Blog
How can boxing be called sport?
I was dismayed to see boxer Joe Calzaghe win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, with fellow boxer Ricky Hatton coming third. It's nothing personal, but there is no way that I consider boxing a competitive sport, to me it is barbaric and nothing more than two...
A visit to my final resting place
My father died five years ago and this is the headstone which has been made for him and was finally laid last Friday. It is made from red granite and is adorned with hand carved love hearts and angels. It was chosen by my mother and sister Rosalind, whose own home is...
The broken heart of Maria Callas
It is 30 years since the great Greek diva Maria Callas died of a broken heart after Onassis left her for his trophy wife, Jacqueline Kennedy. They were both married when they embarked on their sensational and doomed affair, yet yielded vigorously to their...
Robert Sturdy boycotts EU-African summit over Mugabe
I had a phone call from my MEP Robert Sturdy in Lisbon this afternoon telling me he had walked out of the EU-African summit because of Robert Mugabe's unwelcome presence. Quite right too, and this is the press release we issued: ROBERT STURDY BOYCOTTS EU-AFRICAN...
My latest PR credentials
I was asked a few weeks ago whether I would object to my blog being monitored by PR Voices, which identifies the top 15 public relations stories and blogs of the day. I naturally agreed, and had the nicest shock of my life when they emailed me this week with an update...
Why do middle aged men go missing?
This post is dedicated to all middle aged men who have walked away from their families and routine way of life, who felt it was the only option. I'm particularly thinking of the bearded and highly respected Bernard Cook, whose family must be desperately hoping that he...
An essential wardrobe guide
Here is a list of 30 essential items every women is recommended to have in her wardrobe to see her through the Christmas season, according to today's Times. The mascara and LBD are at the top of my list - plus some stilettos instead of the recommended conventional...
How do you get a free airline upgrade?
Does it only happen to celebrities or those who moan a lot? Can smiling beguilingly at the airline's agent do the trick? Perhaps a cheeky wink or fabricating a desperate yarn will work wonders. I'm talking about free upgrades on aircraft seats. Has it happened to you?...
Publish and you are damned!
I have twice deleted a post I have written. On the first occasion, it was a personal account about a friend's difficult relationship with his mother who happens to be a titled lady and it later caused him some embarrassment, though he was in full agreement at the...