tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50530162012-01-13T23:57:46.287ZMy name is Nick Peers. I'm an English freelance writer, editor and sub who likes nothing better than to rant about the state of the planet, my favourite football team and anything inbetween!Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.comBlogger19181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-31030226677112732622011-12-16T11:43:00.001Z2011-12-16T11:43:56.525Z

Blues bowed out of the Europa League last night, despite beating Maribor 1-0 and finishing with a creditable 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 defeats) from their six games in the group. Events elsewhere - 10-man Braga could only draw 1-1 at Bruges - conspired against them, but they can hold their heads high. It was an interesting game to watch, not least because of the mercurial 17 year-old Nathan

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-15110855521294527252011-12-01T10:40:00.001Z2011-12-01T10:50:15.832Z

Yesterday was my birthday, and yesterday was also the day when Blues Europa League dream started to turn sour. It's important that I remember the context of this European adventure we've been on - a club perilously close to financial ruin, relegated in the worst possible way (with five minutes to go) and supposedly heading back to the dark times. That may yet come to pass, but the skill in which

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-72540620753436166152011-10-21T09:41:00.002+01:002011-10-21T09:44:23.761+01:00

Just to remind myself that this blog isn't simply about my beloved Birmingham City, here are a few more items that may or may not be of interest:1. Harri sailed through her latest hips checkup at Stanmore, and the threat of a further operation has receded dramatically, a welcome relief as I'm sure you can imagine!2. Work has really picked up of late, and I now have more pies than I can put my

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-57525236667882802762011-10-21T09:24:00.002+01:002011-10-21T09:39:40.933+01:00

Last night 8,000 Blues fans descended on Bruges. Only 5,400 turned up with tickets, but I suspect a lot more packed into a stadium where, until a certain Championship club rolled into town, English sides had never tasted victory. The best result prior to last night for an English side was a 1-1 draw secured by Liverpool during their heyday in the 1970s. Other teams, including Chelsea and Spurs,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-23448279908682298032011-08-27T10:25:00.002+01:002011-08-27T10:35:50.085+01:00

Our week away neatly coincided with Blues' first foray into Europe in 50 years. On Thursday 18th our ramshackle squad travelled to the island of Madeira for the first leg of a play-off match with FC Nacional of Portugal's top flight. We drew 0-0, but in typical Blues fashion hit the woodwork three times and should have come away with a priceless away goal or two. And so to this Thursday night

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-73601171970697886922011-08-17T10:36:00.002+01:002011-08-17T10:42:19.294+01:00

It's been a horrific few months for Birmingham City FC. As I posted on a Blues message board a few weeks ago, winning the Carling Cup clearly hacked somebody, somewhere off, because what has happened since beggars belief. Relegation, our owner being arrested on money laundering charges (his assets have been frozen, crippling us in turn, and it looks like being a long, drawn-out affair), selling

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-43644722262807397992011-08-15T19:24:00.001+01:002011-08-15T20:11:16.419+01:00

Or, more precisely, local beer (and cider, and wine, what the hell). We're blessed in this part of Essex with some glorious micro-breweries serving wonderful real ale. I have the beard, I'm certainly old enough to no longer care about 'cool' (not that cool and I were ever even remotely acquainted), and so in no particular order I shall share some of my local favourites with this blog for the hell

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-69515370568894073842011-06-21T14:05:00.003+01:002011-06-21T14:22:05.219+01:00

10 days ago, I'd not have believed I'd be writing this blog post. You see, 10 days ago Alex McLeish was still Blues manager and we were signing players he'd identified as being key to our promotion campaign next season.Then the rumours linking him to the Aston Villa job started gathering pace and then came the bolt out of the blue: he'd resigned. By email. Just as Blues' acting chairman was

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-47581157149364563352011-05-30T11:40:00.002+01:002011-05-30T12:49:00.374+01:00

Just a few quick observations on what tickles me these days.1. Family: our little family continues to give us so much pleasure - both Harri and Mimi are so beautiful, entertaining and clever, developing at such a fast pace. We had a lovely day yesterday celebrating Toni's birthday, and when life is pleasant you have to soak it up and enjoy it with relish, as we did. (This I need to remind myself

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-49845148734612192522011-05-22T18:05:00.001+01:002011-05-22T18:05:31.871+01:00

So there you are. For the first 45 minutes and for about nine minutes near the end we were safe. But other results and our own meekness conspired against us. For all my support of Alex McLeish, a parting of the ways is inevitable, and the club needs to appoint someone with attacking intent to breathe new life into a stable club. That is all.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-79826519295815666512011-05-09T11:42:00.002+01:002011-05-09T11:59:53.267+01:00

In May 2009 we returned to the Premier league for the second time in three years. Our previous four-year stint in the top flight was long forgotten - only one senior player remained from that period. We were a yo-yo club, and the likelihood is that we'd be relegated again come May 2010.You'll know that didn't happen: Blues finished ninth, their best finish for over 50 years. We have no top-flight

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-77334885839323485812011-05-06T09:54:00.003+01:002011-05-06T10:08:00.446+01:00

The local elections and referendum result sum up everything about British politics this morning. They show that negative campaigning always resonates well with voters, who clearly can't be bothered to judge an issue on its merits. AV may be a "miserable little compromise" as Nick Clegg stated last year, but it would still represent a step forward from the current system. Congratulation to the "No

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-39255048864358223802011-04-11T11:20:00.003+01:002011-04-11T11:24:16.604+01:00

I got a bit of a knock recently after a so-so review of my contribution to The Obverse Book of Ghosts. The review posted at The Black Abyss is more positive: "Thirteen tales of ghostly goings on from an excellent selection of writers, there isn’t a bad story among them just degrees of good."I'll take that, even if my story is one of the lesser degrees of good in there!

