The Triple Lock is under increasing attack with strident demands for older people to stop destroying the future for young people. Beveridge's National insurance plan was intended as a means of guaranteeing subsistence. He envisioned a twenty-year phased introduction and was totally opposed to a system based on tax. He stated that the Employers cont...
It is sad to say that many people, especially the young and gullible, take in and believe all the guff endlessly spewed out about global warming and the impossibility of net zero, especially on the BBC. Sadly, those who get taken in by this nonsense who then think they are doing the right thing by voting for the Green Party, don't seem to rea...
The American playwright Eugene O'Neill said "There is no present or future, only the past, happening over and over again, now", the philosopher George Santayana, wrote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" while Karl Marx famously stated, "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce". Of course the idea that ...
I doubt any rational person believes that the Iranian terror regime should be left to murder and torture its citizens and export its vile hate filled dogma throughout the world. It should have been dealt with decades ago and the west is guilty of ignoring opportunities to do so. When Trump encouraged Iranians to demonstrate telling them, 'Help is o...
A week before Christmas in 1968 I turned 21 and from that moment I was eligible to vote, which ironically was around the time Parliament began making plans to reduce the voting age to 18. My first time I could vote was in the May 1969 local elections, I went to vote with my dear old dad in the local church hall and, as I did for many years af...
The 1961 musical by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley told the story of Littlechap, who rails against his lot and at each setback demand that the world stop. By marrying the bosses' daughter he moves up in the world becoming rich and a politician. Only when faced with death does he realise that his values were misplaced. The possible death of his ...
Divorce law plays a direct role in shaping how families reorganise after separation. Legal rules determine who lives where, how finances are divided, and how responsibilities continue over time. These decisions do more than settle disputes. They define how families function going forward. Clear legal guidance helps reduce uncertainty during a perio...
One of the many organizations I have signed up to receive e-mail updates, recently got itself into a bit of a tizzy about our health and our air quality, it gave a link to yet another Government consultation, this time on the sale and use of wood burning and solid fuel stoves. Sadly, when Boris Johnson went bonkers with his green crusade with insan...
There are two reasons why I have titled this article "Green and Dirty", the first being the fact that those who push through many so-called green objectives, instead of cutting pollution, by their allegedly green actions actually increase pollution. All you have to do to see this in action is to have a look at areas where councils have introduced s...
.In 2026, in any civilised country, Atefeh Sahaaleh should be thirty-seven years old, perhaps a successful career woman, or maybe a mother, yet it was her misfortune to have been born into Iran, a nation dominated by primitive, medieval brutes, whose interpretation of their religion dictates that women are to be treated as vastly inferior to men, a...
By David Campbell Bannerman with contribution by Derek Bennett Simon Richards was a person you'd welcome seeing at events and make a beeline over to talk to. Always cheery, polite, humorous, principled, freedom loving, gregarious and well-informed, his untimely loss is a great one for us all to bear. Simon was a determined but gentlemanly Brexiteer...
The fanatical Iranian regime has been a threat to world peace for decades. Apart from murdering its own people it has exported and funded terrorism throughout the world. As with all fanatical religious and political movements it sees itself as the sole arbiter of people's thoughts and lives. To not believe or disobey is met by incarceration or deat...
This article has one purpose: to give you hard facts and numbers, fast, and to encourage you to tell others. We have been spun a lie for decades of "prosperity" from the UK's EU membership when the reality is EU membership has dragged the UK down with it whilst the rest of the world fares far better. The EU not only has the worst economic grow...
The European Union's reckless and damaging political commitment to unfettered inward migration — a policy that US President Trump and his administration have rightly and repeatedly condemned as an existential threat — is actively destroying the democratic, political, social, and economic frameworks of what used to be the stable Western European dem...
By Derek Bennet & Michael Wood News of Andrew Mountbatten-Winsor's arrest due to his links to Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison accused of paedophilia and other related crimes, has potentially done great damage to our Monarchy. With the loss of our wonderful Queen Elizabeth II on the 8th September 2022, who's reign spanned 70 years...
