Blog
Voting is a “Christian duty”, states Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has the best ecclesiastical website I have seen to date, packed with interesting personal information about his life and regular updates about his official holy duties which take him all over the world. He is also very keen on...
Hang gliders, volcanic ash, and a view from a tomb
The volcanic ash did not deter a hang glider from soaring high above Essex in its clear blue cloudless sky yesterday. My fellow walkers from the Cambridge Rambling Group looked up in awe as we meandered through meadows bursting with spring flowers and the first...
Peter Oborne: “This is the most sexist general election since the 1950s”
Respected political writer Peter Oborne asks the same question I did recently, and echoes the same thoughts: Whatever happened to female politicians in this election? Writing in The Mail, he describes this as "the most sexist general election since the 1950s". This is...
The ghost writer’s life
I really enjoyed Polanski's gripping thriller The Ghost which I saw last night. It is about a Blair-like PM accused of war crimes whose life is being written by a ghost writer referred to as the Ghost, played brilliantly by Ewan McGregor; I particularly liked the...
Our leaders’ debate and volcanic ash
I missed the ITV leaders' debate last night due to a social engagement in Cambridge, but caught up with the tail-end of it and saw Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg all standing poised in their party-colour co-ordinated ties. I enjoyed watching how the...
On the road with James
I'm teaching my youngest son James to drive and must admit it is not nearly as painful an experience as first time round. When David first put his L plates on my car, we could barely speak to each other when we returned home; he was furious with me for yanking up the...
Grazia and our glossy women candidates
The glossy Grazia magazine has added a political twist to its latest issue by featuring six aspiring female parliamentarians from Conservative and Labour and five alluring Liberal Democrats. Of course, they are all glamorous and impeccable dressed for their...
What are your views of the Conservative manifesto?
The Conservatives have launched the manifesto their supporters hope will return them to power after 13 years in opposition. Here are its key points from the BBC website, with some of my thoughts added:IN A NUTSHELLSticking to the theme of "Big Society", rather than...
What bloggers need to know about defamation
This is a guest post by barrister James Tumbridge following a report by Iain Dale highlighting the difficulties which Labour blogger Alex Hilton faces. It is a cautionary tale for us all: New media in the form of weblogs or ‘Blogs’, are subject to laws on...