A Point of View

'In the dog days of the pandemic,' writes John Connell, 'I decided the place to recharge my spirit was the mountains and oceans of Ireland's west coast.'John sets off in the footsteps of the famous Irish monk and journeyman, St Brendan, in an attempt to recover a sense of 'wonder'.Producer: Adele Armstrong

Bernardine Evaristo argues that the racist abuse levelled at England players after the final of the Euros has troubling ramifications. She says it's the kind of "vile, in-yer-face bile many of us thought we'd left behind decades ago."The essay contains very strong racist language. Producer: Adele Armstrong

'I object to the demotion of the noble art of indoor swimming,' writes Sara Wheeler, 'in the current frenzy to leap into the nearest river.'Sara explains why she has little time for the new fad of wild swimming and sings the praises of those gorgeous pools that sprang up around the UK from the nineteenth century. Producer: Adele Armstrong

Tom Shakespeare argues that red tape should be regarded as a force for good. From Charles Dickens' famous mention of red tape until today, making fun of red tape has been virtually a national pastime. But Tom cautions that as Britain prepares to set aside rules and regulations surrounding COVID, we shouldn't act too hastily.Producer: Adele Armstrong

Niall Ferguson argues that a post-pandemic 'Roaring Twenties' is far from certain. 'There are good reasons to doubt that the 2020s will be roaring in any sense at all, good or bad', he writes. 'Rather the remainder of the decade may prove distinctly boring.' Reflecting on his own teenage boredom, he believes - for young people - a boring decade would be the biggest disappointment of all. Producer: Adele Armstrong(Image: Niall Ferguson. Credit: Dewald Aukema)

Zoe Strimpel argues that the culture war is no fake or proxy war - but rather ideas about what is acceptable to know, to teach and to think.Thirty years after the US sociologist James Davison Hunter wrote his book 'Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America', Zoe looks at how those ideas are playing out around the world today. 'There is a sense of menace about,' she writes, 'of pent-up, complicated grievance. I worry that the culture war could tip into something far more deadly.' Producer: Adele Armstrong

"To locate Zionism's origins," argues Howard Jacobson, "we must leave historical for spiritual time." Howard ponders whether a hint of the tragic world view would change perceptions today in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Producer: Adele Armstrong

Bernardine Evaristo argues that, as we move out of lockdown and rebuild our creative infrastructure, we must cherish the country's arts culture.She criticises disinvestment in the arts and the notion that school children should be, at every stage of their education, steered towards science and maths subjects. 'Creativity infuses every aspect of society and how we function as human beings,' she writes. 'Without creativity everything stagnates, including advances in STEM subjects.'Producer: Adele Armstrong

Sara Wheeler rereads her youthful diaries and ponders lessons learned. 'Discarding perished rubber bands that once sheaved the slim volumes,' Sara writes, 'I read the story of my own life.'She wonders if accepting and understanding the past can help us escape 'the three rs of lived experience - regret, remorse and recrimination.' Producer: Adele Armstrong

'I have to concede: I am a fervent eavesdropper', writes Will Self.He ponders eavesdropping etiquette, the hard and fast rules of the game, and whether - in our straitened times - there can be any future for the eavesdropper.Producer: Adele Armstrong