year's Scottish Government elections. Reform would have zero chance here with FPTP - but the d'Hondt system might give them a real presence at Holyrood. But it's a price that rightly has to be paid.
I seem to remember one idea for maintaining 'Scottish distinctiveness' while still getting rid of the third verdict was to re-style 'guilty' and 'not guilty' as 'proved' and 'not proved'. Or was that just in my head?
September 18, 2025 at 8:19 AM
I seem to remember one idea for maintaining 'Scottish distinctiveness' while still getting rid of the third verdict was to re-style 'guilty' and 'not guilty' as 'proved' and 'not proved'. Or was that just in my head?
Never come across him before, but this Chris Sidoti is a bit of a star performer.
September 16, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Never come across him before, but this Chris Sidoti is a bit of a star performer.
And tomorrow what looks like decisiveness today will probably look more like blind panic.
September 5, 2025 at 4:03 PM
And tomorrow what looks like decisiveness today will probably look more like blind panic.
Except Reeves. She should be going, but she’s safe for political reasons quite divorced from her abilities and record.
September 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Except Reeves. She should be going, but she’s safe for political reasons quite divorced from her abilities and record.
Are Police Scotland and the Crown Office absolutely set on making themselves look ridiculous? They’re really working at it.
August 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Are Police Scotland and the Crown Office absolutely set on making themselves look ridiculous? They’re really working at it.
It wouldn’t take much effort with a laptop and the internet. And they’ve got Haaretz.The fact is, they don’t *want* to see the images.
August 25, 2025 at 12:59 PM
It wouldn’t take much effort with a laptop and the internet. And they’ve got Haaretz.The fact is, they don’t *want* to see the images.