Blair says farewell with grace…pity about Cherie

The longest goodbye in political history has finally come to its inevitable and anti-climactic conclusion.
To his credit, Tony Blair said his farewells to the House of Commons with a good deal of grace and humour that was self-deprecating at times.
It is a pity that the admittedly long-suffering but increasingly insufferable Cherie couldn’t depart Downing Street [...]

Local produce for local people

Sainsbury’s decision to drop Prince Charles and the head of the Soil Association as vegetable suppliers to its stores has certainly grabbed the headlines.
On the face it, the decision is a smack in the allotments for two such high-profile organic growers. Sainsbury’s says that the produce supplied by both the Prince’s Highgrove Farm and Patrick Holden’s [...]

Glastonbury is for wimps

As everyone heads wearily home from Glastonbury telling the world and his wife how brilliant it was and how being sleep deprived and coated in mud for 4 days is just a “state of mind” or “part of the experience”, I can honestly say I don’t feel as if I’ve missed out by watching it on BBC3.
It seemed OK [...]

Criminal mind controls us all

It is always a few bad apples that spoil it for the rest of us, isn’t it?
Not according to a new study, which suggests that the image of the “law abiding majority” is a myth and more than 6 in 10 of us are prepared to commit criminal offences.
So-called “harmless” crimes are apparently rife with [...]

Can we charge banks for fraud failures?

Routine credit card fraud is apparently being allowed to flourish due to Government-backed changes to the way such crimes are investigated.
The claim is made following a BBC investigation that discovered new rules were introduced last April which gives banks responsibility to make initial investigations into any such fraud allegations.
The complaint will only be passed to the [...]

Plastic bag ban would carry weight

The revelation that a complete ban on the use of plastic bags is being considered by politicians in Wales suggests the country’s Assembly might have some useful teeth after all.
The possible ban, which could come into force as early as next March, was confirmed by Jane Davidson, Sustainability Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government.
As well as [...]

Cool is a killer

There has been much debate recently about the state we are in when it comes to the younger generation.
Knife-crime, anti-social behaviour, a lack of respect, poor education standards, little hope for the future, all tend to characterise the lives of so many teenagers at the rump end of Tony Blair’s tenure as Prime Minister.
The fault could [...]

Wales welcomes Y Byd

The first national Welsh language daily newspaper is to be launched next year.
Y Byd (The World) will go on sale for the first time next March and it is hoped to attract 5,000 readers with the initial launch.
The newspaper, which will cover news, sport, business and the arts from Wales, the rest of the UK [...]

The art of ignoring London

The state of regional art was debated in Birmingham yesterday at the launch of another of the city’s festivals.
Organised by The Birmingham Post, the debate considered whether regional arts is continuing to suffer from the London-centric attitudes of funders, the media and audiences.
Helping to kick-start the New Generation Arts festival, billed as Europe’s largest showcase [...]

Google’s fight with eBay leaves few winners

In many respects Virgin’s tussle with BSkyB is the under-card to what could prove to be the main event.
While the UK’s two corporate giants continue to exchange blows, two of the world’s biggest and most high-profile companies are squaring up for a truly heavyweight contest.
Google and eBay are increasingly at loggerheads and the animosity is [...]