Astonished at the weekend at some of the comments from so-called economic correspondents who were cringing at Trump's tariffs over Greenland, predicting recession and ready to cave in to his every demand. How did it not occur to them that all we have to do is slap the same tariffs on US imports and the effect is completely neutralised? This is not ...
In the short time he has (unfortunately) been our Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer has managed to acquire quite a good collection of nicknames. They range from: 'The nasal knight', 'Free gear Keir', 'Starmer the farmer harmer' and 'Never here Keir', which is quite appropriate as he has spent a large part of his Premiership out of the country. His l...
The EU is proposing a new law on Industrial strategy. Various versions have been leaked ahead of the planned February 25th publication. Whatever its final form, the proposals represent tension between the French desire for protectionism and other EU industrial nations desire for openness. Architect of the law is Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-Pr...
To adapt the My Fair Lady song, "Why can't a Yankee be more like a Brit?" It was fun watching Andrew Neil sizzling ever hotter on X as President Trump spoke at Davos - "If the folks at Davos had a spine they'd be walking out en masse now. Leaving him to an empty room." Neil seems to prefer the English habit of cautious precision, apology and unders...
Despite the best efforts of clinicians, the weight of bureaucracy is rendering the NHS unable to function. Doctors are obliged to waste time filling in endless documents, while staff are subjected to constant nonsense from that non profession HR. Apparently endless numbers of so-called managers appoint each other to obscenely well paid posts, while...
When you think you have an agreement with the EU. They are masters of the art of 'Non Tariff Trade Barriers'. Or simply ignoring agreements, as they did while we were members, and they refused to complete the Single Market in Services. Dan Richey of Riverfront Packing Company, Florida explained. "We still have this Draconian non-tar...
The United Kingdom has long been one of the world's most established gaming markets, with a strong regulatory framework and a wide range of operators. However, recent figures suggest that the landscape is shifting. A report from the UK Gambling Commission indicates that the total gaming revenue, measured as Gross Gaming Yield, for the online sector...
In December 2025, Ursula von der Leyen had her summer clothes packed for a trip to Brazil. After twenty plus years the EU Mercosur (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) FTA had at last been agreed. Except, it wasn't. In the weird world of the EU, the old saying "There's many a slip twixt cup and lip" comes into its own. Members of the EU,...
Recent events have made me think of two quotes from the past, Harold Wilson's "A week is a long time in politics", and "The World turned upside down" from an English ballad of the English Civil War. There are many reasons why I consistently supported Trump's reelection: the war on waste, the reining in of the various bureaucratic groups who overrod...
Sadly, Donald Trump has modelled himself on a Mafia Don. His boorish behaviour and loudmouthed bullying has intimidated some. His absurd and untrue claim that US allies never helped (The US triggered NATO article 5) and that NATO troops stayed out of harms way has been condemned by many US servicemen, who call Trump a Draft Dodger. Certainly, for a...
In my previous article, kindly published on this Bruges Group site, I wrote about and reproduced the letter I sent to Prime minister Starmer with my total opposition to the introduction of digital I.D. cards, which I see as a tool of the police state. I also mentioned that I had not received a reply to my letter, which was sent immediately Starmer ...
The wonderful Spike Milligan titled his book in which he wrote about his time serving in the army during WWII: 'Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall'. As a young man I read this and other books by him, as a lad growing up with the Goon Show on the wireless I loved his irrelevant humour, so in honour to him, I have decided to show the letter I wrot...
By Gully Foyle author of "75 Brexit Benefits: Tangible Benefits from The UK Having Left The European Union" on sale now at Amazon The British Public are United More Than We Believe – For National Sovereignty In early August of this year, the usual pro-EU outlets and speakers were yet again all over the media with their latest p...
The trouble with most modern radio alarms, which we have beside our beds to wake us in the morning, is the fact they are too quiet for those of us with deafness and tinnitus in one of our ears. The thing can be buzzing away like merry, and we slumber on regardless. They, sadly, do not wake us in the mornings and the reason we do wake up is thanks t...
