Ancient and modern
The Nero in Donald Trump
Donald Trump, whose word no one can believe and actions no one can anticipate, looks to blame anyone but himself…
Theresa May take note: Aristotle knew power lies with the middle classes
The Labour party’s tagline for the forthcoming general election is: ‘For the many, not the few.’ Aristotle, who understood this…
Socrates would know why Jeremy Corbyn is a certain disaster
Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘It is the job of leadership to hold open the space for dissent, new thinking and fit-for-purpose…
The cult of the prima doctor
Ian Paterson, a ‘charming’ breast surgeon with a ‘God complex’, has been found guilty of intentionally wounding patients by carrying…
Vladimir Putin should look to ancient Rome for tips on building an empire
President Vladimir Putin, who still supports Bashar al-Assad in Syria, needs help if he wishes to be seen as a…
Cicero, the Ancients’ lagomaniac
A year ago, the Danes reached into their groaning cracker barrel and pulled out ‘hygge’ as their own solution to…
Ancient and Modern: The Athenians’ verdict on George ‘Five-Jobs’ Osborne
As a result of George Osborne taking up five jobs on top of his role as MP for Tatton, an…
Thucydides had Martin McGuinness’s number
When Gerry Adams rose to announce at his funeral that Martin McGuinness was no terrorist but a ‘freedom fighter’, the…
What it really means to cross the Rubicon (Theresa May’s about to do it)
Last week many commentators drew on the Ides (15th) of March, the anniversary of Julius Caesar’s death in 44 BC, to…
How ancient Athens made the rich love taxes
Now that Philip Hammond is promising yet more tax hikes, he might consider how Athens managed it. During the whole…
Plutarch: the father of anti-democracy
Hardly a week goes by without someone applauding Thomas Carlyle’s objection to democracy: ‘I do not believe in the collective…
Greek or Roman crowds would have chased the SS-GB cast off the stage
In the audience-free world of TV, where ‘acting’ and visuals have become of far greater importance than the actual words,…
All the President’s yes-men
Donald Trump takes it as read that any criticism of his words or actions is an assault on the truth.…
Justin Welby is the victim of some very old-fashioned dirty tricks
Many are still questioning the enthusiasm with which newspapers have implicated Archbishop Justin Welby, as a young man, in the…
How Socrates judged experts
The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, raises his growth forecasts and suddenly everyone believes the ‘expert’. So…
Donald Trump could be America’s Nero — if we’re lucky
A Washington Post interview with ‘senior officials’ in the Trump White House reveals that ‘Trump… feels demoralised that the public’s…
What Donald Trump doesn't get about rhetoric
In his inaugural speech last week, the new President Trump said, among much else, the ‘American carnage’ of poverty, ignorance…
A Roman emperor’s inauguration to rival Donald Trump’s
Given that Donald Trump is not the most popular president the USA has ever seen, even among his own party,…
Ancient Greeks wouldn’t recognise George Osborne’s idea of democracy
Ex-chancellor George Osborne is planning a book to be titled The Age of Unreason. He says that ‘it will be…
Post-truths with Ovid and Tacitus
We are told we live in a ‘post-truth’ world. This appears to mean that everyone believes everything they are told…
What on earth is a 'kudo'?
What is a ‘kudo’? According to the Taxpayers’ Alliance, it is a mark of honour, many of which should be…
Aristophanes had Donald Trump’s number
As self-important comics fantasise about unseating Donald Trump with their wit, they should remember the great Aristophanes. In 424 BC,…
How MPs can shut the people up for good
In the eyes of the bien-pensants, the election of Donald Trump and the vote on Brexit have brought democracy to…
What Thucydides would have thought of Donald Trump
‘America’s journey into the great unknown’, screamed a headline greeting Donald Trump’s election as next President of the United States.…
A warning for Nigel Farage from ancient Athens
Frenzied outrage from Leavers and comical paeans of praise from Remainers greeted the High Court’s decision to instruct government that Parliament…
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