Issue 108: 2017 06 08: Following the oracle (John Watson)

08 June 2017 Following The Oracle Has Mrs May misjudged her position? By John Watson Data is all very well but for it to be useful you have to know what it means.  A failure to interpret forecasts correctly ruined Croesus in 347 BC.  Now it threatens Mrs May.  Of course the two cases are… Continue reading Issue 108: 2017 06 08: Following the oracle (John Watson)

Issue 108: 2017 06 08: Week in Brief: UK

08 June 2017 Week In Brief: UK Terrorism LONDON ATTACKS: On Saturday night three terrorists murdered seven people and injured another 48 in an attack on London Bridge and Borough Market.  It began when they drove their white rental van into pedestrians on the bridge.  The van was abandoned just outside Southwark Cathedral, the men using… Continue reading Issue 108: 2017 06 08: Week in Brief: UK

Issue 107: 2017 06 01: Breakfast on the menu (Lynda Goetz)

01 June 2017 Breakfast On The Menu Is breakfast really the answer? By Lynda Goetz The answer to what, you may well ask?  A fair question.  Firstly and most importantly, is it the answer to plugging a hole in the Conservative’s education budget?  Secondly, is a free breakfast for all primary school children a reasonable… Continue reading Issue 107: 2017 06 01: Breakfast on the menu (Lynda Goetz)

Issue 107: 2017 06 01: General elections 2017 – Scottish version (Antoninus)

01 June 2017 General Election 2017 – Scottish Version A view from north of the border. By Antoninus It scarcely seems yesterday (it was 12 January – Ed.) that Antoninus wished his Shaw Sheet readers a ‘Happy Hogmanay’ and offered a forecast for Scottish politics for the year ahead, confidently assuming that the call to… Continue reading Issue 107: 2017 06 01: General elections 2017 – Scottish version (Antoninus)

Issue 106: 2017 05 25: The Care Blunder (John Watson)

25 May 2017 The Care Blunder The need for Jekyll and Hyde. By John Watson Rather disappointingly Hegel never actually said “thesis, antithesis and then synthesis” but you can see a good illustration of the idea in Mrs May’s political approach.  Start with the thesis – the gradual increase in state provision control, which began… Continue reading Issue 106: 2017 05 25: The Care Blunder (John Watson)

Issue 102: 2017 04 27: Week in Brief: UK

27 April 2017 Week In Brief: UK Science NEAR STRIKE: Asteroid 2014 JO 25, more than 1.3 km wide and travelling at 75,000 mph, passed 1.1 million miles from earth last week.  It is at least 30 times the mass of the meteor which exploded over Chelyabinsk in 2013 causing injuries to more than 1400… Continue reading Issue 102: 2017 04 27: Week in Brief: UK

Issue 101: 2017 04 20: Draining the swamp (John Watson)

20 April 2017 Draining The Swamp Mrs May’s appeal to the people. by John Watson Gosh, for a political magazine like the Shaw Sheet, the year 2017 has cherries on it. We were looking forward to the French and German elections, popcorn at the ready, sauvignon blanc in the fridge, avidly reading Richard Pooley’s articles… Continue reading Issue 101: 2017 04 20: Draining the swamp (John Watson)

Issue 100: 2017 04 13: The Luck of Mrs May (Robert Kilconner)

13 April 2017 The Luck Of Mrs May A fairy tale. By Robert Kilconner “I feel sorry for Mrs May”.  The speaker was a wise friend who is usually right and to whom I always listen.  Naturally, I nodded in agreement and felt sorry for Mrs May too.  It must be awful, when you think… Continue reading Issue 100: 2017 04 13: The Luck of Mrs May (Robert Kilconner)

Issue 99: 2017 04 06: “Absolutely ridiculous…frankly” (Lynda Goetz)

06 April 2017 “Absolutely ridiculous… frankly.” What exactly is the relationship between Jesus and chocolate Easter eggs?  By Lynda Goetz The Twittersphere is apparently alive with it; the Church, the Press, descendants of John Cadbury and even the politicians have been wading in on the subject of the National Trust, Cadbury’s Easter Eggs and the… Continue reading Issue 99: 2017 04 06: “Absolutely ridiculous…frankly” (Lynda Goetz)

Issue 96: 2017 03 16: Week in Brief: UK

16 March 2017 Week in Brief: UK BREXIT: Lord Heseltine has been removed as an adviser to Theresa May’s government after he voted in favour of an amendment to the bill which will trigger article 50; the amendment would necessitate the terms of disengagement from the EU to be approved by parliament.  The amendment was… Continue reading Issue 96: 2017 03 16: Week in Brief: UK

Issue 96: 2017 03 16: Ms Sturgeon’s Demands (John Watson)

16 March 2017 Ms Sturgeon’s Demands Why the SNP should be seen off. By John Watson It is a jack-in-a-box time of year.  No sooner had the Government obtained the authority of both Houses of Parliament to begin the Brexit procedures by serving notice under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, than up pops… Continue reading Issue 96: 2017 03 16: Ms Sturgeon’s Demands (John Watson)

Issue 94: 2017 03 02: Week in Brief: UK

02 March 2017 Week in Brief: UK WOOD PELLETS: A study just published has revealed that the UK pays millions of pounds in subsides to power stations to encourage them to burn American wood pellets.  The report concludes that felling trees and transporting the pellets across the Atlantic to be burnt in the power stations… Continue reading Issue 94: 2017 03 02: Week in Brief: UK

Issue 94: 2017 03 02: Political Teflon (John Watson)

02 March 2017 Political Teflon The contribution Mr Blair ought to make. By John Watson A week is a long time in politics and, from the commentator’s point of view, things quickly move on.  In this column, a week ago, I was talking about Mrs May’s good luck, instancing both her ascent to the leadership… Continue reading Issue 94: 2017 03 02: Political Teflon (John Watson)

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