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-63020898468293192222011-03-19T10:41:00.003Z2011-03-19T10:45:27.952Z

... Nearly three weeks after winning the damn thing, it was finally brought home to me this morning, thanks to this brilliant video, which overlays local radio broadcaster Tom Ross's commentary over the highlights from the game.I'm not ashamed to say it brought me to tears, and I can finally accept that my football team, my Birmingham City, have finally won a major honour at Wembley. If you want

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-51745831193554875252011-03-05T14:43:00.002Z2011-03-05T14:47:35.652Z

... that we've won the Carling Cup, having just witnessed a classic "after-the-Lord-Mayor's-show" performance from a cup finalist. Sadly for us it handed three points to our relegation (as well as local) rivals, confirmed we can no longer rely on our home record to see us to safety and put us right back in the mix. Come 5pm tonight and the likelihood is we'll be back in the relegation zone.You

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-19742989337465237322011-02-27T20:06:00.004Z2011-02-27T20:22:09.267Z

0... are over. Blues have won the Carling Cup, for the second time in our history, but this counts as our first bona-fide major trophy. When we won in 1963 - as rival fans have always loved to tell us - the big teams weren't playing, and we won over two legs instead of a big Wembley final, albeit we defeated our darling neighbours and lifted the trophy in their own back yard.But this is different

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-40147275746071515082011-02-25T14:49:00.003Z2011-02-25T15:05:26.187Z

That's the hardest thing about Sunday's Carling Cup Final. Despite the form book, despite the gulf in finances and quality, and despite the fact Arsenal are 1/2 to lift the cup and we're only 6/1, the spark of hope is there. I've suppressed it ruthlessly in the build up to this weekend, but it wouldn't be the same if I went into Sunday's final with no expectations whatsoever. What would Fate have

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-17303194287608194502011-02-23T11:34:00.004Z2011-02-23T12:48:06.986Z

The Brigadier has left the building. Doctor Who fans will, of course, know exactly who Nicholas Courtney was, the perfect foil to Jon Pertwee (and later Tom Baker) in the 70s incarnation of Who. Even though I was a later convert to Who (in my defence, I was less than two when Pertwee relinquished the role), I knew pretty quickly who he was. I remember him best from his 80s appearances in 'Mawdryn

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-75204671490572522262011-02-09T11:53:00.002Z2011-02-09T12:05:47.497Z

I've been trying to avoid the news lately. I can see how depressing this new government is going to be. It seems sorting out the nation's finances won't involve asking the rich and super-rich to cough up their fair share. A friend has been regularly tweeting how he's constantly pulled down by everything that's going on around him, that the world seems unremittingly bleak, run by evil people with

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-4047397554449500682011-01-27T10:25:00.003Z2011-01-27T10:30:35.027Z

What a fightback. Blues last night came from two goals down on aggregate to steamroller the newspapers' favourite club out of the Carling Cup. 2-1 down from the first leg became 3-1 when Carlton Cole scored a 30th-minute screamer, but an inspired substitution by Alex McLeish at half-time turned the tide and we just forced them back and back until they snapped, not once, or twice, but thrice.Let's

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-8687689222139937112011-01-17T09:59:00.003Z2011-01-17T10:13:18.718Z

As I expected, January has been a quiet month, a bit like last year. I'm not panicking yet, partly thanks to a major bonus of unexpected - and lucrative - work at the end of last year, and partly because I'm trying to pre-empt future lean spells by getting as far ahead with payments as I possibly can, to the point that on 4th January I sat down and "paid" all of February's regular bills in

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-26176854780973835002011-01-02T12:11:00.002Z2011-01-02T12:29:56.126Z

2011 is here, and most welcome it is too. Last year wasn't the greatest year on record, although there were some positives, most notably the safe arrival of Amelia Alice Peers, who delights more than she infuriates! Financially it's been a good year too - another 6K knocked off the mortgage, savings up and all this despite a turbulent year workwise. January and February were awful, then PCA

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-82124725988467549442010-12-09T19:00:00.002Z2010-12-09T19:16:49.978Z

So, as expected, the government narrowly voted to increase tuition fees for students. Now the average student will leave university with around £30,000 of debt hanging over their shoulders. Naturally the Lib Dems are taking lots of flak for breaking their pre-election pledge not to raise student fees, and once again people's anger is both misguided and predictable.First: the Liberal Democrats are

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-44448420427222631632010-12-02T11:36:00.001Z2010-12-02T11:36:15.906Z

At the eighth time of asking, Blues finally beat Villa 2-1 last night to progress to the Carling Cup semi-final for the first time in nine years (and only the third time in the 30 years I’ve supported them). What should have been a joyous occasion – particularly seeing how Nikola Zigic’s winner was a late one in the same vein as Villa have enjoyed on three or four occasions in recent years – was

