Current Affairs

Last week, I wrote an article about Russia’s longer term demographic issues. Included was some commentary about why the country has got itself into this mess. The article was reasonably well received. A former colleague told me that while he enjoyed the article, he felt it was one-sided, predictable and had no links to the Russian soul or mind. I will be the first person to admit that I’m no expert on either subject but having travelled throughout the country and met its peop

I wrote an article yesterday on global inequality and its consequences for world poverty. I listed global warming as one of the causes and it occurred to me that the subject more than merits an article on its own. Looking at the consequences of recent severe weather patterns on Ireland and elsewhere, it seems to me that it is time we all woke up and did something about it before it’s too late. Unfortunately global warming is no longer a distant scientific theory or a politica

Many articles have been written on global inequality. Why is over 50% of the world’s wealth held by less than one per cent of the population? Contrastingly, why does the bottom 50% of people only own two per cent? There are numerous reasons: Globalization; the rise of super companies; the growth in billionaires; compounding financial systems; Government policies; monopoly power; shareholder primacy over workers’ wages; technological advancements; global supply chains; histori

I’ve recently added a few articles with some humour. The feedback has been positive so I’m continuing in this vein. Yesterday I wrote a fairly pessimistic piece on the future of Russia so it’s time to counter balance it with some amusing tales of life there. I have been fortunate over the years to work closely with some of Ireland’s finest diplomats. Working with a state-owned company which was engaged in joint-ventures with foreign state-owned firms meant we stayed close to

I realize this may not be a riveting subject but I have long wanted to write an article about the Irish banks. Back in the 2010’s, at the time of the bail-out by the Irish Government, there were numerous critical articles. However, since all that cooled down, the banks appear to have gotten off scot free. Move on; nothing to see here. In the meantime the banks have continued to do what they always did; only more so because they were effectively taken over by venture capitalis

Russia’s ultimate problem will be population imbalance: I have written many articles about Russia over the years and I try to stop myself from writing too much about it. Nonetheless, it is said that you should stick to what you know and having spent a significant part of my life there, I feel I have learned a little about the country and its plight. I still have many good friends and former colleagues there who keep in touch, although sadly, many of the bright young people wi

I don’t think you would describe this as a travel blog, but the reader can be the judge of that. I wrote this article a couple of years ago after travelling extensively in the USA. In the meantime I have been back several times and unfortunately the revisions to it will say that things have gotten worse. America is still the land of opportunity but it is far from a perfect society. The incumbent President’s encouragement of divisiveness over unity is not helping the situation

Brief Encounters: In some ways it may be described as a cliché, but for as long as I can remember, I have loved meeting people; different people, not just different in numbers but different in character, temperament, attitude, culture etc. I tend to talk to people I meet at random; it might be a waiter in a restaurant; a chance encounter in a gym; on a bus or train or a fellow hotel guest. Really, the possibilities are endless. Many people encounter many other people every da

Old Trafford - United's iconic stadium. The first thing to say about this article is that if you are not a Manchester United fan, you may find it tedious. But bear with me; it outlines what has happened to the football club and why; there are parallels in many other walks of life and certainly in business and sporting empires. Now the reason I’m writing this article is because people have asked me, ‘what’s wrong with Man Utd?’ ‘How can a club with such a huge following and wi

The Great Terror in Russia and how it influences thinking to this day: I believe that you cannot comment about a country or a society without knowing something about where it has come from. In Russia’s case, not to examine what was perpetrated on the population during the Soviet years would be to ignore the elephant in the room. When I lived there, I did many road trips around the country. Once, I was visiting the towns and cities in the Golden Ring and in a small town called

I don’t usually write political articles but a few people asked me to say something about Donald Trump’s victory in this week’s US Presidential Election, so here goes: I’m trying to approach this issue from an objective and neutral viewpoint, and the first thing that must be said is that Trump was re-elected in a fair and democratic contest because he was adjudged by the majority of voters as the better candidate. As much as many people may not like it, that’s democracy. Ther

I have written many articles about Russia over the years and, more recently, in the context of the war they have waged on Ukraine. One of the recent articles was read by a lady from Ukraine who complimented me on it. I was delighted to get the positive feedback but it reminded me that before I ever lived in Russia, I had spent two and a half great years working in Ukraine, in Kyiv. This was in the late 1990’s, relatively soon after independence from the old Soviet Union. The

Most people are aware of the horrendous events which have been happening in Gaza over the past few months and the seemingly intractable hard line stance taken by both sides in this seemingly never ending conflict. I am not going to go through the rights and wrongs of either side here. The Genesis of this article is that despite wall-to-wall media coverage, nothing brings a story, particularly one of conflict, closer than an account of someone’s first-hand experience. Last wee

I have written before about the seeming imbalance of articles on Medium since I started contributing. Ever since I wrote an article on Ukraine, I have been bombarded on a daily basis with articles about the war – in fact, at times, it appears as if there aren’t any other articles on there at all. There are of course but the danger in reading too many cynical accounts is that you risk becoming infected with their rhetoric. The ironic thing about most of them is that it is obvi

New Mexico - another seemingly endless straight road I don’t think you would describe this as a travel blog, but the reader can be the judge of that. I get bombarded with articles on Medium, most by Americans. Nothing wrong with that of course, but many of them are critical of other places. I have to say at the outset that these writers are not stating that the US is perfect although there is an inference that perhaps things are better there, and maybe they are. I have trave

Sliabh Liag in Co Donegal, Ireland When writing travel blogs, people try to keep them general or generic as opposed to being critical of or praising individuals or specific places, hotels or destinations. I am no exception to that. I realise most people do their best and while that might not always reach people’s expectations, it’s best not to individualize criticism of it. It is therefore with some caution that I’m writing this article. There is no criticism of any individua