“On Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, culture and the uses of Marriage”

So recently Nigeria’s twitter and blogosphere has gotten heated up because of the recent revelation that the Emir of Kano, and former Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has taken as a bride, an 18 year old, soon to be university student. Apart from the obvious controversy about the disparity of their respective ages, once…

The Nazification of Nigeria – Or reflections on the meaning of bad and repressive laws

 On 7th January, the president of Nigeria’s fourth republic signed into law, a bill banning marriages between two people of the same sex; a law, in effect, banning a practice that did not in any legal sense already exist. More chilling, the law also banned the existence of any association of people presumed, or in…

Review: The Future of the Welfare State

John Humphry’s documentary is clearly the kick-off of a GREAT DEBATE about The Future of the Welfare State in this country. It’s one-sidedness and hand-wringing about the need for change though hamper what could have been a great programme. That the welfare state in Britain needs reforming almost – almost – goes without saying.    While…