About
About me
I grew up in a small country, and for years I thought politics was something other people understood. Then I started reading the rules, the real ones, in the plain order they happen: how a bill moves, how a budget is voted, how a council meets. It turned out to be quite simple once someone said it slowly.
So I write it slowly. Every week I take one question, such as who counts the votes or why a small state joins an alliance, and I explain how it works. I do not say who is right and I do not talk about parties. If a piece ever sounds as if it takes a side, I want to hear about it.
I write at a window seat in my local library, with a notebook and a thermos, and I like to start from what I can see. A ballot box. A council notice on the board. A sheet of figures. The letter goes out every Sunday, and it is free.
What I sell are the things I use myself: short guides for each topic, a glossary, a reading list and two courses. I do not sell opinions. I teach you to read how your own country works.
Questions
How do the downloads arrive?
After checkout you receive an email with a download link, and the same link is shown on the confirmation page. Every file is a PDF made to read on a screen or print on ordinary A4 or Letter paper.
How do the courses work?
You pay once and the lessons appear in your account straight away. Watch them in order or jump around, as often as you like, on a phone, a tablet or a laptop.
Is the letter free?
Yes. It arrives every Sunday and costs nothing. The guides and courses are there if you would like more, and you never have to buy anything to keep reading.
Do you take sides?
No. I explain how things work and leave the judging to you. I do not talk about parties or name politicians. If a letter ever seems to lean one way, write to me and I will look at it again.
Is this about one country only?
I write from a small country, so my examples come from one. But the ideas, such as committees, budgets and counting, are much the same in many places, and most readers find them easy to carry over.
Can I read the old letters?
Yes. Every letter stays on the site, and each one says which earlier letter it builds on. The start-here list gives you five to read in order.
Support my work
If you enjoy what I make, there are a few ways to help me keep making it.
- Join: Become a member
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- Say thanks: Buy me a coffee
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Newsletter
Small State Letter
A short letter every Sunday: how one part of public life works in a small country, explained plainly.