Cumbria There have been times in the last few years when I have wondered whether this country still had the community spirit and infrastructure skills which got us through the war. I mean WWII. Panic buying in supermarkets during the fuel blockade did not bode well. Cumbria has proved there is nothing to fear. The spirit […]
Dubai When Bear Stearns went down early in 2008, most people thought it was just a straightforward bank failure brought about by careless management. A few, very few, saw it a straw in the wind, later to blow through the world financial system with hurricane force. Now we have Dubai, the first country, albeit tiny, in […]
The NHS More alarming news about the quality of care in the NHS. Trusts given the accolade of good and then found deficient. Today we learn that some 5000 people who go into hospital with routine non- threatening conditions die. This is preposterous. Let me repeat 5000 people, yes three noughts, 5000, are dying in […]
Iraq War Inquiry Sir John Chillcot and his team are making a very good start. Complaints have been made by the legal profession that there are no barristers allowed in this inquiry and the usual adversarial ding dong so much and wrongly admired as a route to truth, is missing. It is precisely because the […]
Ofsted I hate quangos and regulators, but realistically I know that in some places they are a necessity. One of those is schools. In my book I mention something about the Ofsted inspection process being too docketed and process driven, with a stock of phrases used for analysis which make very ineffective use of a language […]
Northern Ireland I have never had much sympathy for the Unionists in Northern Ireland. This does not mean I am sympathetic to terrorisits because I am not. But I do look at the map and in the small island of Ireland I see only one country. When Rev.Dr. Ian Paisley got together with Martin McGuinness there seemed […]
Europe Well its over. No President Blair. The dinner came and went in short order. Choices were made swiftly. Everyone went home smiling. Except for the Big Europe Federalists, upset that this unknown duo would cut no dash upon the world stage. Yes there are those who smirk. Herman Van what? Baroness who? But as […]
State Opening – The Aftermath This should never have happened. It has further diminished the authority of Parliament. It has tainted the Crown with a process which is clearly tacky. There is one piece of legislation which would have been universally well received, or several pieces as some say are needed, to ensure that this […]
Dignity and Courage It is impossible not to be moved and inspired by the dignity, courage and candour of Christina Schmid as she exhibits star quality in grief at the loss of her hero husband in Afghanistan. Like all the families caught in the sudden shattering of their lives, not just now, but through all […]
Europe In one of those peculiar alleys at the end of which European democracy works over dinner, one is to be held tomorrow at which a Name is expected to emerge. The path will then be open for the Name to be ratified as the first EU President. For the motorcade factor the choice would be […]