By Gully Foyle author of "75 Brexit Benefits: Tangible Benefits from The UK Having Left The European Union" BUY at AMAZON When I started to write my book back in October/November 2024, one of the things I kept hearing time and time again was that there was no useful reference material for pro-Brexit advocates to refer to, no single place ...
The year 2025 came to a close with another massive show of force against Taiwan by its aggressive and combative neighbour, China. Acting under the orders of its megalomaniac president for life, Xi Jinping, PLA forces (army, navy and air force) demonstrated their strength to an embattled island nation of 23 million people which has endured years of ...
Transport operators face a complex set of expectations. Passengers require safe and usable services. Local authorities apply detailed licensing standards. Financial pressure continues to shape every fleet decision. Balancing these demands requires steady planning rather than quick fixes. Accessible transport sits at the centre of public service del...
When Britain was the world's policeman, it acted with an even hand. The suppression of slavery involved the arrest of slave ships from the U.S.A., France, Spain, Portugal and other countries. There were squeals of protest, but it did not stop Britain pursuing a righteous policy that benefited the world. How different now that freedom's baton has be...
Although I can clearly recognise the malevolent agendas of the far left, I also frequently feel obliged to respond to letters in my local newspapers from those who are often sincere and well-meaning, but also incredibly naive. A number propose that we do not arm ourselves in the face of the threats presented by our enemies, but instead rely upon di...
So, Labour wants to freeze rail fares. All very popular of course, but no indication as to how they would actually fund that. Wouldthey really be so grossly irresponsible and incompetent as to just load that onto general taxation and create more fiscal black holes? Past experience suggests so. But if our railways are not adequately funded they will...
There are few greater examples of the long-term failings of the European Union, than the EU-Mercosur trade deal negotiations. When you spend 25 years trying to negotiate a trade deal, only to have the end product mired in controversy and likely to be refused by EU member states, you know you have a problem. In June of 2019, before the UK had been a...
Most people are familiar with the Peter Principle which states that in most organisations people are promoted to one level beyond the limits of their competance. This explains why so much senior management is incompetent.However the same thing surely applies to family size. Most families have one or more children more than they can afford. It does'...
Those of my generation may very well remember the hit song 'Three steps to Heaven' by Eddie Cochran, released in 1960. Now however I believe that we face three steps to Hell which, if they are taken by our society, will see the total destruction of the right to privacy, and make it impossible for anyone to live a quiet, anonymous life free of super...
It is a legal maxim that Justice delayed is justice denied. Equally, Democracy delayed is democracy denied. There has been mild uproar at the governments' suggestion that many of next May's local elections can be delayed. Not cancelled, you understand, just delayed. As is the want of governments, they are consulting local authorities to ask if each...
Much ink has been spilt in recently over what would have happened to the economy if Britain had voted to remain. For all the publicity this has generated, this question is purely academic. As fans of 90's films Sliding Doors and The Butterfly effect can attest, when you make even one tiny change to your starting conditions, what comes next is total...
The recent revelations about the behaviour of the BBC in relation to Donald Trump are merely the tip of the iceberg, and those of us who have been pointing out the blatant bias shown by this organisation over many years have been totally vindicated. It is alarming that BBC lies have angered the leader of our greatest ally, putting our alliance at r...
The failure of so many to know the facts of history has had pernicious effects on events through many centuries, and very much today. In mediaeval times England behaved in the same manner as much of Europe in persecuting Jewish people, for example in 1189 and 1190, when violent anti-pogroms erupted in London and York, with a massacre at the latter'...
Socialism is incompatible with democracy. It is by nature totalitarian and can brook no opposition to its goals. Lenin knew that and was quick to stamp on Russia's nascent democracy. Russia became a Republic on the 1st of September 1917 with the establishment of a Provisional Council as a temporary parliament. Preparations for elections to a Consti...
