What can poetry give us in this sorry mess of Spring 2026? Waiting for Dave (another daft name for a storm) while Donald beats his war chest, I was searching for answers. Here we are, between Donald and Dave, two man-made malevolencies blowing in from the west ‘and there’s naethin ye can dae, said the old boys’ as a canny Kathleen Jamie notes in her poem, Springs, written in … [Read more...] about Four poems in defiance of an uneasy spring
Trump
‘Epic Fury’ suffering continues even if Trump invents an end to his illegal war
Protect the Red Cross emblem. Enable Red Cross teams to save lives under international humanitarian law as US-Israel 'Epic Fury' recklessness spreads across the Middle East, and beyond. Sceptical Scot is sharing this urgent message from Gabriel Karlsson, British Red Cross Middle East Country Cluster manager, speaking from Beirut. The message repeated as Karlsson tracks the … [Read more...] about ‘Epic Fury’ suffering continues even if Trump invents an end to his illegal war
Trump’s tariffs: who pays the cost?
'Rural voters supported Trump for his anti-elite rhetoric, expecting protection for their livelihoods. Instead, the administration’s actions have hollowed out local workforces without viable alternatives.' In a week when all eyes were on Trump (as he intended), Sceptical Scot publishes this view from The Conversation where Inderjeet Parmar outlines how Trump's policies are … [Read more...] about Trump’s tariffs: who pays the cost?
Les enfants de la patrie – but the enduring trap of populism is not unique to France
France is yet again in turmoil after last week's vote by a fractious National Assembly to reject an important part of next year's budget. And the country is now in economic recession. Leading analyst Gerald Olivier reckons there can be no credible plan for a way out, so long as there can be no proper government without an effective majority. And yet, when Emmanuel Macron became … [Read more...] about Les enfants de la patrie – but the enduring trap of populism is not unique to France
Demarco’s gauntlet of truth to authoritarianism
In early August, Chris Hermann of the European Council on Foreign Relations wrote about how the Trump administration aims to remodel Europe. He wrote: “In April, Marco Rubio’s state department launched a blog on Substack. In a post called “The Need for Civilizational Allies in Europe” the article saw the Trump administration draw the battle lines of a civilisational conflict … [Read more...] about Demarco’s gauntlet of truth to authoritarianism