Cartels – what next for publishing?
The whole idea of preventing cartels is to permit the public to get the cheapest price, always. And it’s a good idea, clearly. Except … Sometimes a cartel may not be a cartel. How about this? Forty years ago, say, a massive international conglomerate decides to increase its profits. It sees a few small companies … Continue reading
Politics
I have always been a conservative. Yes. Small “c”. But I stopped voting for any of the three main parties when they decided to ban pistol shooting. It was a big issue for me. One illegal shooter went mad with his guns, and as a result all legal pistol shooting was banned forever (yes, Hamilton in … Continue reading
Booze
Today I am brewing up a good, old-fashioned British ale. It’s from a recipe I found many years ago in a book by a mad home-brewer called David Lines, and I’ve made some whenever I’ve had the means. David Lines had a brilliant idea. He went to all the major brewers about fifty years ago, … Continue reading
Why We Need Real Freedom of Information
Today we hear that the government has come up with a brilliant new scheme: charge drivers for driving on the roads. Not clearly, the same as charging people to own a car, and thereby defraying the cost of maintaining the British road network. No, this way actual usage of the roads would be chargeable, which … Continue reading
Displacement Activities
I’ve been trying to type the first paragraph of the next book. For quite some time. It’s there, in my head, but my head is an irrational location in which to story it with any hope of getting it out and down on paper. Dr Wang, who created Wang Laboratories in the 1950s, was an … Continue reading
Warfare through the ages
I am in the middle of writing a new book that will be based much more on war and how medieval fighters lived, fought and died. Obviously the start point has to be the history. I’ve been soaking up books on the period for the last few weeks, trying to get a good basic understanding … Continue reading
A New Project for Me!
It was a few years ago that I first talked to the Royal Literary Fund about their Fellowship scheme. As a concept, it takes some beating, I think. Going to university is a difficult time for many students: they have a whole new lifestyle to get used to, without parents and friends. A whole new … Continue reading
Slaves in Workfare
There is a lot in the press this week about workfare and the idea of poor jobless fellows becoming mindless drones, slaving away at a supermarket’s shelves without decent compensation. Up goes the shout: Slavery! When I was out of work (thirteen times in thirteen years before I employed myself), one of the worst … Continue reading
Blasted BBC Again!
Blasted BBC stupidity once more! There are few things that can reduce me in moments to sheer, gibbering rage, but this one’s got me. Worked in a nanosecond. No, not one of the usual ones. Not politicians claiming their food allowances, not even politicians lying through their teeth. No, this was much, much worse. It’s … Continue reading
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