Reading between the lines in the George W. Bush Presidential Library

At a cost of $250 million dollars, the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is not the most expensive monument of its kind. But why is such a sycophantic memorial needed at all, unless its purpose is to vindicate a man whose policies are reviled?

The wages of sin: Time to abandon Spain’s pact of silence

Many countries have been persuaded that it is better to ignore and suppress the past in the interest of forgiving and forgetting. Such arguments are often put forward by those who have most to hide and most to lose. The opposite argument – that past sins must be publicly acknowledged – recognizes that in violent conflict everyone is scarred for life.

Turning a blind eye to neo-Nazism is no solution

A more sinister explanation has emerged for the antics of the Greek footballer recently banned for giving a Nazi salute during a match (see March 26 blog). Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party: its fastest growing political force with 21 seats in Parliament, links with British neo-Nazis and offices in Germany, Australia, Canada and the USA.

Toughest U.S. gun laws yet: Hurray for Connecticut!

On Thursday 4 April 2013 the Legislature of the U.S. State of Connecticut voted to approve what leaders of both Democrat and Republican parties call the most far-reaching gun-legislation package in the country. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a landslide.

The Bayeux Tapestry – England’s first political cartoon strip

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is the only contemporary account in the English language of the Norman invasion of England in 1066. All other sources of the story are in Latin and tell the story from the Norman point of view. The Bayeux Tapestry has a foot in both camps.

Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise

A 20-year-old Greek footballer named Giorgos Katidis has been banned for life from playing for his national team – some would say entirely appropriately – after celebrating scoring a goal by appearing to give a Nazi salute. The player said he hadn’t understood the meaning of the gesture.