“Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting”; freedom of movement post-Brexit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbEr240Tfsk "Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting," sings Youssou N'Dour, in my all-time favourite version of Chimes of Freedom. This is Bob Dylan's poetry at his best; this version gives me chills. And what a line-up! Tracy Chapman, Sting, Bruce Springsteen... More of the verse reads: Electric light still struck like arrows, … Continue reading “Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting”; freedom of movement post-Brexit →

In search of the sublime, contemplating Brexit in Brittany

In one of my favourite literary vignettes, Edmund Burke, in the mid-18th century, contemplated the meaning of "the sublime" in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. He described it thus: Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain, and danger, that is to say, whatever is … Continue reading In search of the sublime, contemplating Brexit in Brittany →

Thoughts on Brexit

Well, it's happened. And as one of the 73 per cent of 18-24 year olds who voted to Remain, it's impossible to overstate the sense of betrayal I feel. My generation, already suffering under the weight of ever-rising university tuition fees and crippling house prices, is being stripped of our future by an ageing sector … Continue reading Thoughts on Brexit →