Category: Opinion

The Russian people need to know where the real existential threat is coming from

The great tension over whether or not Vladimir Putin will use nuclear weapons or not comes down to two factors.  The first is that he has two types of nuclear weapon.  When we talk about nuclear weapons we primarily think of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles – strategic nuclear weapons. The UK’s version of this is the… Continue reading The Russian people need to know where the real existential threat is coming from

Putin’s terror tactics

There’s been much talk, these past few weeks about Vladimir Putin being ready to escalate the war in Ukraine by use of chemical or even nuclear weapons. It is important to remember a couple of things here when discussing potential nuclear assault. In terms of response, I believe that NATO powers will prefer preventive to… Continue reading Putin’s terror tactics

How helpful will a 1p tax cut be?

One of the measures that the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his financial statement on Friday was a 1p cut in the basic rate. This was already planned but has been brought forward a year. I want to highlight some of the challenges around decisions concerning taxation when the aim is to help those… Continue reading How helpful will a 1p tax cut be?

What should the Chancellor do about recession?

Today, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is making a special announcement about his fiscal plans. We are not allowed to call it an emergency budget though.  He does so, primarily to give a bit more detail about how the Government are going to help with the energy crisis. This is part two following on from… Continue reading What should the Chancellor do about recession?

Has Putin just threatened to nuke us?

The short answer is “no.”  In today’s speech, according to reports Vladimir Putin did two things. The first is that he extended the mobilisation and conscription of people into the Russian armed forces.  Secondly, he is reported to have said:  “Those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the prevailing winds… Continue reading Has Putin just threatened to nuke us?

In defence of grammar and grandma

My wife used to have a poster in her classroom. “Let’s eat Granny.” “Let’s eat, Granny.”… Punctuation saves lives. The comma in that sentence makes all the difference.  Sarah cares strongly about good grammar and punctuation. She’s probably a better person to comment on it as mine tends to be lousy due to a mixture… Continue reading In defence of grammar and grandma

When the president meets the potentate

Apparently and perhaps unsurprisingly, two countries have taken offence at the arrangements for mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II. China have officially been invited to send a representative although President Xi is highly unlikely to attend.  However, representatives from the embassy were barred from visiting the Queen’s lying in state as that is a… Continue reading When the president meets the potentate

No, we do not need another University

From the Daily Telegraph, apparently a think tank is proposing that we should have a competition to find the location of a new University to be named after Queen Elizabeth II. There’s now a competition under way it seems to find ways to “honour” the late Queen on the basis that it would be “fitting”… Continue reading No, we do not need another University