Blogs

Poetry-wise we saw a gallery of colourful artist-inspired pieces in June: a vibrant response. As I post this, I know all of us are thinking of Bee and her family. Bee’s contribution to ABCTales was immeasurable: her time for others, her consummate encouragement, that bold sense of humour that glimmered in all her work and feedback. First up this month is one of my favourite poems written by Bee: A sensual lullaby for grown-ups. Spirited and...

After the success of Jeff Torrington’s Swing Hammer Swing !, The Devil’s Carousel is his follow-up novel. Only it isn’t. It’s not a success and it’s not a novel. The Devil’s Carousel is a collection of short stories, versions of which are listed and have appeared elsewhere, such as ‘The Poacher’ in the Glasgow Herald , ‘The Sink’ in BBC publications, ‘The Fade’ in the Scottia Bar Writers prize. The setting in each story comes from the same place...

So, in case you weren’t watching, it’s out of the bag. UKIP’s primary concern is immigration. The very first point that Farage, in his valedictory speech, urges the next Prime Minister to adhere to is: “We need a new Prime Minister that puts down some pretty clear red lines, that we’re not going to give in on issues like free movement”. On the Conservative side of the fence we hear Philip Hammond saying that it is absurd to promise, before...

Our picks for the month of June have been chosen by the lovely Alex (london_calling79) I would like to dedicate this 'Pick of the Month' to the memory of our dear bee. Like a lot of us on the site, I always loved it when a comment of hers popped up on my work and was always pleased to read her wonderful words. I hope she would have approved of my picks as I had her in mind whilst choosing. For Poem of the Month it was a close one but I've gone...

While everything else falls apart, turns blue, grows wings, hangs upside down and stabs itself in all sorts of unexpected places, you can still come to ABCTales and read the most wonderful prose and poetry. Congratulations this week to samhennig for 'Edges' and Philip Sidney for 'Little Ingland 1. Histry' - both, I think, dealing with the same subject but in very different ways: http://www.abctales.com/story/samhennig/edges http://www.abctales...

Some people have said they weren't getting notifications through, so Lluis the techie has rejigged things for us and it should all be working again now. Please let me know if you're still having problems

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. To be in full receipt of knowledge and to mislead is to cheat the vulnerable. "It’s not over yet. A law that passed last year to set up the EU referendum said nothing about the result being binding or having any legal force. “Sovereignty” – a much misunderstood word in the campaign – resides in Britain with the “Queen in parliament”, that is with MPs alone who can make or break laws and peers who can...

The garden path was lit by bright, eye squinting sunlight and I wanted to run down it. To jump over the gate and run for miles finding my way to the beach, to the soft settling sands under my toes as I race to the waters edge. To abandon at the pier all burdens, daily grinds and demands on my time. To be the person I was at eighteen with eyes wide with possibilities, arms open to encompass the world, to live in today and let tomorrow watch at a...

You see, representative democracy has been shown to be the superior decision-making solution because expertise and wisdom produce better decisions. Popular feeling is only resorted to by the elite when they have gauged that is in their interests to do so - when the mood is going their way. I'm sorry if all this seems a little patronising to people from my own background, but it happens to be true, I'm afraid. You/we are not equipped to make...

Ha-Joon Chang, The Little Blue Book: ‘Economics is politics.’ Charles Darwin urged the ‘weak in mind and body’ to refrain from marriage. That’s why I never married. Contemporary disciples of Francis Galton’s scientific racism now favour that dismal science of pseudo-economics. Economic racism doesn’t discriminate against the rich. It is premised on it. The poor are feedstock for those that have accumulated land and wealth. A propaganda war,...