Let’s suppose, fairly safely, that Putin is a thug, a megalomaniac even, as the Western media has it. In which case, calling him names will be water off a duck’s back. It might be cathartic but it won’t help Ukrainians. Will severe financial, commercial and trade sanctions on Russia help? Will seizing the assets of…

A week can be a long time in war. The Russian president cut a diminished figure as he met with the same National Security Council by video link from an undisclosed location on Thursday. There were dark patches beneath his eyes and he seemed to falter as he stood to honour the Russian dead. Away…

Cats – it had to happen – my favourite musical genre, featuring many of my favourite ever bands. By 1978, after Punk’s initial incendiary impact had waned, it was clear that “the Seventies” as we knew them, were over. Disco and various ponderous excruciating MOR dinosaurs had been condemned to the musical dustbin of history.…

Hot off the press! A close and personal look at the Cultural Revolution. A timely reminder of the way communist regimes behave when push comes to shove. The story of Amei’s life began in a warm and comfortable family in an inner suburb of Beijing. Her time in the selective high school is delightful until…

Some would have you believe that the world couldn’t have acted to prevent the Russian invasion of the Ukraine as Russia has simply been ultra-aggressive.  Some went so far as to suggest that Russian President Putin wants to re-establish a Soviet-like empire.  Neither of those suggestions are true. As it stands, we see sanctions falling…