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Continuing efforts to get letters published in the MSM have not gone well in the last few months. The Editor’s axe has successfully stifled most attempts to be seen in print. Whither the Church of England (CofE) Archbishop Carey’s excellent piece (ST) picks at a scab of concern for many Christians; in particular his words…

NB. Under Construction The joy of quotations is that it allows for the creation of the illusion that one is widely read. [Action still in hand on this post] Absenteeism. The House of Lords “The only institution in the world that can function only by mass absenteeism.”   Willie Hamilton MP “When the mouse is away…

Introduction The process of re-reading The Captain – The Life and Times of Simon Raven has prompted some thoughts. It is a book that merits multiple re-readings if only to understand the references to Greek mythology. Unless otherwise stated the quotations offered below are from the book. There was a temptation to call this piece…

Paternal Influence The influence of a father on his progeny in varies.  I will leave the reader to decide how much influence William Rees-Mogg brought to bear on his son, based on this extract from The Captain – The Life and Times of Simon Raven.   The piece relates to their contemporaneous time at Charterhouse School…

So far 2018 has not been a ‘good year’ in terms of getting letters published in my favourite newspaper.  Could it be that I have chosen to opine about the wrong subjects or that my contributions are simply not up to publication standards.  Feel free to judge for yourself and comment accordingly………………………. NATO & BREXIT…

With a general distaste for being collocated with other people’s progeny (especially in the pub) it was an immediate disappointment to see three children, accompanied by their mother, take the seats beside me on the train today – 3 August 2018.  My mood changed however, when one of the children, all of six years of…

Humanitarian Assistance The Royal Marines (RM), In particular among the UK-Armed Forces, have demonstrated a high degree ofeffectiveness when engaged in Humanitarian operations. In juxtaposition with the desire of politicians tocontinue to commit 0.7% of the Nation’s income to Foreign Aid, the alleged proposal to cut the RM order ofbattle seems illogical. It might also…

A Doctor’s Waiting Room rarely offers a wide choice of reading material and recently I found myself obliged to read an ageing copy of Country Life (there is nothing wrong with the publication but it would not feature as a primary choice).  As with most publications I found myself drawn to the Letters Page since…

HMS Hood Sea Trials on the River Clyde Max Hastings’s majestic book – Churchill – Finest Years – certainly led this reader to think again about the conduct of World War II.  Although history is open to different interpretations, the author’s views on the British Armed Forces,  President Roosevelt (FDR), the role of the parsimonious…

Young Soldiers (25 August 2019) In the context of the recruitment of young soldiers and the operational limitations on their deployment, Charles Holden (Daily Telegraph 24 Aug) made this crucially accurate observation: “Many people under 18 have been failed by the educational system and the Army invariably rectifies this in a disciplined. Leading to worthwhile…