politics

Image via The Telegraph There is a common belief that all politicians lie. I’m not convinced this is true but rather all try to get their message across in a way that doesn’t hold them hostage to fortune. Our current batch, however, have taken lying to a fine art.  Hannah Arendt, the German-born American historian … Continue reading The Bigger The Lie

Image thanks to Human Window Trying to avoid reading about Russell Brand has been a full time job. Coverage of his alleged misdemeanours and inappropriate behaviours has been wall to wall. To be honest I am just not interested. Don’t get me wrong, the abuse of power is wrong and, if it turns out that … Continue reading The celebrities we deserve

Is twenty plenty? Wales seems to think so as it has introduced a blanket twenty mile per hour speed limit across the country. At least it has if you believe what the right leaning media has to say. Despite voting to support the change, the Welsh Conservatives now see it as the latest wedge issue.  … Continue reading Is twenty plenty?

Image thanks to The London Economic I never watch the Last Night of the Proms. To be frank, I can’t stand all the hubris, the faux patriotism and the flag waving. It’s not my cup of tea. This year though I have been much amused and even a little bemused by the reaction to the … Continue reading Land of Hope and Glory

According to the Daily Mail (don’t judge me as I was sent a link) ‘Civil servants face curb on working from home 'Tuesday to Thursday' as ministers draw up plans to tackle plummeting public sector productivity.’ Really? Reading the article it is peppered with words such as face, poised and pushed meaning clearly that this … Continue reading Get back to work!

It’s not just in the UK where politics happens. I read with interest, in The New European, about the situation in Spain where Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s acting Socialist prime minister and leader of the PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) has recently cemented his party’s position in the Congress of Deputies. He has achieved this, apparently, … Continue reading Separatism and exam results 

The crimes of former neonatal nurse Letby are abhorrent and beyond comprehension. She has been found guilty in a court of law and, quite rightly, is now in jail. Justice has been served yet this case has thrown up a number of concerns, namely the desire that those found guilty of such crimes are to … Continue reading A whole life sentence

Watching Mary Beard on the television last night reminded me of the power and sophistication of Rome and its empire. ‘Meet the Romans’ is a ten year old repeat yet still enjoyable and took me back to my early school days when Romans were very much on the curriculum. To be honest I have always … Continue reading What did the Romans…

No government could be this insensitive, nor this stupid. It seems that they are jumping on every passing bandwagon in the hope that they may scrape together enough votes to win the next election, or at least not crash out into political oblivion.  Sunak’s five pledges, which when announced looked like open goals are now … Continue reading Setting them up for a fall

Image thanks to get Surrey I wrote this blog immediately after the by-elections. Things move on. I’m told that the proposed extension to the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone was an issue that resulted in Labour not taking Uxbridge and South Ruislip in the latest by-election. How do they know unless they asked everyone? I keep coming … Continue reading ULEZ