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-25534845170945509332010-11-29T16:44:00.001Z2010-11-29T16:44:30.337Z

a-ha is no more – in the UK at least. We were fortunate to be present at Wembley on Saturday evening to witness their last-ever gig and despite the appalling seats (I guess you get what you pay for), I think our party enjoyed hearing all the hits roll out one more time. The band’s final gig was definitely an improvement on the Analogue tour we saw around five years ago, but if I’m honest it wasn

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-34244770568849960012010-10-29T12:24:00.002+01:002010-10-29T12:34:26.683+01:00

I can't bring myself to support this particular notion: that we boycott companies who back the government's plan to eliminate the deficit over the course of this parliament (see the Telegraph, here).But if it's any comfort, I already do my best to boycott several of those companies for other reasons: Alliance Boots and GlaxoSmithKline are just two. I boycott these companies for ethical reasons,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-87055752270386627852010-10-25T12:05:00.002+01:002010-10-25T12:12:32.334+01:00

Anyone worrying that I'm lurching suddenly to the right should relax: I'm left perplexed and incredibly angry at news the government is planning to sell off as much of a third of publicly owned forest to help tackle the deficit (see here). Another report claims this might raise £250m, which seems a pathetic return for putting even more of our beleaguered countryside at risk from over

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-5405360026400796332010-10-24T11:53:00.003+01:002010-10-25T12:05:13.778+01:00

... that's how much the country's debt is currently costing us in interest alone. It adds up to roughly £44bn a year, or over £1,000 per tax payer. Imagine how that could be spent instead.All these savage cuts do is eliminate the deficit, so this debt stops growing. They won't actually do anything to bring the debt back down to a manageable level - say £1trn lower than they'll eventually total by

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-91677999991552954352010-10-19T11:38:00.002+01:002010-10-19T11:46:27.240+01:00

Yesterday we went to Stanmore for Harri's latest six-monthly assessment of her hips. If we're honest, we were confident we'd be signed off for two years - if you've seen her running, jumping, skipping, walking on tip-toe, you'd have thought the same. So it was a bit of a shock to learn that a second operation could well be on the cards in a couple of years time.Harri's hip dysplasia is well

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-11569434342858180942010-09-13T11:06:00.003+01:002010-09-13T11:39:26.862+01:00

Just learned that PC Answers is closing. This has been my main source of income for a while now, and while we won't find ourselves on the street now it's gone, it's still a worrying time as I strive to find alternative sources of income. I've been here before of course - when the Australian version of Windows XP Magazine closed in 2007, and again when the UK version scaled back in 2009, although

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-29279871665420629452010-07-10T11:33:00.001+01:002010-07-10T11:34:29.550+01:00

It seems most people don’t realise that all of these austerity measures we face will simply clear the budget deficit in five years. Put simply, by removing the deficit, the overall national debt will cease to rise, but that debt will still be in place – and it’s currently set at around £900bn, and rising. That means, come 2015, we will collectively owe over £1trn, a staggering sum when you

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-20307930635977379262010-07-09T14:43:00.001+01:002010-07-09T14:43:42.839+01:00

I don’t blog half as much as I used to, which is still probably twice as much as I should. I can’t honestly remember if I ever bemoaned the lack of time I felt I had since Harri arrived on the scene. Trying to cram in a website and various money making ideas with no actual up-front cash involved left me feeling like life was lived in the margins, particularly when tending the allotment felt like

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-54666581606951411632010-06-18T12:37:00.002+01:002010-06-18T12:58:56.557+01:00

Amazing how Labour have suddenly jumped on the moral high ground regarding the austerity cuts we're now facing. The fact is, Labour left this country staring bankruptcy in the face. When it came to power, the country's debt stood at £348bn, according to this. In 2004 it was still "only" £347bn, but it's now being estimated that our debt is a staggering £903bn, a jump of nearly 200 per cent in six

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-87394385440666450092010-05-25T09:37:00.001+01:002010-05-25T09:37:53.838+01:00

Our second daughter, Amelia, was born last Monday (17th May) at 6.20am. It was a natural birth, just 24 hours before Toni was due to have an elective Caesarean, and Amelia was two days late. She weighed an impressive 9lbs, and mother and baby are doing well – certainly in comparison to Toni’s experience with Harri. Amelia currently has blue eyes, which we hope she’ll keep, and a much fuller head

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-16173277387209398982010-05-12T09:05:00.001+01:002010-05-12T09:05:17.894+01:00

Lots of Labour voters waking up this morning and attacking the Lib Dems for being “two-faced”. Word to the wise: now you know how I and many other people felt after the euphoria of Labour’s win in 1997 wore off and we realised what we’d been left with. It’s as if Labour voters have indulged in a bout of collective amnesia, forgetting how the gap between rich and poor has widened over the past 13

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-35430878555246556212010-05-11T15:50:00.001+01:002010-05-11T15:50:22.629+01:00

It’s been fascinating following the twists and turns surrounding the formation of the next government over the past few days. The Liberal Democrats have been caught in the middle, attacked by the left for talking to the Tories, and mauled by the right for talking to Labour. It looks increasingly likely that they’ll come to an agreement with the Conservatives, but hopefully they’ll manage to wield

