Patrick Macnee, The Avengers and a lament for a lost Britain

My new piece for RT.com OpEdge.

The actor Patrick Macnee, the star of the cult 1960s British adventure series The Avengers, who died last week aged 93, has been widely mourned.
Co-stars and fans paid generous tributes. There was a widespread feeling of sadness - not just because we had lost a fine actor and a very nice man, but also, I believe because of nostalgia for one of the greatest and most inventive television programs of all time- and the era in which it was made. When we mourn Patrick Macnee we are also mourning a more colorful, eccentric and laid-back Britain which sadly no longer exists. The Avengers was a product of a confident, but not aggressive country - the Britain of Harold MacMillan, Harold Wilson and detente- the Britain before Rupert Murdoch came to the country and before the neocon/neoliberal takeover of power which made our politics and our public life much uglier....

You can read the whole piece here.

The Intelligent Punter's Guide to Wimbledon 2015

My latest IP Guide from The Week.

Anyone for tennis bets?  Wimbledon starts today, and offers plenty of opportunities to serve up an ace and beat the bookies - provided the intelligent punter does their homework and bears in mind some key statistics.
Let's take the men's tournament first. While 128 players will compete for the title, only a small handful can entertain realistic hopes of winning the tournament, or even making it to the final....

You can read the whole Guide here.

Jeremy Corbyn-Why he's got Britain's anti-democratic democrats worried

My new column for Sputnik International:

It didn't take them very long, did it? Almost as soon as it was announced that veteran anti-war socialist Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn had achieved the requisite number of nominations to make it on to the ballot in the Labour leadership contest, the attacks by Blairities, 'elite' media commentators, and pro-war faux-left gatekeepers began.

You can read the whole article here:

Intelligent Punter's Guides to the US Open Golf and Royal Ascot 2015

A busy week for top sports action.
Here is my Intelligent Punter's Guide to the US Open Golf from The Week.
While here is the Intelligent Punter's Guide to Royal Ascot. Good luck with your selections!

‘Political agenda to have World Cup taken away from Russia’

The latest interview with me on RT.

EU legislators have adopted a resolution that calls for FIFA President Sepp Blatter to step down immediately, a move that journalist Neil Clark calls political posturing and lacking any sort of democratic due process.

You can read the whole interview here:

Gee - What a load of hypocrisy and humbug at the G7!

My latest piece for RT OpEdge

The hills are alive… with the sound of G7 leaders talking absolute nonsense. Some described the event as a “world leaders” meeting in Bavaria, but that’s not true. More accurate to say this was a meeting of the US and its closest lapdogs.
The menu for the G7 leaders at the Schloss Elmau luxury hotel, nestled in Germany’s Eastern Alps, featured a hearty plate of Pomposity (with plenty of sauce on the side) and a stein of Double Standards. 

You can read the whole piece here.

The Intelligent Punter's Guide to the 2015 Epsom Derby

It's Epsom Derby Day. Who's going to win? Here's my Intelligent Punter's Guide from The Week.

A jumbo-sized problem- Africa’s elephants in peril

My latest piece for RT.com OpEdge

Seventy years ago, there were between 3 million and 5 million elephants in Africa. Today, as the number of African bush elephants has dropped to nearly half a million, this magnificent animal faces extinction in some parts of the continent.
“If conservation action is not forthcoming, elephants may become locally extinct in some parts of Africa within 50 years,” warns the World Wildlife Fund.
Others have said that elephants could be extinct in Africa within our lifetime.
Recent news about elephant populations has been heartbreaking. These wonderful animals are being slaughtered on a truly horrific scale.

You can read the whole article here.

'When our society was more equal, our football was more equal too'

My new piece from The Week on why Saturday was a sad day for football romantics.

First things first: Arsenal were great at Wembley and congratulations to manager Arsene Wenger, and to Gunners supporters. But for romantics, the FA Cup, the tournament that we're repeatedly told "anyone can win", has become a disappointment.
Consider the facts:

You can read the whole piece here.