Blog
Prostitution and the World Cup
South African MP George Lekgetho has called for prostitution to be legalised during the football World Cup to be held there in 2010. He believes it would help cut incidences of rape and would bring in taxes to fight poverty. But my CHASTE colleague Carol Freeman...
Can Labour run an effective social media campaign?
I recently contributed an article on political blogging to Richard Bailey for the next publication of Behind the Spin. I naturally mentioned how Labour lagged behind Conservative bloggers, who have fire in their bellies and have dominated the political blogging scene,...
My son won’t speak to me
My son David isn't speaking to me. You couldn't meet a more easy going and placid 17-year-old. But suddenly, with L plates on the car, he has become a different person. The power under the car bonnet has clearly gone to his head. He regards me as simply a "mum". The...
The life of autistic adults
I always remember a newspaper editor telling me that stories about disabled people or with a disorder like autism did not sell papers, he used to shun them. He might have felt differently if someone he knew or loved had a disability. Getting positive media coverage is...
Phone tapping evidence could help convict Britain’s terrorists
The sooner phone tapping evidence is permitted in our courts to help secure convictions of terrorists the better. How can anyone argue against presenting evidence to show we are serious about locking them up? The safety and security of our citizens should be the first...
Major computer breakdown
I'm afraid I have had a mega major breakdown with my new silver Dell desktop, I cannot log on or even access safemode. A black screen with an ominous sounding message: "NTLDR is missing*. is alll that appears, there is no Windows Vista logo even. I wonder if I have...
How can you find your soul mate?
With The Times today asking: "Where have all the men gone?", I asked Liza Moore, who runs an introductions agency in Cambridge, Tempting Fate, (a former PR client), to describe today's dating scene, what men and women are looking for, and how they can find their soul...
What are the top most useless inventions?
You probably know of a perfectly infuriating device you can suggest as the most useless invention which you bought or been given over the last 12 months for the first ever Landfill Prize. Nominations already include an automatic cucumber peelers, hi-spec plug-in air...
My public speaking challenge
Regular readers will know about my fear of public speaking and how I am trying to overcome it with the help of Cambridge Speakers Club, a Toastmasters International organisation. I used to freeze and dry up and feel so panic stricken, but I am gradually becoming more...