A True Friend?
On my first day at university, I met a fellow northerner, who I shall refer to as “S”. S and I were both obsessed with football. He lived on the [...]
The Manchester Bomb
On Saturday 15 June 1996, my best friend and I – both 16 – had planned to go shopping in Manchester. That morning, my mate was dropped off at [...]
In Harm’s Way in Gaza
Recently, I finished reading In Harm's Way by legendary BBC reporter Martin Bell, published in 1996. Bell, as you may recall, came to prominence as a war reporter in [...]
Joining The Army
This Remembrance Sunday, like every Remembrance Sunday, I remain mentally stuck. I don’t know what to think. Growing up obsessed with military matters, I spent most of my pocket money [...]
The Lie I Told to Become a Lawyer
Picture the scene: aged 24, I am – nervously, sweating in a cheap suit – sitting in front of a panel of four imposing male equity partners, in a spacious [...]
Dodging Landmines in Nagorno-Karabakh
In the spring of 2005, to gather ideas for my second unfinished book The Anti-Guidebook, I travelled, solo, to Armenia. Why Armenia? Because, I had “done” South-East Asia and [...]
Money
I’m typing, 36,000ft in the air, on my return flight from Milan to Gatwick. Guess how much my flight cost, just for me, without a bag? £12. Two hours, plus [...]
Trump and the Massacre in Goa
Oops: I should have applied sunscreen today. My face is red. Silly me. I’m typing in a hotel bar, then sipping my first Venezuelan rum. Here in North Tenerife, [...]
The Sick Man of Europe
(Written during take-off from Tenerife South, Airport) Travelling on a rickety bus in rural Thailand, back in 2000, I had my only epiphany. The vast distance from home - [...]
Cuban Missile Crisis 2.0
We are living through a more dangerous period than the Cuban Missile Crisis, yet nobody is talking about it. With Russian ground forces getting pulverised, with its air force still [...]
