Writing in the week’s Spectator (cover date 10 January 2015, but online now), the columnist Rod Liddle describes opponents of Ched Evans as “morons”. He starts his column with an attack on pseudonymous campaigner Jean Hatchet, saying that her name is “almost certainly too good to be true for a perpetually infuriated radical feminist.” He then […]
Category: Comment and Opinion
Some free advice to hospitals declaring A&E Major Incident status
You do sometimes wonder who is running our NHS hospitals. An increasing number of hospitals are declaring Major Incidents in their Accident and Emergency departments saying that their staff can’t cope with the unprecedented demand. Amongst them is my local A&E department at the County Hospital. You may not have heard of the County Hospital. It […]
There ain’t nothing like a dame for tomorrow’s gay knights
It is custom and tradition that the wives of knights are called ladies. It is an honorary title: if your husband is a Sir, then you can be called a lady. And if your husband has a peerage – whether or not it is a hereditary or a life peerage – then you should be […]
Elvis Presley produces new material despite being dead for 37 years
The King of Rock’n’Roll, Elvis Presley, died on 16 August 1977 – some 37 years ago – at the age of 42. As we approach what would have been his 80th birthday, on 8 January 2015, Channel Five is having an Elvis Night tomorrow. They are showing NBC’s 1968 Comeback Special and the 2005 television […]
Que Sera Sera – Are Walsall going to Wembley?
Is this the year? Can we start to believe? Will the Saddlers make their first-ever visit to Wembley in the club’s 126-year-history? This morning, the draw has been made for the Area Finals of the Johnstone Paint Trophy; and it has been good for Walsall: we play the first leg away at either Preston North […]
A puppy and a bikini brings global fame to singer
Kendra Moriah is a singer. I can’t tell you whether or not she’s a good singer because I’ve not heard any of her songs. She’s probably fantastic and this post is not intended to denigrate her in any way. The only negative thing that I can say about Kendra – and this isn’t really a negative […]
Screaming black eyed child ghost terror
“Screaming black eyed child ghost terror” screams the front page of today’s Daily Star with a story of a ghostly apparition on Cannock Chase – the Staffordshire beauty spot that is, literally, on my doorstep. I don’t give such stories much credence. It’s up there with the Cannock Chase Pig Man; the Cannock Chase Puma; […]
When is a journalist a “commercial observer”?
The Conservatives are in town – that’s if your town is Birmingham. They are relatively frequent visitors to the Midlands and a few years ago, with a confirmed commission, I applied for media accreditation to cover the conference. My application was denied. The reason that was given was that I was not representing a national publication […]
Outgoing MPs should foot the bill for self-serving by-elections
Democracy is priceless asset. Throughout the world, over the centuries, ordinary people have fought for the right to elect the people who represent them. It is a battle that has been going on in more recent times; and is even going on today. From the suffragette movement in the UK in the early 20th Century; through to […]
Unease at Parliament’s motion on ISIL
Today, Parliament will debate military action against the so-called Islamic State in Syria. Personally, I’m in favour of military action. But I’m extremely uneasy about today’s Parliamentary proceedings. This is the motion MPs will debate: “That this House condemns the barbaric acts of ISIL against the peoples of Iraq including the Sunni, Shia, Kurds, Christians and […]