I am a well-published writer, part-time lecturer, and freelance journalist with a long-standing interest in history, religion, philosophy, and current affairs. My work explores how belief, ideas, and moral conviction shape public life — and how the past continues to illuminate the present. I describe myself as an 'Incorrigible Dissenter' because I'm not afraid to question settled orthodoxies, whether religious, political, or cultural. True to the English tradition of Dissent, I value conscience over conformity, inquiry over complacency, and principle over fashion. This website gathers my reflections on books, belief, and the intellectual currents that continue to shape our common life.

My thoughts and opinions have grown out of a strong — but I hope tolerant — Christian faith, and from extensive experience travelling and working abroad. As my book titles will indicate, I have spent considerable time living and working in countries such as Iraq, Kurdistan, and Saudi Arabia. They say 'Travel is the best educator'. In many ways, it is, if the traveller is willing to sit and listen to, and discuss with, the local people he or she meets.