Philip WhiteleyMaria and LwitikoThere was once a girl, growing up in the west of England in a low-income household, whose father was an agricultural labourer. Let’s call…3 min read·Apr 2, 2024----
Philip WhiteleyWho should lead?Studying for my History O-Level in 1979 at the age of 16 (you have to be British and above a certain age to know what an ‘O-Level’ was) I…2 min read·Mar 19, 2024--1--1
Philip WhiteleyThe pace of progress in business is painfully slowWhen I was 18, in 1981, I wrote an essay as part of my application to Cambridge University. The theme was the importance of switching from…3 min read·Apr 10, 2023----
Philip WhiteleyBritish understatement can be deadlyA few months ago a British citizen angrily demanded, in response to a BBC series on black history: ‘Why is there never a White History…3 min read·Mar 30, 2022--4--4
Philip WhiteleyOn living alone in lockdownIt helps that I live near a prison. When I go for my daily run in the common, I glance up. I am thankful my daily exercise is on this side…6 min read·Nov 29, 2020--4--4
Philip WhiteleyUK silences whistleblowersIn late 2019 a doctor tried to alert Chinese authorities to a dangerous new virus, with the potential to become a deadly pandemic. He was…5 min read·Sep 3, 2020----
Philip WhiteleyExplaining sarcasm to an AI machineAI: I’ve learned that the intended meaning of a sentence can be different, even the absolute opposite, of the literal meaning of the words…3 min read·Apr 29, 2020----
Philip WhiteleyIn defence of difficult booksI write accessible books. The language is clear, the characters quickly identifiable; two of my three published novels follow the arc of a…3 min read·Feb 13, 2020--1--1
Philip WhiteleyThere’s sweetness in life sometimes. Get over itThere’s a word that recurs in readers’ and critics’ reactions to A Love of Two Halves, my new novel. I expected it, but the frequency of…2 min read·Jan 10, 2020--1--1
Philip WhiteleyData is not lifeWhen I was in my 20s, my partner and I spent several weeks walking and backpacking, in the woods and the mountains of France, Portugal and…3 min read·Sep 1, 2019--3--3