Blog
Willy Brandt – we need politicians like him again
I went recently to Berlin and visited the Willy Brandt exhibition on Unter den Linden. It reminds you of the times when there were inspiring political leaders. As a young man from a poor background he opposed the Nazis and...
Brexit – progress?
Mrs May wins the title for blinkered stubbornness, some call it guts and determination. From the start she drew hard red lines to please the extreme Brexiteers in her party. They are strong and determined but a minority. Their inspiration...
Briefly Brexit
The muddle and mess over how to handle Brexit has damaged the reputation of both parties and of politicians in general. The fundamental lesson is surely that very complex questions cannot be properly answered by referendum; and that to give...
Visit to Russia: notes from my travels
Clare offers an account of what she learned about Russian history, culture and politics on her recent visit to the Federation.
Cities Alliance visit to Tunisia.
Clare describes her recent trip to Tunisia on behalf of the Cities Alliance.
Clare’s book banned from the Guantanamo Bay detainee library.
Clare is very honoured to learn that her 2004 book An Honourable Deception? New Labour, Iraq, and the Misuse of Power is on the list of proscribed publications in the Guantanamo Bay detainees library.
Clare signs letter condemning far-right violence against trade unionists at recent protest.
During a Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) march on Saturday 14 July 2018 organised by the trade unions RMT and Unite, several protestors were attacked by supporters of far-right extremist groups. The protest had been organised as a counter-protest to...
Israeli racism.
Clare highlights a recent article detailing the alarming rise of racism and intolerance in Israel's foreign policy.
The US and China: the dangers.
Here is an excellent article by Chas Freeman who is a former US diplomat of wide experience and wisdom. It is well worth a read.
Oxfam scandal.
The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee report of July 1 2016 quotes the estimate that around 11% of British men aged 16 -74 have paid for sex on at least one occasion. Of course it is more shocking...
The Suffragettes.
The women's suffrage movement was not a question of women against men but rather of privileged men against all women and men without property.
Reflections on aid fifteen years later.
A real commitment to development means working to transform the world into a more equitable and sustainable place. This is necessarily a pressure to change policies and will clash with old government assumptions about foreign policy and trade.