19 February 2015 Paris Blocking the road from hell By John Watson The thinking behind the outrage in Paris is hard to understand. This was no assault on the bastions of the capitalist and military establishment. It was an attack on innocent people enjoying a pleasant evening out. “Thank God it’s Friday” many of them… Continue reading Issue 29: 2015 11 19: Paris
Author: Neil Tidmarsh
Issue 29: 2015 11 19: On Yer Bikes
19 November 2015 On Yer Bikes by J R Thomas The reign of King Boris is coming to a close; the age of the comedians may be over. For sixteen years London’s Mayors have been rebels, men outside the mainstream, cheeky chappies popular with the public, if less so with their party leaders. It looks… Continue reading Issue 29: 2015 11 19: On Yer Bikes
Issue 27: 2015 11 05: Contents
05 November 2015: Issue 27 Week in Brief UK International Financial Comment Also Ran by J R Thomas The US Democrats’ other candidates The Light At The Top Of The Tree by John Watson Political altitude sickness Ban It by Neil Tidmarsh Go on, Great Leader, you know you want to Features Blacked Out by J R… Continue reading Issue 27: 2015 11 05: Contents
Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Neat and Nimble
12 November 2015 Neat and Nimble By Chin Chin When Flanders and Swan wrote their famous song about the gasman, they based the lyrics on those of a Victorian ditty in which the singer falls in love with a young woman who, while “dashing away with the smoothing iron,” steals his heart away. In fact… Continue reading Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Neat and Nimble
Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Nosing about in the e-mails
12 November 2015 Nosing About In The Emails Does the draft Investigatory Powers Bill cover all the gaps? By John Watson The failure by the Government to obtain parliamentary authority for the extension of the RAF’s activities in Iraq into Syria conjures up the image of targets dodging across the border like rabbits and then… Continue reading Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Nosing about in the e-mails
Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Week in Brief: UK
12 November 2015 Week in Brief: UK SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Although the action of the British government in promptly grounding flights in and out of Sharm el-Sheikh was initially condemned by Egypt as being unwarranted, it has been justified by the conclusion of the investigating authorities that the destruction of the plane bound for St Petersburg… Continue reading Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Links to the Past
12 November 2015 Links To The Past by J R Thomas The traditional pursuit of the comfortably-off country chap (or those who wanted to be thought one) was preserving pheasants. Preserving in the sense of rearing and then shooting them, that is. The richer version of this gentleman focused his attention on grouse – wilder,… Continue reading Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Links to the Past
Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Class War Is Alive And Well
12 November 2015 Class War Is Alive And Well by Watson Low Andrew Neil hosts a weekly political programme called This Week which exemplifies the cosy “after you, Claude” approach of establishment politicians. Michael Portillo shares a settee with Alan Johnson or Diane Abbott and they clearly have much more that unites them than divides… Continue reading Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Class War Is Alive And Well
Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Sea Green Incorruptible
12 November 2015 Sea Green Incorruptible by Don Urquhart Thomas Carlyle described Citoyen Robespierre as a sea green incorruptible and were he around today might similarly characterise Jeremy Corbyn. In recent PMQ’s, the leader of the opposition used up 9 of his 12 allotted questions making the same inquiry of David Cameron – “Are you… Continue reading Issue 28: 2015 11 12: Sea Green Incorruptible
Issue 27: 2015 11 05: The Light At The Top Of The Tree
05 November 2015 The Light At The Top Of The Tree By John Watson Most people, if they were asked about Lord Raglan, would start talking about sleeves; and indeed the style was invented for him by Aquascutum so that he could better use his sword in battle, his right arm having been amputated at… Continue reading Issue 27: 2015 11 05: The Light At The Top Of The Tree
Issue 27: 2015 11 05: Colours
05 November 2015 Colours by John Watson Newspapers are like junk shops. It is amongst the rubbish that you find a jewel and there it was this morning. Right alongside an article revealing that sexual desire still matters for over-60s (surely a glance though gossip columns inhabited by cougars and dirty old men makes that… Continue reading Issue 27: 2015 11 05: Colours
Issue 27: 2015 11 05: Week in Brief: UK
05 November 2015 Week in Brief: UK POPULATION FIGURES: The Office for National Statistics predicts that over the next twenty-five years the population of the UK will increase from 64,600,000 to 74,300,000. By then it will have overtaken that of France and, if trends continue, it will overtake that of Germany in 2047. The projected… Continue reading Issue 27: 2015 11 05: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 27: 2015 11 05: A Fading Strangeness
05 November 2015 A Fading Strangeness By Chin Chin Just how much is 10,000 forint? That’s the Hungarian forint, of course, and to work it out one has to remember the exchange rate. I know, there was a 23 in it somewhere. Divide by 23 perhaps? That would be about £434, rather a lot for… Continue reading Issue 27: 2015 11 05: A Fading Strangeness
