Author Archives

Retired lawyer studying Chinese and linguistics

• UKIP and the Green Party agree: they do not want building on greenbelt land

  By Michael Ingle on November 15, 2014 • ( 0 )

  UKIP and Green Party Policies on Greenbelt Housebuilding In my post of 14th November, I said I would be reviewing the policies of the major UK parties in relation to housebuilding on greenbelt land.  I am starting with the Green… Read More ›

• Will the Post May 2015 UK Government Permit Housebuilding on the Greenbelt?

  By Michael Ingle on November 14, 2014 • ( 0 )

  Proposals for more UK housebuilding Many UK politicians, particularly from the Tory, LibDem and Labour parties, are promising to build more houses after the next election in May 2015 – whether it is 200,000 a year, 250,000 or even 300,000…. Read More ›

• Alain Minc – ‘Le mal français n’est plus ce qu’il était’

  By Michael Ingle on November 11, 2014 • ( 0 )

  While visiting France recently I saw Alain Minc interviewed on television in relation to his new book “Le mal français n’est plus ce qu’il était“.  I decided to read the book and found it a useful commentary on current problems… Read More ›

• Georges Simenon and Inspector Maigret…

  By Michael Ingle on November 4, 2014 • ( 2 )

  I have read three of the Maigret novels of Georges Simenon over the past week.  I was well aware of Simenon’s reputation as a crime novelist but had never read any of his work before; it is definitely a case of better… Read More ›

• Effects of the Fixed Term Parliament

  By Michael Ingle on November 1, 2014 • ( 0 )

  It is surprising that we see so little comment on the implications of the fixed term parliament introduced by the Coalition Government. An important part of the Coalition Agreement entered into by the Tories and the LibDems in 2010 was… Read More ›

• We Need a Holistic Approach to Elderly Care in the UK

  By Michael Ingle on October 30, 2014 • ( 0 )

  The provision of care to elderly people in the UK needs a new approach. At present elderly care is mainly provided by local authorities and not by the NHS.  Carers typically visit clients one or more times a day, providing… Read More ›

• The EU Surcharge Furore: Who Knew What When?

  By Michael Ingle on October 26, 2014 • ( 0 )

  Could the furore about the £1.8 billion EU surcharge on the UK be a manufactured one? The rules for calculating the UK’s GDP were revised several months ago, resulting in an uplift in measured GDP stretching back several years.  These… Read More ›

• Introduction to Interesting Times

  By Michael Ingle on October 26, 2014

  I have called this site “Interesting Times” after the supposed Chinese “curse”:  “May you live in interesting times”.   I am not sure that it was ever intended to be a curse (see the Wikipedia entry on it), but I… Read More ›