Much has been made of people downloading the Wizard of Oz song Ding Dong the Witch is Dead and turning it into a hit. This created a surreal difficulty for the BBC.

She was horribly, horribly right wing and I find it difficult to forgive her that. Despite believing in the policies she implemented (the woman really thought she was doing good) I look at the society we have today and I can see the scars her policies left behind. Enormous social immobility and a lack of political empathy.

Monday the 11th of June 2012 has a particular resonance for veteran politicians, particularly Tories. It's the 25th anniversary of the 1987 general e...

As a fervent believer in pacifism, my heart is well and truly thrusting me in the direction of non-violence. However, my head - and (just occasionally) history - tells me that violent demonstrations are more effective than peaceful ones.