There's more than a good chance I have told this old joke here before, it was told to me by my father when I was a lad after visiting 'Speakers Corner' in Hyde Park. A Socialist speaker, standing on his soap box addressing the gathered throng shouted out: "When my party is in power you will all have lots of money". A little chap at the back of the ...
Last week I tried to renew my Driving Licence online. Three years ago it was straightforward. This time I could not complete the process without downloading the One.Gov ap. It required I 'Prove my identity'. I had already filled in all address and licence details and had had two passkeys by text which I'd used. Not enough! 'We will now check your i...
There's no doubt about it, it's head scratching time again. Once more it's time to give the old cranium a going over with the digits in wonderment at the news put out, enthusiastically by the BBC, that the Met Office has declared the summer of 2025 to be the hottest ever since records began. Somehow or other, the real hottest summer for many of us ...
The Versailles treaty at the end of WW1 was a colossal mistake. It fed into the German "We were not defeated, but betrayed" myth and provided the resentment that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler. There were moments during the early years of NAZI power when they could have been stopped. A combination of extreme Pacifism and a refusal to face facts ca...
In the face of lies, ignorance, and abuse, those of us who recognised the essentially undemocratic nature of the EU, and the path down which it was leading us towards bureaucratic dictatorship persevered, and eventually, in the 2016 referendum, we triumphed. Of course since then those who desire control by Brussels bureaucrats to governance by our ...
Remember the Rwanda plan? This was, as we all know, the then Conservative Government plan to stop the armada of rubber dinghies crossing the Channel full of illegal immigrants who, by destroying all their I.D. on the way here, committed an illegal act and thus made themselves criminals rather than genuine asylum seekers. Sadly, despite being loosel...
We are delighted that Facts 4 EU have given us permission to republish this vitally important research https://facts4eu.org/news/2025_nov_vote_control Here is the future the UK escaped, as Commission starts to take over elections in member countriesWith new autocratic power grab, the thought of a totalitarian bloc on our doorstep is chill...
Shakespeare wrote "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players". Sadly, media and AI have turned most into spectators, not players. It seems we are living in a Pantomime. Rachel Reeves has for weeks, or is it months, been performing a financial striptease. No sooner removing one article, but replacing it to remove another. Whe...
In the beginning, managing your own rental property can feel empowering. You're saving money, learning the ropes, and doing what you've always dreamed of doing. For many investors, DIY landlording is how they get started – and for a while, it works. But at some point, almost every landlord reaches a crossroads where self-managing stops being sustai...
There is no question that the House of Windsor feels under pressure, and rightly so. Our monarchy has lost sight of its historic underpinning based on the 1689 Bill of Rights, the too-often overlooked settlement of the governance of England following the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688." While people seem to know about Magna Carta and invariably...
In 1709 Abraham Darby invented a way to produce cast iron in a furnace fired by coke. Prior to this charcoal had been used a product requiring coppicing of forests that proved limited in supply. The cheap production of iron led to the Industrial Revolution. It bloomed in England, not only because of native ingenuity, but because raw material w...
Rachel - Black hole - Reeves seems unaware of the advice, "When you are in a hole, stop digging". First it was an inherited hole that she had fixed. Now the hole she fixed is bigger. A new culprit must be found. What better than Brexit, that hated dash for freedom that Hillary Benn, Keir Starmer and most of the Labour party tried to stop. Seeking t...
We have just returned from a two-week holiday in France and Germany. I have not been to the South of France since they had holes in the ground for toilets. What a change! As a user of disabled toilets I was astonished by the number and quality available. On top of superb infrastructure there were mobile signals too. Apparently, France is ungovernab...
Robert Jenrick's talk to the Bruges Group was widely reported. Please see below links to the stories: The GuardianTory candidates must pledge support for leaving ECHR or stand down, says JenrickShadow justice secretary demands prospective MPs sign contract saying they stand for 'Conservative values' UK politics The TelegraphRobert Jenric...
It is the question that has plagued social media for the past five years, with both sides of the debate completely fed up of even having the conversation. Leave voters are fed up of answering the question with their answers ignored, and Remain voters are fed up with not getting answers they feel sufficient. Gully Foyle has been answering this quest...
