NEW BOOK AT LAST My latest novel, Hitler’s First Lady, a historical drama set in the nineteen thirties and forties, will take you to the epicenter of the Third Reich and the British Establishment and is now on Kindle. Through the life story of the heroine, Lise Bauer, you will learn of the intrigue behind […]
The contest for the outcome of the independence vote is becoming less certain. Not long ago it was pretty clear that Salmond and his cohorts did not have a coherent economic plan and this shortfall would prove decisive for the No campaign. However this is no longer the battleground. The currency is important but another front is opening up.
Sir Ian Kennedy is right to point out that MPs cannot be relied upon to adjudicate their own scandalous behaviour with their expenses. In the case of Maria Miller, her reported conduct and financial claims appall every voter and taxpayer. The niceties of whether she was stroppy during the investigation, or the fact that she […]
With a reported turnout of nearly 80% of voters and a 97% majority in favour of rejoining Russia, the Crimean referendum has proved pretty decisive. There is not a single western democracy which can match these figures in any election about anything, yet they declare it illegal. Oh? So what is democracy if it is […]
There is now a chance for dialogue to begin with Russia that goes beyond telling her what she has to do, to gain re-admission to the diplomatic community, which for diverse reasons has been remarkably united to its opposition to events in Crimea. This opposition stems not so much from outrage at a violated principle, […]
This Blog is saddened, like so many, at the news of the passing of one of the great political personalities of modern times. His politics were a unique mix of enthusiasm, principle, compassion and left wing ideology. When in parliament, sometimes as a minister, he was both efficient and incisive. He was also divisive because […]
There is a good deal of anxiety nowadays about police corruption in the UK as a consequence of numerous scandals, miscarriages of justice, inquiries and revelations. At the heart of all this lies the way the police service is organised in England. Almost every county has its own force, to which are added the big […]
While the diplomatic offensive to resolve the crisis hots up but makes no progress, the position on the ground remains bloodless but grows more unstable. This blog has exhaustively discussed this issue over the last few weeks at each stage of its development and it is now time to take a look at each side’s […]
So far the Russian occupation of Crimea has been achieved without loss of life, or indeed without a drop of blood being spilled. This could only happen though the enthusiastic welcome of the majority of the population who see themselves as actually or ethically Russian. It is therefore not realistic to make out that this […]
It is becoming clear that the Crimea is lost as an integral part of the Ukrainian state and it is unlikely that Kiev will ever be able to satisfy the anxieties both of its ethnic Russian population and Russia itself to cause it to return. What is now in the balance is whether the eastern […]