This week I was at the House of Commons, chairing a meeting for The Maya Centre, an Islington based multi ethnic voluntary organisation that offers psychodynamic therapy to women on low incomes, work that is clearly making a huge difference. Despite its reputation as home of the rich and cool, Islington has many pockets of… Continue Reading

To the Bath literature festival earlier this week, to speak with Roma Tearne, author of two vivid, wonderfully told and swift moving novels about both her native Sri Lanka and life as a recent immigrant in Britain, to which she came, aged ten, fleeing the civil war in her country. I am at the festival… Continue Reading

Today, local councils will send out offers of places to all children about to enter secondary school in England. With reports of increasing numbers of parents failing to get their first choice of schools, and pressure on the state from recession-hit parents deserting private education, National Offers Day – as it has come to be… Continue Reading

I have been reminding myself of the life and work of Rebecca West, one of the greatest journalists and novelists of the mid 20th century, after meeting the writer, academic and editor Joanna Labon, at a friend’s house last night. Labon is an active member of the Rebecca West society, formed in 2003, and is… Continue Reading

Please sign up to the statement put out by Compass, opposing government plans to privatise the Post Office. As Compass, the Democratic Left campaigning organisation, says, ‘given the current economic situation it doesn’t make any sense that the Government are nationalising the banks on the one-hand, but seeking to privatise Royal Mail and the Post… Continue Reading