Personally, I am wary of making the case for Brexit based on the Brexit wins that have already been made, such as niche trade statistics. The reason is that, for most British people, life has got considerably worse since 2016. They are poorer, sicker, more anxious and less safe than a decade ago. That is not to say Brexit is to blame. However, the ...
Keir Starmer the far left leader of the band rewarded failure by changing people's jobs. According to many in the media this signifies a 'rightward' tilt. "Take your left foot out and put your right foot in and shake it all about". Some might be impressed, but the Socialist potpourri still stinks of greed, envy, spite and hatred of anything that co...
Monday, 1st September 2025 6pm until Late The Speakers; Ambassador John BoltonAmerican Ambassador to the United Nations, Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control, and National Security Advisor.&Lord Hannan of KingsclereBritish writer, journalist and politician. Speakers will discuss: International relations, geopolitics, trad...
Labour positioned itself as a party of technocrats, but the small boats deal shows they have no clue what they're doing, writes Eliot Wilson Last week, the Agreement on the Prevention of Dangerous Journeys, concluded between the UK and France in July, came into force. It is the government's latest attempt to tackle the number of migrants cros...
It was, from what I gather, George Bernard Shaw who made the famous quote that "Youth was wasted on the young". Now I am in the later years of my life and look back I can see how I wasted my youth, although I must admit to having a good time spending my earnings on booze and sports cars. It was not until I was married and into my thirties, when wor...
Black clad masked thugs have disrupted peaceful protests against the housing of undocumented illegal young men in hotels. In the twisted world of Marxism, Trotskyists are convinced that Socialism has not failed everywhere it has been tried. The problem, according to the newspaper Socialist Worker is that: "The problems in society come from a system...
By Adam Holloway Adam Holloway is a Military veteran and journalist who served from 2005 to 2024 as Conservative MP for Gravesham, in Kent. He was one of the Spartans who refused to vote for Theresa May's sell out of Brexit. Many in Britain feel we may already have passed the point of no return. Our cities grow less cohesive, the countr...
Phobia - word-forming element meaning "excessive or irrational fear, horror, or aversion," from Latin -phobia and directly from Greek -phobia "panic fear of," from phobos "fear". In widespread popular use with native words from c. 1800. In psychology, "an abnormal or irrational fear." According to the NHS: "Many people with a phobia don't need trea...
Wednesday, 16th July 2025 6.30pm until Late The Speakers; Andrew Griffith MPShadow Secretary of State for Business and TradeRichard Tice MPDeputy Leader of Reform UKRoger BootleChairman of Capital Economics&Professor Tim Congdon CBELeading economic commentator will discuss immigration and Britain's position in the world Speakers wi...
For those of us who were born and grew up in days when freedom of speech and debate on topics were considered a fundamental right, and a proud part of British democracy, who are these days are saddened and dismayed as these once inalienable freedoms are being dismantled, one by one. We live in despair and frustration watching the actions of those d...
The Conservative Party's Moment of Reckoning Today, the Conservative Party faces the real prospect of extinction. After years of broken promises and internal psychodrama, public trust has collapsed. In both national and local elections, voters have overwhelmingly turned their backs on us. The 2024 General Election saw tactical voting on an unpreced...
Rebuilding Britain's Future Through Duty, Discipline, and Shared Purpose Britain is coming apart at its seams. Our social fabric is fraying, our political discourse is increasingly extreme, and many young people no longer feel pride in their country. Against this backdrop, the idea of National Service — recently dismissed as outdated — deserves a s...
When Bitcoin was launched in 2009, few would have imagined the type of digital revolution that this token ushered in over the past 15 years. Not only have cryptocurrencies come to represent viable investments, but they are beginning to be recognised as payment options throughout mainstream society. However, it is always prudent ...
By Christopher Gill As a Christian and also as a fervent believer in the vital importance and inestimable value of free speech I am more than a little concerned about the prospect of legislation being introduced to give Islam protections that are not enjoyed by any other religion in modern Britain. In point of fact the common law offences of ...