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-13989881547478746372010-05-08T10:26:00.001+01:002010-05-08T10:26:57.956+01:00

I have no problem with the Lib Dems forming some kind of agreement or coalition with the Tories, subject to electoral reform being a solid promise made in front of the voting public. Already Tory commentators and politicians are rounding on the Lib Dems for making electoral reform a key plank in any agreement. The Tories whine that they won more votes and more seats than anyone else in the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-6207908633186127892010-05-07T11:12:00.001+01:002010-05-07T11:12:19.884+01:00

A lot of personal stuff has been going on, hence my incommunicado. As I type we’re just a week or two away from increasing the size of our family from three to four (all being well, fingers crossed, etc) – hopefully it’ll bring some joy to my family who are suffering from a number of bereavements. In the meantime, we’re five years on from the last general election, but nothing has changed. 6.5

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-15471859643244972242010-01-10T09:59:00.001Z2010-01-10T09:59:54.267Z

Okay, I give in. I’ve tried to not get excited and ahead of myself with regard to Blues, so this post will serve as a warning when it all goes inevitably wrong. After all, my beloved football club are not lacking in imagination and flair when it comes to reeling me in and letting me down – this latest trick, to go 12 league matches unbeaten, thereby setting our best ever record in any division,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-68130852189355354242010-01-02T10:32:00.001Z2010-01-02T10:32:54.644Z

It’s good to see that the western capitalist model has tamed China. Today’s Independent leads on a story that has been doing the rounds for some time with no fanfare (highlighting again the misguided world view of everyone from politicians to media outlets), that China is strangling the export of key minerals required for the development of low-carbon technologies (see here). Ultimately the 21st

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-46441243365283101342009-12-31T11:53:00.001Z2009-12-31T11:53:04.875Z

Despite all of the trauma, 2009 feels like it’s been a pretty good year. After all, on 1st January my daughter was in a plaster, and here she is on 31st December running around and walking freely. We’re not out of the woods yet – she may still need an operation at some point in the future – but if you’d offered me this on 1st January, I’d have taken it. And her hernia problem is hopefully sorted

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-46669949756843126082009-12-14T13:59:00.001Z2009-12-14T14:01:01.956Z

I’m going to mention this while I still can. Birmingham City are now in their strongest position ever in the Premier League after 16 matches. In 2003-4, when we finished tenth and generally felt things only went wrong right at the end of the season, we had secured 23 points by this time of the season, with a goal difference of minus four thanks to some heavy beatings at Arsenal and Liverpool.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-32815004762106421722009-12-12T10:05:00.001Z2009-12-12T13:23:32.096Z

Harri slept through last night, and appears to be doing well. Our only worry at the moment is that it looks like she’s bleeding slightly from the wound – tried to ring the on-call registrar whose details we were given, but after the usual run-around on the hospital’s phone system he or she was ignoring their pager, so we must wait for further news – assuming I can get a response when I ring back

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-3277887682435645452009-12-11T20:57:00.001Z2009-12-11T20:57:29.447Z

One year ago today Harri had the operation to correct her bi-lateral hip dysplasia, so perhaps it was fitting that today she had her hernia operation. I’m pleased to report that – so far – everything has gone smoothly, from staying overnight in Huntingdon at the excellent Premier Inn ahead of this morning’s 7.30am check-in at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, to putting Harri to bed here at home. The

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-27140456274425078992009-11-08T20:15:00.001Z2009-11-08T20:16:08.157Z

Toni and I are pleased to announce that we’re expecting our second child. We had the 12-week scan last Monday and all seems well so far. Due date is 15th May, two years and six months to the day after Harriet Rose was born – I don’t like to brag (oh, alright, I do like to brag), but we couldn’t have timed it much better. No idea as to the sex, but we are relieved there’s only one in there!

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-50454625606017149462009-11-06T11:35:00.001Z2009-11-06T11:35:53.689Z

First, good news re: Harri and her hernia. We went to Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge yesterday and got a proper diagnosis, plus she will definitely be operated on to fix the problem, hopefully in December. It was quick, efficient and reassuring, which was good after six weeks or so of uncertainty. Second, stupid news. We never did get to see a-ha in concert in the end, on account of the fact that I’

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-16521099165224163692009-10-21T15:12:00.001+01:002009-10-21T15:12:48.240+01:00

We’ll be referring Harri to Addenbrookes in Cambridge after all for her hernia. Having foolishly decided to go with our local hospital, it now transpires the consultant has indicated that – despite knowing that the hernia has already strangulated twice – he will adopt a “wait and see” approach to operating. Well excuse me for being selfish and not wanting to spend the next 12 months on

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-34223496919357516062009-10-21T09:42:00.001+01:002009-10-21T09:42:47.270+01:00

Harriet’s latest appointment at Stanmore revealed that her hips are continuing to develop normally. We’d rather foolishly thought that if she got the all-clear now she’d not need to return for a couple of years, but we also thought the worst would definitely be over. However, because her hip condition was bilateral, complications are more likely and she may still require another operation before

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-79423277334216063222009-10-11T20:25:00.001+01:002009-10-11T20:31:39.979+01:00

