44 The Times Magazine
SEPTEMBER
02.09 Please take your litter with you
“American troops had agreed to an
August 31 withdrawal from Afghanistan,
ending the 20 -year war. The Americans
got a terrible rap for their handling of the
situation, not least all their abandoned
war machines and paraphernalia. It was
an utter, utter mess and the sign of
a defeated superpower.”
04.09 Take a chance on them?
“After 40 years Abba had announced they were getting back together,
releasing a new album and putting on a series of concerts. At the same
time there was an awful lot of criticism of Keir Starmer, so the idea of
former Labour leaders coming together made a pretty gruesome group.”