James Thomson - author - page 5 - The Slovak Spectator

James Thomson

James Thomson is a British editor and travel writer who has been based in Slovakia for more than 10 years. He started working with The Slovak Spectator in 2008, when he wrote the 14th edition of the Spectacular Slovakia travel guide. He has also lived and worked in Austria, Australia, Britain and New Zealand. He teaches undergraduate courses on news and information, 20th-century European history and modern China.

List of author's articles, page 5

Theresa May announced Brexit will start on March 29.

Hostages to fortune

Britain will trigger Article 50 to leave the EU on 29 March. She and her EU partners could, and should, guarantee the rights of their citizens living abroad – including tens of thousands of Slovaks in the UK. That they have not is a disgrace.

James Thomson

In praise of concrete

It was once notorious for its drab tower blocks and urban crime, but Petržalka now epitomises modern Slovakia.

James Thomson

There will not be a revolution this year, but there is discontent.

Much to celebrate?

Religious upheaval, violent revolution or the power of peaceful protest? Take your pick: 2017 offers the opportunity to remember them all.

James Thomson

New Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen who defeated the populist right-wing Freedom Party’s Norbert Hofer in the repeated second round of presidential elections in Austria.

Europe is revolting, again

With much of Europe in a funk, Austrian voters’ choice of a civilized candidate for president on December 4 gives some grounds for hope, at the end of what has been a wretched year.

James Thomson

Winter is coming

America elects Donald Trump, Slovakia’s top sportswoman endorses quack medicine, and the king of ‘New Age conspiracism’ is to visit Bratislava. Are we nearing the end times?

James Thomson

Average Bratislavans can afford smaller flats compared to other citizens.

Time to recalibrate?

The idea that Slovakia is not a rich country is deeply ingrained in the Slovak psyche. But is it true?

James Thomson

Ever-decreasing circles

As the ruling party sheds a senior member, the question of what it stands for remains unanswered.

James Thomson

Road to nowhere?

Bratislava should be a great place to cycle around, and maybe one day it will be. But for now, there are still a few obstacles for the urban cyclist.

James Thomson

Remembering and forgetting

Until politicians agree to leave history to professional historians, accept their findings, however unsettling, and discuss them honestly, not least in classrooms, school trips are unlikely to change much.

James Thomson

The five stages of grief

The post-Brexit-vote grieving process appears to have run through almost all the stages of the Kübler-Ross spectrum in less than a month.

James Thomson

Occupying the centre ground

The situation in Slovakia suggests that democracy may not be quite as sickly as it is sometimes portrayed.

James Thomson

European affairs

Slovakia's EU presidency begins in July and Bratislava has suddenly started resurfacing its roads with gusto. You can now drive your police-escorted limousine down Štefánikova Street without spilling your cocktail.

James Thomson

Food vouchers - a useful perk of employment?

A licence to print money

Among the stranger aspects of life in Slovakia – along with the whipping of womenfolk at Easter, the ubiquity of notaries, and those curious outbreaks of civility that one encounters only upon entering and leaving elevators – is the food voucher. The idiosyncrasies of this ersatz currency speak volumes about Slovakia itself.

James Thomson