Blog
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...
Vera and Liverpool Care Pathway
This afternoon is Vera’s funeral, my mother-in-law who passed away 10 days ago. I thought I would share my experiences of her medical care in her last few weeks following controversial headlines about the Liverpool Care Pathway and reports that one in four families...
Apple magic, a reunion and 5 star reviews
Last night we took my recently bereaved father-in-law, Roy, to a concert performed by his former fellow musicians in the Huntingdonshire Concert Band which he belonged to for many years until stepping down to care for Vera as her health deteriorated. It was a Battle...
New Euro Conservative logo
This is the new logo for the recently formed European Conservatives and Reformists Group which our Conservative MEPs belong to. Lions feature prominently on logos – just click on this link to see many others. No doubt its image is intended to represent a feeling of...
A tribute to Vera, the land army girl
It is a fitting tribute to Vera, my dear mother-in-law who passed away peacefully on Saturday, that the BBC should broadcast a drama starting today called Land Girls. Vera hailed from Tottenham and was one of a group commissioned to Ely as a stunning 18-year-old to do...
Thank you patron John
Many thanks to John Hayes MP, Shadow Minister for Universities and Skills and a generous patron of Headway Cambridgeshire. Each year he hosts a fabulous charity cricket match and captains the Lords & Commons X1 (which my son James was able to join again) against...
The missing – Jaycee Dugard (reunited)
An 11-year-old schoolgirl who was abducted near her home in California 18 years ago was today being reunited with her shocked family after walking into a police station. Jaycee Lee Dugard was on her way to school when she was pulled into a stranger's car just a block...