Software development is the backbone of modern-day innovation, security, and productivity. Whether it is the government's backend administration system or a small startup registered as a fintech, Python is everywhere to be seen and utilised. But things aren't simple when it comes to Python developer hire. You just don't post a vacancy online ...
Gauleiter Emmanuel Macron of the EU Province of France must wait for Führerin Ursula von der Leyen to agree his 'deal' with Starmer. Will she? Perhaps she will see an opportunity to restore free movement. Starmer did his best to overthrow democracy following the BREXIT referendum. Since becoming Prime Minister he has pursued an anti-British policy ...
Norman Tebbit was born to working class parents on March 29th 1931. He was bright and won a place at Edmonton County Grammar School. He left school aged sixteen and got a job working for the Financial Times. He had to join NATSOPA and developed an intense dislike of union power and vowed to "break the power of the closed shop". He was called up in ...
There was a wonderful moment at the one and only Referendum Party conference, held over one day in Brighton during October 1996. This was my first ever political conference, I was there with my wife, Linda, and feeling very proud of myself as I had literally been selected as a Referendum Party Parliamentary candidate three days prior to the c...
According to the UK Met Office in 2025 we experienced the coldest January temperatures for 15 years. I wonder how much colder it has to get to satisfy the Greenies among us. Our national news media have been claiming that 2024 was the hottest year on record and that it was over 1.5 degrees C above the pre industrial norms. How accurate is thi...
SUPPORT NICK TIMOTHY'S BILL TO STOP BLASPHEMY LAWS BY THE BACK DOOR Last week a banner was raised in Parliament, signifying the beginning of a fightback, against the government's manic concern over "Islamophobia". Nick Timothy MP (Con.), presented a Bill to amend the Public Order Act so that freedom for any criticism, even harsh, derisory and...
In 1967 Logan's run a science fiction novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson was published. In a future world the young and healthy live wonderful lives. A palm implant crystal changes colour every seven years until at twenty one it turns black. Their life is over and they willingly report for a pleasant euthanasia. Some don't. Those ...
David Martin Jones and the End of the End of History A little over a year ago, in April 2024, my long-time friend and writing collaborator David Martin Jones, died. David was a prophetic political scholar, commentator and essayist—arguably one of the most original minds in recent conservative thought, and paradoxically, one of its best-...
Frederick McCarthy Forsyth was all of those and more. He lived many lives to the full and brought pleasure, truth, knowledge and wisdom to millions. A 'Man of Kent', born August 25th 1938, Freddie was educated at a Tonbridge Prep school and then won a Scholarship to Tonbridge. He loved languages and became fluent in French, German, Spanish, and Rus...
Applications have opened for the position of a chief engineer in a highly technical post in the aerospace industry, those applying need specialist knowledge of all aspects of the industry and vast experience in how to get these highly specified projects underway, including how to create new innovations in this specialist work. So how should the bes...
There has long existed a disconnect between theory and practice. Aspiration and Control. Democracy is a simple concept. Political parties have corrupted it, made it a vehicle for the enrichment of the few. The plaything of those convinced of their moral and intellectual superiority. In their view those who toil need leadership, not opportunity. Jea...
To paraphrase a saying from the Second World War, when some citizens seemed blissfully ignorant: 'there's a revolution on, you know!' Throughout my lifetime there has been no major war, but by stealth there has been a radical overturning of conventional society and its institutions and norms. This has now reached a Woke crescendo, and in Orwe...
The betting shop exists everywhere in towns and cities all across the UK as a standard feature of main retail areas. Particularly when observed from the sidewalk the betting shops maintain standard stores yet their business procedures accelerate swiftly due to external regulatory forces. Bookmakers from Britain are increasingly expressing worry abo...
The ex-Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, despite 11 years working for Elf, the French petro-chemicals giant, increasingly turned against the use of fossil resources. He described Prince (now king) Charles as a 'prophet- for voicing anti-plastic concerns. However, the late and much-admired Queen Elizabeth offered a fine example. Her staf...