Harri’s hernia came up again on Saturday, and again it was hard and causing her increasing amounts of pain until she was crying her eyes out, poor mite. We were at friends in Hertfordshire at the time, so readied ourselves for a trip to A&E in Harlow. By the time we arrived the hernia had gone of its own accord and she was fast asleep, so we came straight home instead. Tomorrow we’ll go to the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-74691291361224566532009-10-05T14:48:00.001+01:002009-10-05T14:58:44.134+01:00

After an incredibly busy September – my best month for a long time – October has come along and suddenly everything is quiet again. In fact, as things stand, October is set to be my worst month for quite some time. Last month commissions kept flooding in through the month and I had to squeeze them in, so maybe I’ll pick up some work throughout this month, although our scheduled break in the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-15858952353015087382009-10-03T10:39:00.001+01:002009-10-03T10:39:35.661+01:00

When I resigned from Future Publishing seven years ago, I left having helped the magazine I edited make hefty profits for two years running. Unsurprisingly, by opting to resign from my job and go freelance I wasn’t given any kind of severance package. I thought this was normal, but clearly I was wrong. Karren Brady has decided to resign from her job as Managing Director of Birmingham City FC,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-1031066361494566772009-09-26T09:39:00.001+01:002009-09-26T09:48:55.028+01:00

We’ve all recovered from the stomach bug earlier this week. Harri doesn’t have a date for her hernia consult (or op), but it looks like it’ll be 4-6 weeks from yesterday when our regular doctor finally did what the other doctor should have done on Monday and got a letter of referral sorted (as the doctor in A&E feared last weekend, his referral got logged, but never actually sent). After our

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-2315038405245657462009-09-23T13:58:00.001+01:002009-09-23T13:58:41.120+01:00

We’ve had better weeks. Having come to terms with Harri’s hernia, we’ve all since succumbed to a stomach bug, which affected poor Harriet worse of all. Incompetent parenting on my part hasn’t helped, but thankfully she’s not been sick since first thing this morning and has eaten a few scraps. She appears to have her appetite back and is doing well. Toni was bedridden for most of yesterday, and I’

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-14335438675319875162009-09-19T21:08:00.001+01:002009-09-19T21:08:00.966+01:00

Our poor babby girl. This lunchtime a massive lump appeared in Harri’s groin area, and to cut a long story short we ended up in A&E where she was diagnosed with a hernia. It’s on the same side as the incision made during her hip surgery, so that may have been a contributing factor, but if you saw how mobile she is, how easily walking has come to her and how well her hips appear to be developing,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-43879771981493785292009-09-08T13:09:00.001+01:002009-09-08T13:10:48.085+01:00

I stumbled on an interview between Glenn Beck (goodness knows who he is – possibly a radio talk show host, maybe even a right-wing radio talk show host) and William Shatner, the full transcript of which can be read here. However, it’s Mr Shatner’s views on population that had me applauding – if only the rest of us would come out and engage with those views instead of pretending we can go on

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-69505875762048834262009-08-27T18:43:00.001+01:002009-08-27T18:43:18.454+01:00

That’s how much the UK population grew by in 2008. Just imagine: 408,000 new people. That’s basically adding a city the size of Liverpool to our already overcrowded country. And it’s not immigration that’s the prime cause of this increase either. If you read the BBC report here you’ll find no mention of that most taboo of subjects: that this continued growth in the number of human beings is

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-30274315945093048982009-08-14T15:39:00.001+01:002009-08-14T15:39:34.178+01:00

After less than a year I’m waving bye bye to UK2.net and hello to 5quidhost. My domains will remain with UK2.net as 5quidhost doesn’t do domain hosting, but the actual web and email hosting will be done by this new company. Early signs are impressive: the final straw with UK2.net (my package runs out early next month) was another email failure, at least the fourth of this year. This time, a

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-46204059414258369802009-08-07T13:45:00.001+01:002009-08-07T13:45:12.881+01:00

One week on and I’m still playing a-ha’s album almost non-stop. After a lukewarm first listen it’s grown into this unstoppable force – I’m practically addicted to it, particularly the second track, “Riding the Crest”. After the comparative disappointment of Analogue this a band right back on the form displayed with Lifelines and Minor Earth, Major Sky. There are duff tracks, of course there are,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-76640974630169800432009-08-01T10:53:00.001+01:002009-08-01T10:53:46.856+01:00

This is surreal: according to The Times (click here) and various other web sites, a-ha’s new album is “guaranteed” a top 5 spot in Sunday’s album chart. It’ll be their first top 10 album since 1988’s Stay on these Roads, and their first since I publicly and privately acknowledged I was a big fan. And to think I thought they’d had their moment in the sun when the single Analogue briefly charted at

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-12630033579922689052009-07-31T11:00:00.001+01:002009-07-31T11:00:20.976+01:00

The passing of Sir Bobby Robson has seen a large outpouring of feeling towards this most decent and gentle of human beings, who thankfully was recognised for his sterling job as England manager before he left us. Robson performed miracles as a manager at Ipswich and Newcastle – how the Geordies must have rued dispensing of his services in the way they did, but he proved himself on the European

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-51185348843312577702009-07-15T08:46:00.000+01:002009-07-15T09:00:46.982+01:00

