177. Olaf Scholz: Putin, Power, and Far-Right Populism
23 February 2026
Less a blog than an apology for not having done one
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Post
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21 June 2009
Since starting this blogging malarkey some months back, I have done at least one every day. Obsessive, moi?
This is really just a way of keeping up that record, though when we go away for our summer holiday I do not intend, unlike on the Scottish holiday we had at Easter, to blog every day.
So why has it taken until almost seven pm before I put finger to keyboard? Answer, a combination of tiredness and cricket.
Tiredness because last night we were up north for a very enjoyable family birthday/wedding anniversary party, which meant a late night, then an early start to do the longish drive to get back in time for the Twenty20 Finals.
Not being sexist, ahem, I was keen to get back to see the women's final as well as the men's. It was a bit of an anti-climax, as England's women hammered New Zealand with the ball, and once they began their own innings, the result was never in doubt. I was impressed though, and really pleased England won. (Cue angry comment from Wyrdtimes re my confused national identity.)
The stadium filled up for the men's final, which I fully expected Sri Lanka to win. They didn't. Pakistan did. So as well as being one of the shortest blogs I have ever written, it is also contains a rare admission I got something wrong.
Someone asked me today 'who invented Twenty20?' I don't know the answer, but whoever it was deserves a lot of praise.
A final thought - Margaret Beckett for Speaker, gardening bills or not.
Dunbloggin'
Now that we know, you’re forgiven 🙂
I see Margaret Beckett being done on the front page of the Telegraph today. Am assuming they saved that one up for today to try to damage her in the vote for the speakership tomorrow, so I hope she gets it. The way the Telegraph has been using its illgotten computer disc to damage politician after politician is obscene
Every day? Well done, and may I say though I do not come on here every day, when I do I always find something interesting.
Watched a bit of the women’s cricket. All just a bit slower and less intense than the men’s. Mind you —- men’s final not that exciting
Reading your blog, you frequently complain about our dismal media culture, then let slip you were chatting to rebekkah, gordon and cameron at murdoch’s party. Irony not your strong point is it?
Yes our media and political culture in England is abysmal, but you should acknowledge your part in that, not least our entire political class sucking up to the odious Murdoch. And to answer a previous question, no media site I know of lets you post negative comments about them, which says it all.
My life revolves around family,yoga, twitter and your blog!