They Blog For You

Desperate to prove they are doing something about the rising toll of deaths from guns and knives the government have resorted to the old idea of an "amnesty." This will enable a few aging war veterans who collected a "souvenir" and some farmers who forgot to renew their [...]

Iraq alone was reason enough to remain seated. It has been an unmitigated disaster for all concerned and it is time for politicians who supported the war to stand up explain and apologise.I was in the Welsh Assembly at the time, and not required to vote. But when asked I [...]

It is not true that "all" Conservative MPs rose to give Blair a standing ovation. Many stood and did not clap. A few did not stand at all.This man has presided over the collapse of private pension funds, allowed immigration to spiral out of control, is releasing criminals from prison [...]

A few years ago my Hungarian girlfriend, (now wife) woke up needing a doctor. “How much will it cost?” she asked. I laughed at the preposterousness of the question. “This is Britain I said it doesn’t cost anything” But she persisted in asking for cash “Of course they don’t charge [...]

The Falklands Veterans Parade yesterday was a moving tribute to those who fought, and died for British people living on British Territory which had been invaded by a fascist dictatorship. Not only did the war liberate the Falklands but an unexpected bonus was that it led to the fall of [...]

No doubt the Prime Minister enjoyed delivering homilies to African leaders on the importance of holding fair elections, rooting out corruption in high places, and not declaring war on your neighbours. I wonder how many despots hid a wry smile as they thought of the political rows Blair left behind [...]

As our Prime Minister tours Africa in a desperate bid to ensure that he is remembered for something other than anarchy in Iraq he may care to consider the following random headlines which I have spotted in the last two days:Overweight prisoners will be receiving their own personal fitness instructors, [...]

You will not hear me praising the Home Secretary very often but the decision to increase the number of police officers who can use tasers is good news all round.Good news for the police because if you are confronted with somebody threatening violence you need to be certain that you [...]

For those who don't read Mail on Sunday I have decided to put online a copy of an article which they published last week. I put my hand into the rucksack and pulled out a metal object concealed in a sock. Before the thought “what’s this” had flashed through my [...]

If it hasn’t achieved anything else, devolution in Wales and Scotland has at least acted as a visible demonstration of the follies of adopting any system of proportional representation.No “government” has been formed in Edinburgh or Cardiff because no single party has overall control. In most future elections this will [...]

Telling lies in Court is something that cannot be condoned under any circumstances and the position of Lord Browne as Chief Executive of BP became untenable when it became clear he had done so. Yet I am surely not alone in feeling some sympathy for him. I have never met [...]

The history of the Cold war between 1945 and 1988 is a powerful demonstration of how talking to one's sworn enemies can eventually result in peace. Nixon talked to China in the 70s, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher extended the hand of friendship to Gorbachev in the 80s.In the 90s, [...]

Polygamy may be illegal in Britain but apparently that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t recognise it and give financial support to those with multiple wives. This is the view of the Department of Work and Pensions who have been forced to admit they pay out an allowance to each “wife” [...]

It was so easy a few years ago. A police Officer sees spots a suspicious looking youth, perhaps someone with a conviction for carrying knives, and asks him (usually it is a male) to turn out his pockets. If nothing is found the youth is free to go on his [...]

It is quite right that we should remember the abhorrent slave trade. We should also remember that British democracy abolished it and that the Royal Navy enforced abolition at the cost of many British lives. I support groups like Amnesty International which are using the bicentenary of the abolition of [...]

Here is a link to a website which reports on what is being said each day by Tony Blair through his spokesman at the morning press conference. On 3rd May last year it was a litany of pathetic whining to try and justify the failure to deport dangerous Somali criminals [...]

Another scandal concerns the Immigration and Nationality Department who are answerable to, yes you guessed it, the Home Office.I was told nearly a year ago that the IND have paid out vast sums of money to Asylum Seekers and the lawyers who lodged spurious compensation claims against it.Keen to [...]

It would be easy enough to regurgitate the news of the latest Home Office scandal brought to you by the government who were going to be tough on crime etc. Instead I shall draw attention to some more scandals which have not yet come to light.The hundreds of escaped prisoners [...]

An amusing story reached my ears today. Last Saturday the Conservative Party in Wales held a conference at the Metropole Hotel in Llandridnod Wells in Mid-Wales. Delegates arriving at the hotel were greeted with a sign welcoming members of the Conservative Party and the “Chopper club.” It transpired that a [...]

I have just returned from two weeks with the in-laws in Hungary where we all had a good laugh at claims that Romanians and Bulgarians won’t want to flock to Britain. £300 per month is a typical wage in Hungary or Poland for a young person so it's not surprising [...]