The thoughts that shape my writing
Fragments of history, reflections on memory, and glimpses of the human thread that runs through it all.
What Has Become Normal
One of my most read essays in 2025 asked whether political patterns in the United States echoed darker moments in 1930’s Germany. A great deal has happened since then so it seems worth returning to the question to test it.
Democracy for Sale
There is a growing unease about the stability of Western democracies. While elections remain intact, money and digital amplification increasingly shape the tone, visibility, and emotional climate of politics long before votes are cast.
The Quiet Collapse of Ethical Accountability
Like many people, I have become disenchanted with the behaviour of politicians and business leaders who are meant to serve the public, not themselves.
Did Trump Break the System?
He governs like a reality television host who has wandered into the Oval Office and decided the cameras should never be switched off. Many see him as a threat to global stability. Others see him as a truth-teller, tearing down a corrupt establishment.
When Power Demands Honour
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has handed her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump at the White House, presenting it as recognition of his ‘commitment to Venezuela’s freedom’. The symbolism is elegant. The reality is not.
A Death Without Compassion
When power rushes to certainty before evidence — and compassion is treated as expendable — belief replaces thought, and a human life disappears from view.
Orwell in the Age of Trump
In 1949 George Orwell wrote what many consider his masterpiece, 1984. What can it teach us about what’s happening in the world today?
Your Truth, My Truth, No Truth?
In a world drowning in half-truths and curated realities, can we still agree on what’s true—or does truth even matter anymore?
Freedom in a World of Algorithms
Are you really making free choices — or just following invisible nudges? This piece explores how modern power doesn’t restrict us but subtly shapes us through algorithms, feeds, and endless distractions. Drawing on Rousseau, Berlin, Foucault, and Sartre, it asks: in a world designed to predict and guide our behaviour, is freedom still possible?
Stay curious. Question the feed. Real freedom begins when we choose to think beyond what’s handed to us.
Gaza Lan Nunsa — لن نُنسى (We Will Not Be Forgotten)
Through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy, this short story bears witness to the unspeakable horrors unfolding in Gaza — and the fragile, defiant hope that survives them. As Wahib clings to a handmade book filled with memories of his lost family, he begins to write his own testament: “We were here. We will not be forgotten.”
In a world that looks away, this story refuses to be silent. Read it — and remember.
Strongmen and Soft Words
From euphemisms and slogans to sentimental appeals, modern authoritarianism often arrives in language that sounds soothing — even noble. But beneath the softness lies something more sinister.
The Meaning Wars
From “fake news” to “special military operations,” this is how political language is reshaped to suit power — and why it matters.
Why Words Have Lost Their Meaning
I’m a bit of a philosophy nerd but I’ve struggled to really get to grips with the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein. He was an enigmatic philosopher who made major contributions to our understanding of language, especially in how words gain meaning and how language shapes our view of the worl