Blog
Nancy gives Brown some nifty football tips
With the Chancellor Alastair Darling warning Gordon Brown that his Ministers are losing “the will to live†in the run-up to the election and acting like a football team with their heads down well before the final whistle, who better to turn to for tactical advice...
My letter in The Times
I have been following readers’ letters in The Times about palliative care for the dying and penned one describing my personal experiences following the recent death of my mother-in-law Vera. I found it distressing to watch Vera unable to swallow fluids in the her...
Having the courage to die
I wouldn’t want to end my life as a vegetable and am now able to make legal arrangements to spare myself – and loved ones – this kind of suffering. I hope I will never find myself in the situation of becoming involved in an assisted suicide. But I’m relieved...
Life goes on in murder house
Once again my Cambridgeshire village finds itself in the media spotlight following the 33-year sentencing of Rekha Kumari-Baker for murdering her two daughters to “wreak havoc†upon her former husband, David Baker. I have just walked by the murder house round the...
Successful networking at the Conservative conference
I agree with Heather White that networking at next month’s Conservative Party conference will be the most important as we edge closer to the next general election. I thought her advice for budding political candidates which was recently highlighted on...
Cowardly mugger robs my frail but feisty friend
My author friend Jean Adamson was mugged yesterday. The shameless robber escaped with her purse and left her lying in the road with a broken arm. Jean is 81-years-old and has a frail build, but is full of feisty spirit that I hope will see her through this terrible...
Europe and the Conservative Party conference
I guess most people know as much about the Lisbon Treaty as they do the offside rule in football. And care just as little. However, the implications of the vote in Ireland on 2 October are crucial as they would establish a president and foreign minister for the EU, as...
Did the Derren Brown chair trick work for you?
James (my 16-year-old) and I have just tried the Derren Brown chair trick, but it didn’t work for us. We recorded it on Friday night when half his audience found they were unable to get up again after following his mind games. “I’m worried that I won’t get up...
Francis Maude and Conservative plans for the third “social” sector
Last year I met public affairs chief Peter Bingle who urged charities to "deal with Brown and prepare for Cameron." That's what happened yesterday when Francis Maude, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office with responsibility for the third sector, or "social" sector...