Verity

A series of exogenous incidents

By Emeritus Professor Verity Bastion

Verity

Stripped back

Life’s bare necessities are revealed in death to Professor Verity Bastion. Nowadays I attend more funerals than cocktail parties. They can be quite jolly affairs and it is remarkable what

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The ironic lady

How a locked door gave a young Verity a momentary release, but left her trapped under a glass ceiling. Vivaldi had four seasons. In Britain we have five: spring, summer,

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Gone offline

Verity is uncomfortable with prospect of a virtual future for the end-of-life years. This last month has been exciting. Out of the blue, I was invited to give a keynote

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Banging the Qigong

Holistic philosophy of self-care, community and sustainability with razor wire is, it seems, the way forward. Thomas, my beloved husband, is giving me no peace with his chatter about the

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Out of pocket rocket

A tale of the downfall of another powerful predatory male and its aftershocks. So once more I visited the eye-wateringly expensive restaurant, Nobed. It is a haunt of celebrities as

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The nature of the beast

Verity delves into the environmental economics undergrowth.  Our peaceful piece of suburbia is feeling particularly tame at the moment.  A far cry from the perilous encounters to be had in

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Carbon upset

With a revolutionary treatise to write, our good Professor Bastion struggles to warm to green heat. It is chaos here.  It all started when our heating system failed. Now we

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Blade runner 2021

Imaginary friends get real. Things are very exciting in our retirement complex. I had never imagined when Thomas and I moved into this apartment four years ago that we would

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Double parked

Two cars yet nowhere to go. But how did she get where she is? Lockdown has certainly left everyone frazzled.  I have been trying to get on with writing my

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Hip to the beat

Pride after a fall. I am recuperating at home under Thomas’s care. The book I began a few months ago is on hold. I have little to distract me from

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A shocking trolley

A misplaced piece of supermarket equipment starts a dreadful carry on. I was not going to go for the lockdown fad of starting a new project but I have decided

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Isolated incidents

Thomas attempts to go viral as mass infection brings great opportunities.  I am isolating myself. There’s nothing wrong with me, or Thomas, but others around us are dropping like flies. But,

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Round for Dinner

My Christmas card from Esther and Abhijit Circular arguments ensue after a round of experiments. And Thomas’ culinary efforts return to the earth. I must admit that last week was

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Old Wounds

When pride takes a fall it’s the same the world over. After Boris’s election, I caught a little bit of his gung-ho optimism. I began to think it could be

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Home groan

Flourishing fads and price-hiked highs put the spirit into spiritualism. Everyone seems preoccupied with food these days with endless cookery porn, the young constantly posting their meals on social media

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Whiners and losers

Soft cheese, hard Brexit and the joys of talking trade theory. Like most people, I am wearied with this whole Brexit thing. It got particularly bad when Thomas became obsessively

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Digging the commons, man

How Thomas’ inner hippy saved the commons with a spot of help from the high-born Last week I was abruptly awakened by a loud noise. I elbowed my snoring Thomas

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The children are the future

Babysitting comes with great responsibility. Lehman.  I can’t seem to escape the constant harking on the significance of the failure of Lehman. There is even a play about the Lehman

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Basic Instincts

The value of a human life becomes clear. At last my old colleague, Felix Price, deigned to visit me last week after almost two years of retirement.  I have to

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Sustainably Yours

A late charge by Thomas into the green, ends in bloodshed and disappointment. If only they had consulted Professor Bastion. Thomas has gone green. Our dear girl Hermione wasn’t even

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A second brush with royalty

Professor Verity Bastion sees little cause to reflect on economic yester years and encounters a leading light in the black economy. So it looks like we are going to suffer

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Verity

Professor Verity Bastion seeks to steady the ship in these turbulent times with some common sense. There is something about Theresa May that reminds me of the Maid of Lorraine.

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Shame about The Economist

Economics is in a mess. Verity Bastion, Emeritus Professor of Economics, speaks out. The Mint has asked me to write a column. Now I know this Mint thing it’s a

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