Microsoft has opened up pre-orders for retail copies of Windows 7. From today(15th July) until 9th August you’ll be able to pre-order a copy of Windows 7 E for significantly less than it will go on sale in October – under £45 if you order through Amazon. It’s worth noting that the European release of Windows 7 (Windows 7 E) won’t come with Internet Explorer installed. As a result you’ll need to

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-50575100319902789552009-07-12T17:02:00.001+01:002009-07-12T17:02:13.312+01:00

… Actually, that’s a lie, as I have been updating both my work blog and that of Support PCs, despite the recession (actually, that’s probably the reason why there’s so much activity on Support PCs – suddenly I’m not running one from deadline to the next). Quite a bit has happened since my last blog post: Harriet is very much taking more and more steps on her own now. Yesterday we visited mum at

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-32628811476283628822009-06-28T17:35:00.001+01:002009-06-28T17:35:49.825+01:00

The recession is starting to bite. Magazines are cutting back, some are possibly on life support and suddenly freelance writing doesn’t feel anywhere near as secure as it has done for the past six years (and it never felt that secure – after all, it is a job where your next commission might be your last). I’ve put things off for a little while, but I’m going to have to start trying my luck with

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-73501429381894310032009-06-11T11:04:00.001+01:002009-06-11T11:04:23.843+01:00

Just had an email informing us that BBC History Magazine is dropping its Footsteps section. There goes a short-lived association with the magazine – thankfully I managed to get two items published before that particular door closed.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-30926629274465584902009-06-08T09:16:00.001+01:002009-06-08T09:16:19.283+01:00

At last people can stop debating about just how truly great Roger Federer is. With yesterday’s thoroughly deserved win at Roland Garros he now has all four Grand Slam titles under his belt. He may have benefited from Nadal having been knocked out in round four, but in beating Nadal’s conqueror, Robin Soderling, he did the next best thing. Ominously for everyone else, Roger talks about being at

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-70701226255709366862009-05-29T17:23:00.001+01:002009-05-29T17:23:04.559+01:00

You know that the new Star Trek film basically features the characters from the original series played by new actors, right? Well, it’s more than that. The entire franchise has been rebooted, wiping out 40 years of “history” by having Romulans (and Spock) come back in time to change things forever. I don’t know what to think. I love this new film in so many ways, but part of me feels guilty

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-85533542375319643572009-05-28T12:45:00.001+01:002009-05-28T12:45:19.051+01:00

The Foot of the Mountain is the title of a-ha’s latest single (which is also the title of the forthcoming album). Since their comeback in 2000 I’ve always been a little disappointed with their choice of lead single, but I’ve no complaints about this one. It talks about the conflict between living in the city and yearning for the country, something I know too well. It’s going to be a classic, but

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-37442724513528725622009-05-26T11:13:00.001+01:002009-05-26T11:13:56.940+01:00

So David Cameron and the Tories have embraced a small measure of political reform (see here). Like all things related to the Conservatives, when it comes to radical change it’s never enough. Cameron rejects electoral reform with the ludicrous claim that “Proportional representation takes power away from the man and woman in the street and hands it to the political elites.” Excuse me? As I’ve

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-3891412792977463392009-05-25T10:00:00.001+01:002009-05-25T10:21:38.888+01:00

Yesterday was one of those rare days where a lot of sport was played, and every single result went as I’d wish it to. Highlight of the day was seeing the Deccan Chargers, my IPL cricket team, bounce back from last year’s last-place finish (two wins out of 14) to win the second IPL tournament with a thrilling six-run victory over the Bangalore Royal Challengers. After star captain and batsman Adam

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-1047912413972245242009-05-25T09:55:00.001+01:002009-05-25T09:55:22.409+01:00

It’s been about a week since Harriet could stand unaided – not for too long, as she likes to fall back and be caught, but clearly bearing her own weight. Last night she was able to pick herself up from a sitting position on the floor and stand without the need for a helping hand – in other words, she can push herself up directly from the floor to stand unaided. We were tickled pink, and so was

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-9500874649508588282009-05-18T18:54:00.001+01:002009-05-18T18:54:18.052+01:00

Fantastic news. Have just got back from Harri’s three-month follow-up consultation after progressing from the plaster to a harness. When her hips were measured three months ago they were at 38 degrees and 35 degrees respectively (the lower the better, with 30 degrees considered good progress at that stage). We were hoping that they would be around 31-32 degrees this time round, but after a long,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-52425982848415793472009-05-16T09:39:00.001+01:002009-05-16T09:39:24.343+01:00

It’s worth examining what New Labour really thinks about the people who fund it, the British taxpayer. George Monbiot has once again highlighted how lax this government is in regulating business with an expose of its Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform department, which appears to exist solely to undermine what few rights we do have in favour of ignoring all conventional wisdom and

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-5987839221521822452009-05-12T10:27:00.001+01:002009-05-12T10:27:24.046+01:00

I’m almost at the point of laughing aloud at all the hoo-hah surrounding the publication of MPs’ expenses and the revelation that the vast majority of them have been abusing the system for years. What is the point of the public getting in an outrage about it? This expenses system is part of a political and electoral system that has become increasingly rotten over the years, but instead of voting

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-24118314539300439142009-04-21T20:40:00.001+01:002009-04-21T20:40:27.325+01:00

