20 August 2015 Duty Free Sales- a nasty piece of bullying By John Watson Nature provides us with warning signs. A red sky in the morning is a sign of rough weather. A horse with its ears laid back is likely to kick. If the politicians agree on something it is probably wrong. It is… Continue reading Issue 16: 2015 08 20: Duty Free Sales
Category: Comment
Issue 16: 2015 08 20: Now I’m a Union Man
20 August 2015 “Now I’m a Union Man” by J R Thomas So sang The Strawbs in 1973, at number two in the charts in February that year. Jeremy Corbyn must be singing the same song in the shower as he contemplates the extraordinary surge of success propelling him towards a clear first round win… Continue reading Issue 16: 2015 08 20: Now I’m a Union Man
Issue 16:2015 08 20:TOURISM v. TERRORISM
20 August 2015 Tourism v. Terrorism by Neil Tidmarsh Summer holidays, August 2015. The sun is hot, the swimming pool is invitingly cool and fresh, the sunlight glitters and sparkles on the warm waters of the Mediterranean which meets a cloudless blue sky on a shimmering horizon. Sicily… the South of France… the Balearics… Gaza… … Continue reading Issue 16:2015 08 20:TOURISM v. TERRORISM
Issue 15: 2015 08 13:Leadership Matters
13 August 2015 Leadership Matters by J.R. Thomas On each side of the Atlantic the struggles continue. On the western side of the ocean, to edge ever nearer to being the possible leader of the free world in 2016; on the eastern side, a rather longer term play, to move towards becoming Her Majesty’s first… Continue reading Issue 15: 2015 08 13:Leadership Matters
Issue 15: 2015 08 13 Private education
13 August 2015 The hidden benefits of private education By John Watson On 6 August 2015, Jake Anders of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research published a research paper which now appears on the website of the Sutton Trust. It is entitled: “Does socio-economic background affect pay growth among early entrants to high… Continue reading Issue 15: 2015 08 13 Private education
Issue 15: 2015 08 13 : A Matter of Momentum
13 August 2015 A Matter of Momentum By John Watson “Unelectable”, “inexperienced”, “would lead the party over a precipice”, the efforts of the Labour establishment to discredit Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership bid utilise all the obvious political adjectives. In the end, though, it is the first one, “unelectable”, which gets the most use because electability has… Continue reading Issue 15: 2015 08 13 : A Matter of Momentum
Issue 14: Spotlight moves to Charities
6 August 2015 Spotlight moves to Charities by John Watson Most of our institutions have come under the spotlight in the scandals of recent years. The status of MPs has been damaged by the expenses scandal. The press has been damaged by investigations into hacking. Government and the entertainment industry will be prime fishing grounds… Continue reading Issue 14: Spotlight moves to Charities
Issue 14: 2015 08 06: Fading Icons: Belting the Green Belts
6 August 2015 Fading Icons: Belting the Green Belts by J.R.Thomas From the consultative process-ridden, consensual lobbyist-polished, days of the first quarter of the twenty first century it is difficult to imagine the vigour of Clement Attlee and his post-war government. What energy, what dedication, what strength of purpose, what clarity of vision, that first unfettered… Continue reading Issue 14: 2015 08 06: Fading Icons: Belting the Green Belts
Issue 14: 2015 08 06 Cooped up in Calais
6 August 2015 Cooped up in Calais By John Watson The attempts by migrants to force the passage of the channel at Calais is just one aspect of a huge international problem. From a British perspective, Calais is the frontier but for the signatories to the Schengen agreement and especially the countries of southern Europe… Continue reading Issue 14: 2015 08 06 Cooped up in Calais
Issue 13: 2015 07 30 This Could Never Happen
30 July 2015 This could never happen by Neil Tidmarsh Imagine a powerful armed force has invaded Ireland (let’s call them ICIC – a European movement akin to the KKK). They’ve swept Eire’s military aside and are heading north, towards the UK. All that’s holding them back are irregular bands of a hastily re-formed IRA,… Continue reading Issue 13: 2015 07 30 This Could Never Happen
Issue 13: 2015 07 30: Labour in Vain
30 July 2015 Labour in Vain by J R Thomas In another article in this week’s Shaw Sheet, we look at the exciting world of opera in modern Britain. Followers of politics in the UK may be under the impression that they are watching a live opera, albeit without the singing (so far), as the… Continue reading Issue 13: 2015 07 30: Labour in Vain
Issue 13: 2015 07 30 The view from the M20
30 July 2015 The view from the M20 by Neil Tidmarsh A motorway which has been turned into a car-park is a very strange sight indeed. The stillness and the silence are truly surreal. Movement – fast movement – and noise – loud noise – are two of the things which define a motorway (even… Continue reading Issue 13: 2015 07 30 The view from the M20
Issue 12: 2015 07 23 Viva La Siesta! Viva la Diferencia!
23 July 2015 Viva La Siesta! Viva La Diferencia! by Neil Tidmarsh Three cheers to Spain this week, for offering us weary Europeans a little respite from the gloom and doom of Greece’s never-ending Euro disaster. And let’s face it, a little goes a long way these days. From Ador, near Valencia, comes the news… Continue reading Issue 12: 2015 07 23 Viva La Siesta! Viva la Diferencia!
