09 June 2016 Remain! The muddle after Brexit. By John Watson Personally I enjoy a little lowbrow family comedy and the excellent series “My Family”, starring Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker, is always good for a laugh. A lot of the jokes, of course, are old ones and a recent episode centred on the contrast… Continue reading Issue 57: 2016 06 09: Remain! (John Watson)
Tag: John Watson
Issue 56: 2016 06 02: The Rise And Rise Of Mr Khan (John Watson)
02 June 2016 The Rise And Rise Of Mr Khan Are we looking at a future prime minister? By John Watson On Monday I watched the news on television. That isn’t something I always do. Normally I pick up what’s been going on from all sorts of different sources: the press, websites, the car radio,… Continue reading Issue 56: 2016 06 02: The Rise And Rise Of Mr Khan (John Watson)
Issue 54: 2016 05 19: BBC – Not Quite Gentlemen (John Watson)
19 May 2016 The BBC – Not Quite Gentlemen Eavesdropping on private conversations should be a no-no By John Watson Take two cases. In one, a male celebrity cavorts in a bed with two other men. Once the press get hold of the story, an injunction is issued and the identity of the men cannot… Continue reading Issue 54: 2016 05 19: BBC – Not Quite Gentlemen (John Watson)
Issue 53: 2016 05 12: Letters From Abroad (John Watson)
12 May 2016 Letters From Abroad The US has a different angle. by John Watson Another week, another salvo from Remain. This time it is the turn of the US defence industry to blaze away, with a letter to The Times from a selection of distinguished secretaries of state, defence secretaries, national security advisers and directors… Continue reading Issue 53: 2016 05 12: Letters From Abroad (John Watson)
Issue 53: 2016 05 12: The Local Elections (John Watson)
12 May 2016 The Local Elections A political health check By John Watson Election results are the political equivalent of medical scans. They provide copious information while leaving plenty of scope for the commentators to decide what is important and what is not. Which of the results is a symptom of a tectonic movement? Which,… Continue reading Issue 53: 2016 05 12: The Local Elections (John Watson)
Issue 52: 2016 05 05: Hillsborough (John Watson)
05 May 2016 Hillsborough The importance of vertical diversity by John Watson The recent coroner’s enquiry into Hillsborough reveals a double tragedy. First, of course, there were 96 deaths. The jury’s verdicts of unlawful killing indicate that they were caused by gross negligence and now the criminal law must take its course. In relation to… Continue reading Issue 52: 2016 05 05: Hillsborough (John Watson)
Issue 51: Another Volley From Remain (John Watson)
28 April 2016 Another Volley From “Remain” By John Watson Another week, another salvo from the guns of the Remain camp. President Obama makes his contribution to the discussion but without, of course, telling the British how to vote. He is here as a guest for the Queen’s birthday celebrations and he is far too… Continue reading Issue 51: Another Volley From Remain (John Watson)
Issue 51: 2016 04 28: Academies – A Step Too Far (John Watson)
28 April 2016 Academies – A Step Too Far The row about whether all schools should have to adopt academy status is an unwelcome distraction. By John Watson You would have thought that the European referendum was sufficiently exciting. A Cabinet split into two factions, a decision which will determine Britain’s place in the world… Continue reading Issue 51: 2016 04 28: Academies – A Step Too Far (John Watson)
Issue 50: 2016 04 21: The Shadow of the Past (John Watson)
21 April 2016 The Shadow of the Past We should not hold old stories about who Mr Khan rubbed shoulders with against him. By John Watson Some jokes are recycled generation by generation and they are often not very good ones. Take this as an example. A man walks into a restaurant and orders soup.… Continue reading Issue 50: 2016 04 21: The Shadow of the Past (John Watson)
Issue 50: 2016 04 2: The Treasury Paper (John Watson)
21 April 2016 The Treasury Paper Now at last we have something we can debate. By John Watson At long last the referendum battle seems to be joined. Until this week the points were all coming from the Brexit camp and the only riposte seem to be the government’s rather unimpressive and very expensive leaflet. … Continue reading Issue 50: 2016 04 2: The Treasury Paper (John Watson)
Issue 49: 2016 04 14: Obesity (Chin Chin)
14 April 2016 Obesity Industry solves the problem. By Chin Chin Thank the Lord for Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health at the University of Oxford, Senior Obesity Adviser to Public Health England and to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, known to the general public as the “weight Tsar”, who… Continue reading Issue 49: 2016 04 14: Obesity (Chin Chin)
Issue 49: 2016 04 14: Panorama – The Cameron Coverage (John Watson)
14 April 2016 Panorama – The Cameron Coverage The BBC has a duty to put things fairly. by John Watson Those who read my piece Tax Havens and Panorama in Shaw Sheet last week may remember that it ended with three questions about Panorama’s coverage of Ian Cameron’s offshore funds. They were: did they now realise… Continue reading Issue 49: 2016 04 14: Panorama – The Cameron Coverage (John Watson)
Issue 48: 2016 04 07: Tax Havens and Panorama (John Watson)
07 April 2016 Tax Havens and Panorama The question Panorama didn’t answer. by John Watson I have always thought that there might be something in guilt by association. If you know that someone runs with a bad crowd it is often wise to keep them at arm’s length. Birds of a feather, that sort of… Continue reading Issue 48: 2016 04 07: Tax Havens and Panorama (John Watson)