At the end of last year I spent £50 on a PAYG USB mobile broadband stick with T-Mobile. It’s bad enough these sticks now cost under £30, but it appears T-Mobile has cut back on its tariffs. When I signed up you could surf for £2/day, £10 for a whole week, or £30 for a whole month without committing to anything longer. Now T-Mobile has quietly dropped the weekly and monthly tariffs, so if I want

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-20188556024146969302009-04-18T13:31:00.001+01:002009-04-18T13:31:40.246+01:00

A superb leading article on this government’s authoritarian tendencies in today’s Independent – click here. After 17 years of consecutive Tory rule, it took Labour just 12 to get to this state of affairs. What it tells me is that our electoral system does not provide sufficient safeguard for democratic freedoms in this country – instead, an ever-decreasing minority of people (just 35% of those

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-11494446281450337652009-04-16T09:38:00.001+01:002009-04-16T09:38:05.932+01:00

In the previous issue of The Week, they published two letters from The Times offering for and against arguments over the recent protests during the G20 summit. Now naturally I’m going to come down in favour of the right to peaceful protest, and one thing these protests should have done is highlight how our civil liberties have been eroded by this Labour government, but the gentleman writing in to

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-81006747535587302002009-04-08T11:55:00.001+01:002009-04-08T11:55:30.447+01:00

My “10 brilliant free back-up tools” piece is now online at Tech Radar – click here to read it (and download some of those tools if you’re running without a backup!).

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-38227683268581069092009-04-07T11:06:00.001+01:002009-04-07T11:06:38.130+01:00

Harriet is now out of her harness during the day. Since gaining her freedom she has discovered how to stand up using only one hand for support and is spending half her time clinging on to one thing or other while testing her legs! This is obviously big news for us after the long weeks and months since her initial diagnosis, and hopefully suggests she’s on the mend. She’s also capable of climbing

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-43158231380466484282009-03-31T20:06:00.001+01:002009-03-31T20:06:37.683+01:00

For the past six years I’ve operated a limited free support service for the various magazines who I’ve written Q&A columns for. On the whole this has worked well, but now I’m beginning to see that a line will have to be drawn. The best in this regard is PC Answers – I’m paid a premium for writing Helpdesk to reflect the extra work I put in, but it’s not the same with Windows Vista Magazine, and

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-17945753316972569572009-03-30T14:32:00.001+01:002009-03-30T14:32:47.378+01:00

The long, drawn-out redesign of the Support PCs web site is finally getting somewhere (see here). I’ve basically created a customised Content Management System that enables Joe Cassels and I to upload our old tutorials, tips, features and so on to the web via a series of databases. This content is then magically laid out on the page, enabling us to perform future redesigns of the site without

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-43053458708171398592009-03-25T09:55:00.001Z2009-03-25T09:55:03.441Z

Prince Charles nearly got my vote for his brilliant analogy, comparing our unsustainable lifestyles with drawing on the planet’s capital instead of its income. But dad gave me his latest copy of The Week, which featured this gem of a quote from the late, great Peter Ustinov, quoted from The Independent: "If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-89703824121619174712009-03-19T10:01:00.001Z2009-03-19T10:01:59.440Z

I can’t say why, but the death of Natasha Richardson has affected me peculiarly. I feel a sense of devastation and loss for the family she leaves behind, and yet I barely knew about her. I’ve never followed her career, noted only in passing her marriage to Liam Neeson (although it was always pleasing to see how happy they most obviously were). Perhaps it’s the sheer bad luck in the accident that

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-49086360767572275542009-03-17T10:28:00.001Z2009-03-17T10:28:22.799Z

Over the past few days a number of neighbours have decided the good weather is the perfect time for a bonfire. I don’t mind when they’re obviously burning wood or other natural substances, but two of those three bonfires have smelled incredibly acrid and nasty, and I don’t exactly find it considerate to have polluting and harmful fumes seeping through my house, with a 16-month baby girl asleep

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-39074278083090546482009-03-11T17:12:00.001Z2009-03-11T17:12:29.986Z

I’m slowly thinking about how to redesign my web site to make things easier to post and update. When it does happen, I’ll be using my new blog to record details of work that’s been commissioned or submitted, plus work that has been published (both offline and online). If any of this remotely interests you, click here to read it.

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-27997843304801472142009-03-06T12:48:00.001Z2009-03-06T12:48:48.586Z

The ICO has said it’s up to the public to protect its data rights (see here). Surely it would be better if this government changed the habit of a lifetime and started protecting taxpayers against businesses instead of giving business free rein to do what the hell it likes and damn the consequences. I thought companies had to automatically opt people out of storing their details unless we

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-57556194727048870832009-03-05T16:50:00.001Z2009-03-05T16:50:02.984Z

I had a shock this morning – after a productive few hours catching up with Q&A correspondence and writing 10 tips for Tech Radar and my BBC Countryfile piece for tomorrow, I decided to write up my second piece in good time for next Tuesday’s deadline. I trotted off to the Easton Lodge web site only to discover it’s been closed to the public for the foreseeable future! I quickly emailed the

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-5140875804168528182009-03-05T15:49:00.001Z2009-03-05T15:49:33.675Z

