"If you are repeatedly saying racist things, standing in front of racist posters and devoting your entire political career to a racist agenda, then the question of whether you are a racist 'at heart' seems somewhat irrelevant." Adam Bienkov on Michael Crick's biography of Nigel Farage and the taboo on calling racist politicians racist.
Social Work Shorts listens to Lucy Johnstone critique the current professional and public perception of mental health: "She started by quoting Dr Allen Francis the chair of the DSM IV Committee (the mental health diagnostic manual) as saying ‘there is no definition of a mental disorder ….it’s bullshit.’ Johnstone was keen to point out in saying this and the other things she said she wasn’t denying the very real and problematic experiences that people have. She was simply suggesting that we are approaching it in the wrong way"
"If you want to be confident of getting the best ticket deal on Britain’s railway you need to interrogate both the ticket machine and the ticket office to be sure you are getting the cheapest fare, as both offer different ticket prices. And that’s before looking online and maybe being offered more options, including ones where you pay an additional commission to the likes of Trainline." Roger French explores the crazy world of rail ticketing.
Norman Baker, meanwhile, gets all nostalgic about public transport in 1973.
"It’s a highly ambiguous snapshot of [Andy] Partridge’s relationship with his country. It’s a hiding-in-plain-sight masterpiece that, for reasons which will become apparent in this article, remains on the outside of popular consciousness. It’s also a grand folly, specifically designed to dig Partridge out of a particularly messy hole." Fergal Kinney marks the 40th anniversary of XTC''s English Settlement.
I used to like Crick when he was on Channel 4. It seems to me he has now sold out to the establishment and continuing racism.
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