Where is Jeremy Corbyn’s Sam Seaborn?

382936 02: Actors from (l-r) Martin Sheen stars as President Josiah Bartlet and Rob Lowe as Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn on NBC''s West Wing which airs Wednesdays on NBC (9-10 p.m. ET). (Photo by David Rose/NBC/Newsmakers)

One of the big challenges of criticising Jeremy Corbyn is that if you have any skin whatsoever in what is now deemed to be the “old politics” you’re views are instantly dismissed as irrelevant. So it is that I’ve spent the day looking at Twitter, with old politicos saying the speech was rubbish and the… Continue reading Where is Jeremy Corbyn’s Sam Seaborn?

Borgen: how realistic is it?

I’ve spent this weekend catching up with Borgen and probably reading about it a bit too much. In particular, this critical review by Rachel Cooke came to my attention yesterday via political academic Stuart Wilks-Heeg’s twitter feed, prompting this exchange: @stuartwilksheeg What’s weird is that she slags off the stronger of those two episodes. She’s… Continue reading Borgen: how realistic is it?

From Smallville to Metropolis: how Obama represents the American Dream

I sincerely hope this post isn’t seen as being disrespectful to someone who was clearly a remarkable woman, but Madelyn Dunham’s death today has a weird kind of appositeness. I’m hardly the first person to point out the almost fictional-feeling narrative of Barack Obama’s election campaign. He has a background that is almost too perfect,… Continue reading From Smallville to Metropolis: how Obama represents the American Dream