AlanMcGuinness's blog


Sofa, so bad

That's the verdict of the Guardian's Hadley Freeman on Daybreak, ITV1's new breakfast programme.

What a strange thing Daybreak is looking set to be," she writes.

BP Spill Victims Given Compensation Warning

Victims of the BP oil spill should be prepared to wait years, perhaps even decades, for compensation.

That is one of the lessons that Ecuadorian residents say can be learned from their 17-year battle to hold the oil company Texaco to account for what has been called the 'Amazon's Chernobyl'.

Reaching the point of no return

 In a lengthy but brilliant article, Jeffrey Goldberg explores the possibility of Israel launching a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Among the 40 or so Israeli, Arab and American officials he speaks to, a consensus emerges that there is 50 per cent chance that such an attack will happen - by next July.

Afghanistan & Wikileaks: Julian Assange at the Frontline Club

On Monday Wikileaks released a mountain of documents on the war in Afghanistan through the Guardian, the New York Times and German weekly Der Spiegel.

The picture painted is chaotic: failed attempts to win the 'hearts and minds' of the Afghan people, numerous incidences of civilian casualties and evidence that both Iran and Pakistan are helping the Taliban.

A volcanic eruption and the downfall of General Stanley McChrystal

The volcanic eruption in Iceland didn't just disrupt flights across Europe for a few weeks in April, it also played a role in the downfall of the commander of the United States' operation in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.

President Obama yesterday sacked the four star general after comments in a Rolling Stone profile piece came to light. (By the way, here's the full article).

Nixon in the Den

Whilst looking around on the BBC's iPlayer I came across this programme on Richard Nixon.

Titled 'Nixon in the Den' it is a look at the rise and fall of the 37th President of the United States. In it, historian David Reynolds argues that the traits that brought him to the very top - his steely ambition, excruciating work ethic and a deep-seated inferiority complex - also fuelled his eventual downfall.

Crystal Palace's last stand

‘105 years of history, we will not die without a fight’.

This is the message that greets me as I walk into the beer garden of The Albion pub in South Norwood. This is the message that the Holmesdale Fanatics (HF), a hardcore group of Crystal Palace supporters, wants to deliver as their beloved club stares into the abyss.

'A few of my favourite things...'

Next weekend Julie Andrews plays her first UK concert for nearly 30 years at the O2 Arena.

Ahead of her performance I spoke to fans about their collections of Andrews related memorabilia for a piece in today's Independent on Sunday.

Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea: Day of high drama blows the race for the Premier League title wide open

Another weekend, another twist in the Premier League title race.

The way this season is going, it would be foolish to write Chelsea, Manchester United, or even Arsenal out of the race for top spot.

As the Manchester derby edged towards full time earlier on today, those of a blue persuasion in West London must have thought their slightly lighter blue cousins up north were about to do them a huge favour and hold United to a draw, surely ending any hopes they had of hanging on to their title.

Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea: A sucker punch, but not a knockout blow

Sky Sports’ fondness of hype is an inescapable part of the modern Premier League title race.

With David Haye fighting John Ruiz in Manchester on the same day and the fight being shown on Sky Box Office, the broadcaster was almost contractually obliged to adopt a fight theme for their coverage of Manchester United v Chelsea.