The War Room
Reading two nineteenth century poets from Bengal alongside a day of political claims, with a generous helping of farm grievances Monday, The Epic in Blank Verse Michael Madhusudan Dutt, who lived from 1824 to 1873, is one of the most remarkable figures in Bengali literature. He trained in law at Gray’s Inn in London and … Read more
A reader of nineteenth century Anglo-Indian literature walks through London with a difficult author and a shelf of farm pages Monday, The Difficult Author I have been reading Rudyard Kipling again, which is a bit like inviting an uncle to dinner who is brilliant, charming and impossible. I put my thoughts into a long piece, … Read more
Closing the month with a reader’s rulebook, a last look at the cows and a fond word for the highlighter Sunday, A Reader’s Rulebook At the end of the month I write a rulebook for myself, because a reader without rules soon becomes a believer. Rule one: find the original source. Rule two: ask who … Read more
Reading a nineteenth century Bengali novel about famine and rebellion, with fair notes on its legacy and a milk-based palate cleanser Monday, The Novel of 1882 Anandamath, published in 1882, is a novel by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee set against the Bengal famine of 1770 and the so-called Sannyasi rebellion. I wrote about it at length … Read more
Voting intention and six council contests on one side, rare breeds and memsahib romances on the other, with a ramble between Monday, Six By-Elections Six council by-elections took place, and voting intention polls bobbed up and down like ducks on a canal. I wrote a diary of the day, with a walk along the water, … Read more
Every party won something this week, which is the sort of result that leaves a strategist with a lot of spare adjectives. LONDON, England (The London Prat) – At ten past nine a woman called Ffion rang me on behalf of a research company to ask how likely I was to vote on a scale … Read more
I have been issued a green highlighter and a sense of duty, and only one of them is working. WESTMINSTER, England (The London Prat) – There are two kinds of people in a political war room on the day after a Budget. There are those who want to know what was said, and those who … Read more
Britain wants fewer civil servants and a fairer Budget, and I want a seat facing the direction of travel. MANCHESTER, England (The London Prat) – The 07.04 from Euston has a quiet coach, and the quiet coach has a man who is on a call. I have decided this is the most accurate picture of … Read more
The government wants me self-sufficient for three days, which is two more than the milk in our fridge has managed. WESTMINSTER, England (The London Prat) – The first thing I did when the government told me to be self-sufficient for three days was look around the war room and ask what we had. The answer … Read more
Nobody in the war room has ever been invited onto a sofa by anyone, and we are processing it as a professional slight. LONDON, England (The London Prat) – Gethin has ruled that the war room may watch television as long as we call it research, and then put a tick against the word research … Read more