Tony Hatfield's Retired Ramblings

When a Charity is not a Charity-try DHK Textiles and Robin Hood!

I've posted about this before. But today the 'collection charity industry' has found a new scam. About five minutes ago, a plastic bag dropped behind the rambler's front door. It was provided by a local company DHJ Textile Ltd. The... Read more →

Is Dr Pangloss really dead?

François-Marie Arouet-Voltaire Voltaire wrote this letter shortly after the Lisbon earthquake. This “Act of God” killed an estimated 70,000 out of a population of 185,000, many of whom were attending the mass. It occurred on All Saints Day 1755. Les... Read more →

So the Mail and Telegraph are grumbling about a referendum in Iceland- with threat of being kept out of the EU. Now which papers support referenda in the UK and would rather like us to exit the EU? Read more →

No Peter, we are not about to see the end of the Euro!

Peter Oborne, in today's Observer is the latest Eurosceptic to predict the downfall of the Euro. Remember all those voices who predicted the single currency wouldn't last the year? He suggests that because Spain, Greece and Ireland have high levels... Read more →

Why no EU flag?

I'm the first to admit, I'm no expert in diplomatic protocol. This morning US Secretary of State Clinton flew to the UK for a whistle-stop visit. She met Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary, David Milliband. This is from... Read more →

Tory Education Policy is really Uncooked

Michael Gove The centrepiece of Michael Gove's speech at yesterday's Tory conference was the idea of private institutions establishing schools. The Tories had clearly spent much time in Sweden looking at Kunskapsskolen- roughly translated "knowledge schools". Gove had announced this... Read more →

Clifford Longley's Cherry Picking

I don't normally manage to catch "Thought for the Day" but this morning I was awake listening to "Today" at ten to eight. Clifford Longley, sounds gentle and soft spoken. You can read the transcript here Clifford Longley He used... Read more →

Cameron's Dismal Performance with Andrew Marr!

I'm sure one person watching David Cameron's dismal performance with Andrew Marr this morning was Peter Mandelson. New Labour's election play book will have been largely written. Lord Snooty, got himself into real trouble on two important policy issues. First... Read more →

Bacon and Sausages off the Today Menu?

This morning, Today Programme allowed the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) to peddle the link between processed meat, sausages, bacon, salami and ham, and colorectal cancer. You can listen to the interview here. The link was made in the 2007... Read more →

Universal healthcare is terrorist recruitment tool

hat tip Bad Science Read more →