I can’t believe they’ve been cut again. From a selfish point of view it’s fantastic news. Egg belatedly opened an offset savings account for me as part of my tracker mortgage deal, so I’ve transferred the vast bulk of my savings into that. I also cut my monthly repayment by £200 – by transferring that £200 into the savings account I’m able to keep reducing the interest payments while hanging on

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-3261954244814215562009-02-26T11:26:00.001Z2009-02-26T11:26:19.747Z

Just had an email from BBC History Magazine informing me that my first footsteps piece for the mag is being reprinted in a special edition coming out in April. I won’t be paid anything extra for this – few magazine writers get paid for reprints – but they will be sending me a complementary copy. This attitude is in stark contrast to other magazine publishers I work for. As an example, one

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-12231921738312400772009-02-24T14:42:00.001Z2009-02-24T14:42:19.133Z

Good news: Harriet’s now out of plaster and the first step in the procedure has worked. The hip sockets have begun to form, but there’s some way to go yet, and she may still require further surgery down the line – possibly as late as age five. In the meantime however, her plaster has been replaced with a harness which does the same job of keeping her hips in a specific position to help

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-52812331636907485322009-02-23T07:43:00.001Z2009-02-23T07:43:04.479Z

In just over an hour we’ll be setting off for Stanmore – today is the day Harri’s frog plaster comes off. She’ll have an X-ray and we should know in the following consultation whether the procedure has worked or not. Whatever happens she’ll go into a harness for up to 22 hours a day (this will quickly lessen over the next few weeks – by six weeks in she’ll only be wearing it at night). She’s

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-61742496992414856172009-02-11T12:57:00.001Z2009-02-11T12:57:33.601Z

Hazel Blears had the nerve to come out and slam those of us who believe that Labour (and the Tories before them) have successfully managed to destroy people’s faith in politics to the point where governments are now able to pretty much do as they please without rousing any kind of concerted opposition. Obviously Blears loves this state of affairs. She also loves saying “yes” to her party as it

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-61880613513140955932009-02-08T10:47:00.001Z2009-02-08T10:47:59.314Z

I see Britain’s toothless government is powerless to prevent banks spending millions of our hard-earned taxes on paying their staff bonuses, despite the fact we’re in a recession (see here). If even Barack Obama has managed to put a cap on bonuses, why the hell can’t Gordon Brown?

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-33328974596443351082009-02-07T12:17:00.001Z2009-02-07T12:17:56.611Z

… spare a thought for the 14 Australians killed in the state of Victoria due to bush fires. A state where the temperature is about to hit 47 degrees - “It's just going to be, probably by a long way, the worst day ever in the history of the state in terms of temperatures and winds”, according to the Victorian state premier (see here). Climate change deniers, like that twit in the Sunday Telegraph

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-33753413764301612442009-02-04T14:39:00.001Z2009-02-04T14:39:50.421Z

One thing this whole economic mess should have taught us is that the current free market system doesn’t work. Self-regulation results in no regulation at all, and I don’t need to go over what’s happened again. And yet our politicians seem to think the solution to this problem is to take taxpayers’ money and bail out the super-rich, the kind of people who specialise in paying as little tax as

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-82862220708539149362009-02-04T08:56:00.001Z2009-02-04T08:56:56.874Z

Just read this blog post from the Evening Mail’s Colin Tattum, a reporter par excellence. Once you’ve done that, you’ll understand why gates are plummeting despite the fact the club is still involved in the automatic promotion race. The sooner our owners go the better – as someone points out in their comments, they now take 500K salary a year from the club in addition to the £15m they made on

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-50087579033027497452009-01-28T11:58:00.001Z2009-01-28T11:58:31.378Z

Johann Hari has highlighted a disturbing trend among the world’s governments – now led by the UN – to reverse the concept that people should have freedom of speech, thought and belief (click here). The best line in the piece? “They [certain religious beliefs] belong to the childhood of our species, and will in time look as preposterous as believing in Zeus or Thor or Baal.” After all, Judaism,

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-3729069416809285282009-01-27T12:25:00.001Z2009-01-27T12:25:21.229Z

George Monbiot has responded to the news of the allegations that four Labour lords have taken money in return for proposing amendments to bills going through parliament with a timely reminder that this is nothing new – see here. He reminds us that this very Labour government made much of the previous administration’s sleaze, and yet within the space of 12 years has done nothing to reform the law

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-90394217904913367672009-01-26T16:41:00.001Z2009-01-26T16:41:17.348Z

See here. Conspicuous by its absence is any mention of plans by Gordon Brown’s government to do anything meaningful in this sphere. Is he really now an economic dinosaur as well as an environmental one?

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-56267275595204734272009-01-26T10:39:00.001Z2009-01-26T10:39:04.447Z

… Gordon Brown, that is (see here). Apparently we’re not allowed to be pessimistic at present, and we’re to do everything we can to protect globalisation, because somehow that’s the only way to alleviate poverty in the rest of the world. I don’t see much evidence where globalisation has exactly helped alleviate poverty in the rest of the world so far, but don’t let that stop you, Mr Brown. After

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053016.post-63264244117263365442009-01-20T17:31:00.001Z2009-01-20T17:31:52.311Z

What a fine speech. Obviously actions speak louder than words, but after eight long years of winter, could this finally be the first tentative signs of spring?

Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385998875679379014noreply@blogger.com0