“In ‘A very British populism’, a thoughtful exploration of British culture and politics, philosopher and writer Julian Baggini argues that the same springs of populism that fuel the far right elsewhere in Europe exist in Britain. He warns against the complacency of the ‘it could never happen here’ mindset; whether in the form of a ‘softer-edged’ UKIP, or a more sinister movement, populism could be at our doorstep.”
ReadTWO EVENTS IN FOLKESTONE – 17 NOVEMBER. I’m taking part in two events in this year’s Folkestone Book Festival. At 10:30 I’m doing a Cafe Philo on “What Use are the Arts?” and at 2:30 debating “Can Atheists learn anything from Religion?” with Richard Norman and John Butler.
ReadThe chef Richard McGeown has faced bigger culinary challenges in his distinguished career than frying a meat patty in a little sunflower oil and butter. But this time the eyes and cameras of hundreds of journalists in the room were fixed on the 5oz (140g) pink disc sizzling in his pan, one that had been five years and €250,000 in the making. This was the world’s first proper portion of cultured meat, a beef burger created by Mark Post, professor of physiology, and his team at Maastricht University in the Netherlands…
ReadIn their introduction, the editors say: “If this is not one of the best letter-writers of the 20th century, we are ready to eat our respective hats.” Gentlemen, you can leave your hats on.
ReadChrist’s original question was: “Who is my neighbour?” Today we are less likely to ask that of our potential saviours than we are of the people we might help, directly or through our taxes. Yesterday’s news feeds our fear that our neighbours are more likely than not to be bad eggs: benefit fraudsters, bogus asylum seekers, paedophiles or jihadist terrorists
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