When I began this blog during the first 2020 lockdown, the key theme, which has continued ever since, was the deleterious effect on our mental wellbeing caused by leaders’ (such as employers and governments, which in psychoanalytic theory serve as proxies for our original source of authority – parents) failure to take care of usContinue reading “Sunday 13 April”
Tag Archives: economy
Saturday 29 March
As we approach the quarter year mark there’s as ever no shortage of news, the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, the Signal scandal and Donald Trump’s clumsy political posturing and tariffs stunt dominating the airwaves. But a bit less of this due to the massive earthquake having hit Myanmar and Thailand, rescue operations in the former likelyContinue reading “Saturday 29 March”
Sunday 19 January 2025
As 2025 gets underway, it feels as the last couple of weeks have been accompanied by a strong whiff of suspended animation, with endless media speculation about the responses of the combatants in the Gaza ceasefire deal and about what Trump will do when he takes up the presidential cudgels again. Agonizes one newspaper: ‘FacedContinue reading “Sunday 19 January 2025”
Sunday 14 July
Just over a week since Labour’s election success and five things have been very noticeable: how many are saying they feel relieved and hopeful for the first time in years (a vitally needed mental wellbeing boost); the speed with which Starmer got his programme up and running, with a Cabinet meeting the following day, talksContinue reading “Sunday 14 July”
Sunday 19 May
Following the local elections the pace of the political rollercoaster has hugely and predictably accelerated, the last fortnight seeing the dramatic defection of Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke to Labour and the government doubling down on their lies, misrepresentations, delusion and denial. If the local election results fallout constituted the ‘soft’ launch of the general electionContinue reading “Sunday 19 May”
Sunday 3 March
What a week, culminating in lots of pointless speculation about the forthcoming Budget when the main player, Jeremy (Pinocchio) Hunt, ‘can’t’ say in advance what will be in it but still colludes with the media by taking up plenty of air time. Needless to say, especially given all the big talk of recent months aboutContinue reading “Sunday 3 March”
Friday 22 December 2023
After the all too brief relief felt at Boris Johnson’s expulsion and the disastrous tenure of Liz Truss, many of us might have thought in October 2022 that we’d get more a more principled premiership from Rishi Sunak. Who’d have thought that we’d actually get an even worse brand of dishonesty and private profiteering, butContinue reading “Friday 22 December 2023”
Sunday 8 January 2023
In the circumstances saying Happy New Year to all sounds somewhat hollow so I’ll settle for very best wishes for 2023. Over the years we’ve got used to various ‘Twixmas’ and New Year occurrences, some of them proving irritating, if not infuriating, bah humbug (or whatever the New Year equivalent is). One is the numerousContinue reading “Sunday 8 January 2023”
Sunday 13 November
As ever, a week is a long time in politics, and any Conservatives who fantasized that Rishi Sunak would be the one to rescue them from the mire they’ve made must surely now see that as a lost cause. Right from the start his poor judgement has been apparent, including appointing and keeping on SuellaContinue reading “Sunday 13 November”
Sunday 9 October
Another turbulent few weeks have passed, the new Chancellor and PM going AWOL for weeks after their ‘election’ before delivering a devastating ‘mini-budget’, the significant feature of which was subjected to a U-turn less than two days later. Within a month of taking office, Liz Truss was fighting for her political life, many of herContinue reading “Sunday 9 October”
Politics and mental health - the missing link? 