Tony Hatfield's Retired Ramblings

Macavity's NOT THERE!

Macavity's a mystery cat: he's called the Hidden Paw- For he's the master criminal who can defy the law. He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the flying squad's despair: For when they reach the scene of crime, Macavity's not there!... Read more →

Recycled Excuses!

This morning Charles Clarke used an excuse why he shouldn't fall on his sword. He had according to this and this a duty to sort the mess out. I thought I'd heard this miserable excuse before. And a couple of... Read more →

They just slipped through my fingers Sarge!

If this wasn’t so serious, I would be giving myself a hernia laughing. There’s the Safely Elephant who has been let out of the traps to use his Doc Martins to savage Henry Porter, Simon Carr and Jenni Russell and... Read more →

Damned Lies and Statistics

It’s said if you repeat a lie often enough people begin to believe it. What Alan Johnson said in the Today Programme here this morning wasn't a lie, but he knows the truth, and his comment was therefore intended to... Read more →

Manifesto for the Drunk

The Euston Manifesto has been subject to a bit of a hiding here and especially here But my eyes fell on this: 10) A new internationalism. We stand for an internationalist politics and the reform of international law — in... Read more →

Owen's Foot!

Football (Soccer) managers are masters of the unmitigated drivel. Perhaps they've all done a module in that subject at F.A. H.Q. This is from Newcastle United's Glen Roeder. It's about Michael Owen. The Toon, paid an arm and a leg... Read more →

Well done George!

I don't always agree with George Galloway, but when I heard that he had given the Rupert Murdoch a good kicking here, I doffed my hat. That's the US Senate, the Torygraph and News International he's batted aside in less... Read more →

Playground Prank?

Over at Harry’s Place they are falling over themselves to form a queue to support District Judge Finestein's gratuitous comments when tearing into the CPS for bringing a prosecution against a 10 year-old. Most consider what he did was no... Read more →

Success!

Today, for the first time since subscribing to the Guardian Crossword, Anne and I have completed the "Everyman". O.K., it's not an immense intellectual feat, but we will certainly celebrate tonight. Read more →

To Hell in a Hand-cart

The Coni and Jack Roadshow moves from Blackburn to Baghdad.And it's a sure sign of just how badly things are going in Iraq. A country that just three short years ago was going to provide a beacon of democracy to... Read more →