Old Gaffer

Authors note,and 4 questions Being without broadband for about 7 weeks and a telephone for a fortnight, has given me time to reassess the blog. Over a long period I have been unable to see my stats, but my Dutch friend, Jan, was able to tell me that my readership remained relatively stable in all… Continue reading 19.08.08,I am Back at last

I feel rather like an American redwood tree, growing contentedly in a field, and now felled in the name of progress, because it was on the centre line of a new motorway. My current inability to go on the Internet, has given me pause to reassess my future. My daughter is convinced that circumstances are… Continue reading The last post?

Until the the Northern Rock affair I was a relatively happy man and then everything changed. I had built up savings over a period of time so that if the wheels come off we can pay for care. I had no problems writing or posting the blog, and life was relatively uncomplicated. I have previously… Continue reading Please leave us alone

I believe today, the press, en masse, are often allowed to act like a school of sharks in a feeding frenzy with no respect or decorum, even at a PM’s briefing. What I found unbelievable and which spoke volumes was that when asked why he did not pass through the Lobby, he actually answered instead… Continue reading 05.07.08, I’m Apalled

An open letter to the medical staff of the DHSS I would like to confirm that the majority of us consider ourselves very fortunate to enjoy the quality of the Health Service we all have. In attending hospitals since I was about one year old, in the 20s, I have had operations, breakages and in… Continue reading 03.07.08, Three Thoughts

I recently was forced to buy a new computer. Nowadays, it seems that when you get a new computer you get free, sixty-day trial, versions of the latest software. On this new computer I was given Microsoft Office. For over 30 years I have been struggling with each new advancement, from the BBC1, right up… Continue reading 21.06.08, An unpleasant thing happened

My regular readers will have noticed that the rate of posting articles has dropped over the last month, this was because the Press and the Opposition were saying pretty well everything I would have said, and I saw little point in reiterating the obvious, and my e-mail had also made posting a serious problem. It… Continue reading 20.06.08, Author’s Note

I just cannot believe all I’m hearing and reading concerning the vast changes in so many spheres of government, running concurrently, contrary to public opinion, and all in order to save money. Once again we are finding proof that Civil Servants, and Managers are not the right arbiters of standards in professional fields. Leave the… Continue reading 12.06.08, Symptoms of Panic?

Educational Chaos. I expect like me everyone who reads this will fail to understand, first of all how they can have 600 schools that are in risk of closure, how they arrived at that situation, and what are they going to do with the children when they close them, also where are they going to… Continue reading 11.06.08, Educational Chaos and caveats

On the second of this month I wrote a piece about knife crime. In the Daily Telegraph the other day both Blair and Brown were being castigated for the vast amount of money they have wasted during their time in office. In the piece, I quoted that Brown was proposing to waste a million pounds… Continue reading 10.06.08, How to waste money?