Author Archives
Retired lawyer studying Chinese and linguistics
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Party Policies on the Greenbelt – Summing Up
This is the last of my series on the main parties’ policies for building houses in the greenbelt. A disappointing roundup In summary, no party is currently proposing any relaxation in restrictions on the use of greenbelt land for housebuilding…. Read More ›
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The LibDems and the Greenbelt
Continuing my series of blogs on the parties’ pre-election policies on greenbelt housebuilding, I now turn to the Liberal Democrats. I admit to a personal interest here, as I am a LibDem member and activist. ‘Pre-Manifesto” Housing Policy The LibDems… Read More ›
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Labour and the Greenbelt
Continuing my series of blogs on party policies in relation to housebuilding on the greenbelt, I now turn to the Labour Party. Labour’s website does contain a short housing policy (you can read it here: http://www.labour.org.uk/issues/detail/house-building), which commits a Labour… Read More ›
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John Major, the EU and Immigration
John Major has made a useful intervention in the debate about the EU and immigration. He appeared on the Andrew Marr show on BBC1 this morning, following on his well reported speech last week in Germany. Major repeated his view… Read More ›
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Tories and the Greenbelt
It is not necessary to wait until the Conservative Party publishes its formal election Manifesto to know its policy on greenbelt housebuilding. We have known what it will be since 4th October 2014, when Eric Pickles and Brandon Lewis issued… Read More ›
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UKIP and the Green Party agree: they do not want building on greenbelt land
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 ›
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Will the Post May 2015 UK Government Permit Housebuilding on the Greenbelt?
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 ›
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Alain Minc – ‘Le mal français n’est plus ce qu’il était’
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 ›
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Georges Simenon and Inspector Maigret…
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 ›
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Effects of the Fixed Term Parliament
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 ›
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We Need a Holistic Approach to Elderly Care in the UK
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 ›
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The EU Surcharge Furore: Who Knew What When?
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 ›
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Introduction to Interesting Times
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 ›
Michael Ingle - Interesting Times 