Keeping It Under Your Hat
With 11.5 million documents to read through, we’ve not heard the last of the revelations from the Panama Papers. David Cameron is on the defensive, though Jeremy Corbyn’s attacks are…
History Made Here
G K Chesterton is often misquoted as saying that those who argue that 'you can’t put the clock back’ obviously know nothing about clocks. It’s near enough to what he…
Izzy, Whizzy, Let’s Get Bizzy
Or maybe 'Ozzy, Wheezy'. What is the sound of one hand clapping? George Osborne ought to know, following his announcement this week that business rates will be ‘devolved’ to local…
Northern Lights?
One of the most intractable problems in British politics is voters’ perception that they should be enjoying a Scandinavian standard of public services while only paying American levels of tax. …
The Founding Fixers
Avon Local History & Archæology – ALHA – does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s an organisation for local history and archæology in the Avon area, serving some…
Denial of Service
Today we were contacted by a reporter from the Wall Street Journal. Yes, that Wall Street Journal. Would we like to talk to them about our aims and aspirations? Here are…
On Whose Side?
Population Matters Magazine, in its current issue, includes an article by Ian Grace, described as a professional planning officer with more than 30 years’ planning experience. It’s always good fun…
That Figures
The Campaign to Protect Rural England is good at collecting statistics. It may be no more than a gnat on the side of the development elephant but at least it…
Scared As A Bully
On 9th November 2014, Catalonia voted 4 to 1 for independence from Spain. Madrid isn’t ready to begin talks on separation. Instead, it’s determined to prosecuteCatalonia’s leading nationalists for organising…
Pop Goes the Weasel
“Governments with money centralise and claim the credit. Governments without cash decentralise and spread the blame. Those are not the views of a hardened media cynic. They are what I…