BY ANDREW MOODY In the age of Amazon Prime and Netflix and the thousand channels of Sky TV, and even more importantly, the age of imposed lockdown, is it just me or has TV gotten worse? Ever since 2015’s Straight Outta Compton, the last great movie made within the Hollywood system before Trump’s contentious election, and Harvey Weinstein’s ignominious demise in Rikers Island, movies have … Continue reading Lamenting Daytime TV
Ingredients: 300g Short crust pastry (ready made) 8 Shallots 40 g Butter 500 g Shoulder steak, trimmed and cut into 2cm cubes (or larger) 25 g Plain four, seasoned with salt and pepper and a tablespoon of paprika 1 tbsp Sunflower oil 100 g Pancetta, diced 200 g Button mushrooms, halved 200 ml Red wine 200 ml Beef stock 2 tbsp Chopped fresh parsley 1 … Continue reading Shallot, Steak & Mushroom Pie
BY JIM WEBSTER Everybody talks about getting back to normal but what is normal going to be? Already people are commenting that food prices are rising. I’ve been the one doing the shopping and I’ve noticed that there are no longer the ‘two for one’ offers and special discounts. A friend of mine who shopped at Booths because it was quieter decided that it was … Continue reading The New Normal?
BY FRANK HAVILAND It was once a feature of adulthood that we labelled things correctly, something even the millennials’ Bible (Harry Potter) acknowledges: ‘Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself’. The Wuhan Virus however, has shown how staunchly opposed to facts our societies have become. On February 11th, the World Health Organisation declared it had … Continue reading Kung Flu
BY EFFIE DEANS I don’t think many people in Britain had heard of Wuhan or Hubei province before the present outbreak of Covid-19 (Coronavirus). The fifty largest Chinese cities each has a population greater than two million, yet few of us could name more than two or three. Chongqing, for example, was first settled in 316 BC and has a population of 30 million, but … Continue reading Little Bottle
BY EFFIE DEANS There is a view I like on the west coast of Scotland which takes in the islands of Raasay and Rona, behind them Skye with its Cuillins and in the far distance the Outer Hebrides. It is perhaps the best view in Europe if you can find an evening in June with the sun about to set and fine weather. Scotland is the … Continue reading An English Appreciation Society
BY JAMES BEMBRIDGE Sad to say that during my school years I never did have the chance to read 1984, nor its sister novel Animal Farm. My teacher opting instead to impose the illiterate, misandrist filth that is ‘The Colour Purple’ upon our impressionable eyes and tender ears – well, I say impressionable, there was a video circulating amongst the boys at that time of … Continue reading Libraries’ Descent to Marxism
CSM EDITORIAL On Brexit Eve there are – predictably – some silly stories doing the rounds. The Daily Express asks the nation if it should be illegal to fly the EU flag from UK public buildings. Très petty. Meanwhile “Bung a Bob for a Big Ben Bong” is apparently a new low for British politics. Really? It’s about as relevant as Femi Oluwole. Who? Exactly. … Continue reading On Brexit Eve
BY JAMES BEMBRIDGE Did Thursday’s vote truly mark a seismic shift in British politics or merely reflect one that had occurred long ago? For now we bask in the spoils of victory, most prized amongst them being the look on Rumplecuckskin, John Bercow, as it dawned on him that his dream of a second referendum would remain forever thus. Oh to see hopelessness so visceral … Continue reading Up Yours Townies
What have the Romans ever done for us, eh? With such a strong history of colonialism, it’s easy to see the effect British culture has had on the rest of the world. As far away as antipodean New Zealand, British culture has, in some way, seeped into the nooks and crannies of nearly every other nation, for better and for worse. But what about the other … Continue reading The Romans
BY ALEXIA JAMES Hillary Clinton showing up during a UK General Election campaign used to be significant. Not anymore. Nowadays she’s as relevant as King Herod’s first wife, Doris. Did you know that Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees have plummeted? According to Newsweek, after she left her job as secretary of state but before she declared her 2016 candidacy, Hillary Clinton used to make $200,000 per … Continue reading Just Go Away Hillary
BY GARY MCGHEE In 1993 I wrote a dissertation for my Masters Degree at Nottingham University. It was titled ‘Men and Self-Esteem’. It was well-researched, packed with salient references and the external examiners said that it was one of the best dissertations they had ever read. (Not bad for a working-class bloke who left school at 16 with good O-Levels, in order to get a … Continue reading Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds
