Paul Thomas

The Age of Terror columns

It takes a hardish heart to live in a lucky country

It takes a hardish heart to live in a lucky country

Burning Monk Syndrome (BMS) has always been with us but is becoming more prevalent due to advances in communications technology. The condition takes its name from the periodic spectacle of monks setting themselves on fire to draw the world’s attention to the suffering being inflicted on their country, often but not always Myanmar.

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Charlie Hebdo and the But Brigade

Charlie Hebdo and the But Brigade

Writer Salman Rushdie calls them the “But Brigade”: those who deplored the Charlie Hebdo massacre, but then watered down their condemnation with context, caveats, extrapolations and warnings against “over-reacting.”

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