Author. The Last Ditch, paperback coming out in May. Freelance writer. Lapsed novelist. Cinephile. Substack coming soon. Interesting writing gigs in the politics or arts line gratefully considered.
Mentioned Claude Sautet earlier. No-one who's ever seen his great Les choses de la vie will ever forget this tune written by Philip Sarde. Here sung by one of the two stars of the film the ten greatest Romy Schneider. I love this clip. youtu.be/nVdKQQDEGtE?...
Romy Schneider "La chanson d'Hélène" Les choses de la vie | Archive INAYouTube video by INA Cultureyoutu.beOne dimensional chess from Infantino.
Steve PeersAsian Football Confederation opposes FIFA sell-off plans www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
Always good to see a writer back in print after struggling for decades with mental illness. Hope he kicks on from here.
Elizabeth Boyle"The Broken King is an extraordinary read – deeply personal and intimate, but also expansive and free-ranging, taking in everything from TS Eliot (the title comes from Eliot’s poem Little Gidding) to James Baldwin, Brazilian football and the Rolling Stones." www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...
Totally agree. The World Cup just gone showed, now that the hype has settled, that there's a limit to the messing you can do. The worst tournament in a long time.
Kevin O'SullivanUnfortunately for the sport I love, the whole thing may have to be burnt down to remake it again. There was so much about World Cup 2026 that was rotten - too many teams, too focused on celebs, bending rules, the seeding system - but now it could get much worse. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Terrific film. Sautet may be the most under-rated French director. Also did Les choses de la vie with its mix of lush romanticism and existential dread, Classe tous risques, a crime movie to match the best of Melville, the moving Un mauvais fils and a fine caper movie Max et les ferrailleurs.
WilsonTonight's film
A true great.
Athletics IrelandGOLD for Kate O'Connor for Northern Ireland in the women's heptathlon at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Kate came into the final event the 800m in the lead and cruised round the two laps before coming through in the final 200m to take the win in the final event to claim gold with 6569 points.
The only way it could be any classier is if Liberace was playing the piano in the corner.
Dom ErvolinaDeputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted this video of the Oval Office and it somehow looks even more embarrassing than I realized