A Front Row Seat at the End of History c FreedomPut simply, A Front Row Seat at the End of History is a collection of essays by academics Michael (M.L.R) Smith and David Martin Jones, most written collaboratively, over the course of a quarter of a century. It spans topics from international relations, Brexit and the decline of the West, to th...
The author K J Millard, reflects on her influences and inspiration for her new book, 'Charlie and the Spitfire', published this week, by the Bruges Group. I can thank Miss Jones for becoming a teacher – a woman whom I never met, but a woman who, nevertheless, had a profound influence on my life and who, arguably, changed the course of my gra...
K J Millard, author of 'Charlie and the Spitfire', released this week on 7th May, talks of her experiences of growing up with her grandparents' memories of the Second World War. I was born in an era when the tumultuous events of the Second World War were still, very much, living memory. Sunday afternoons would always be shared with my grandpa...
In a world increasingly dominated by technology, materialism, and the relentless march of "progress," ancient myths often seem relegated to the realm of children's stories or outdated superstitions. Yet, James Sale's Gods, Heroes, and Us challenges this dismissal with a resounding assertion: Greek myths are not only relevant today, but they o...
t's always the little things that make you stop and wonder. For me, it was the moment in the 1980s when the noble, dignified two tone klaxon of British emergency vehicles began its tragic extinction, replaced by the unhinged wailing of electronic sirens straight out of an American cop show. Supposedly, these newfangled noisemakers were better...
Why Europe Cannot Defend Itself In the most extreme irony of all ironies in short: Europe cannot defend itself because of The European Union. This is not polemic nor political posturing. This is about facts: hard inescapable facts. One of the most unpalatable truths is that the institution supposedly established in order to end European wars and en...
By Michael Rainsborough Reading Between the Lies So, what does my SAR file expose about 'them'—and the entire mess? If you're determined enough to dig, there are some nuggets of truth buried under layers of nonsense. It's essentially like discovering the draft of a painfully bad novel: a lot of cringe-worthy drivel that only underscores...
By Michael Rainsborough The Rise of the Dark Lord Had the Free Speech Union had been around back then, I would, no doubt, have stormed in with lawyers, righteous indignation and the soundtrack of Rambo (First Blood, not the later lesser movies). When I spoke with the Dean again the following week, I reiterated my disagreement with his facile...
By Michael Rainsborough But I am mulling over of the idea of the GDR as an article of faith. Communism, at least of the East German variety, was a closed system of belief. It was a universe in a vacuum, complete with its own hells and heavens, its punishments and redemptions meted out right here on earth. Many of the punishments were simply f...
There is an obvious clash of which one of two objectives will, inevitably, have to give way as neither can survive side by side. The two objectives are the continuous push for growth from both businesses and Governments and protecting the environment, only one can win. If growth wins this means populations will have to continuously rise, resu...
Sometimes, it seems as though, a country, like a person, can receive a message or a warning in the shape of an event that shows up a vulnerability. Whether one considers such a wake up call Divine providence or not, it can be instructive nevertheless. The electric substation fire at Heathrow is in that category. Irrespective of blame (the Russians,...
The EU has been busy making announcements on defence funding and Ukraine, so it would appear that the EU wanted to do these announcements first and allow Kubilius's programme to be a footnote. It is convenient for the EU to do it in this order as the EU would have appeared rather introspective if it had done Kubilius's mostly internally-focussed pa...
Years ago I worked with an economist on a project. He told me his 'art' (he refused to claim it was science) was akin to driving backwards the wrong way down a motorway - blindfold. It was a difficult project commercially and politically, which was perhaps a reason for his gloomy reflection. Unfortunately, the economic history of the world rather s...
School transport costs extend far beyond the price tag of a minibus. While head teachers often focus on the initial purchase or lease payments, experienced education leaders know that running costs, maintenance fees, and licensing requirements can significantly impact their annual budgets. Recent changes to transport regulations and rising fuel pri...
