Were the education system a fair reflection of society we would expect as many children  voting Conservative as voting Labour when they leave school or university. However, only 21% vote conservative. In the past this predilection for Labour amongst children was shrugged off as childish “idealism” but now it is …

It now seems that the EU’s European Medicines Agency may approve the Astra Zeneca vaccine at the end of January.   They also delayed approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by almost a month compared with other countries.  The slow approval process means that the drug companies invested in countries such as  India and the …

The BBC has been subject to dramatic changes in its Charter over the past 14 years and this has had a deeply negative effect on the Corporation. The BBC Charters until 2007 placed the BBC under fairly tight government control and used general advisory and national broadcasting councils to monitor fairness and …

The process of democracy evolved to allow those with different ideas of what is moral and right to co-exist in a society. The democratic process involves people freely expressing their opinions and then a vote being taken to decide which group of people should govern for a fixed period.  Political …

Challenges like COVID test organisations. NHS England shows no sign of appreciating the urgency of the vaccination program.  It is asking potential vaccinators to show evidence of “skills” such as diversity awareness before they are hired. How vets, student doctors and nurses, dentists etc. who could be used in the …

The most obvious prediction is that vaccines will defeat the COVID epidemic and life will begin to return to normal.  Full normality is unlikely until the late summer but a semblance of normality will begin at the end of March provided the government prioritises vaccine administration, recruiting pharmacies who already …

The new electric vehicle regulations make buying a car at this time a nightmare.  The problem is compounded by cities introducing low emission and zero emission zones. The links below should be useful for anyone researching EVs (electric vehicles). The sale of new diesel and petrol cars is banned after …

Most people do not realize that they are witnessing a pivotal moment in history as it happens.  We may think that an event is “major” but have no inkling that it is world shattering. The pivotal events of this century occurred this year as Falcon flew astronauts to the International …

This morning I sat cuddled up with my dog to listen to the first Reith Lecture, given by Dr Mark Carney, the ex-Goldman Sachs, ex-Governor of the Bank of England.  It is one of the benefits of the current lockdown that we can sit in peace and broaden our minds. There …

The objective of Trade Deals is to increase bilateral trade without creating large or future deficits.  In the context of the huge escalation in UK debt during COVID the avoidance of future deficits is crucial. The current round of trade negotiations involve two types of deal.  The first is emergency …

I met a friend who works for the BBC yesterday.  She was horrified at the way Brexit would lead to  problems with the Northern Ireland border.  When I pointed out that the Belfast Agreement meant that Northern Ireland would secede from the UK within a decade or two whatever happens …

When Pfizer announced that its new vaccine had almost completed Phase III clinical trials you could see the pride and excitement on the spokesman’s face.  This pride was only partly about COVID.  What the spokesman knew is that this was a brand new type of vaccine based on mRNA.  Messenger RNA is …

I have been following the US Presidential Election quite closely and was surprised to discover that Trump had a lead in most of the swing states until Wednesday. Indeed, the Trump lead on Wednesday morning was such that in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia it would have needed about 70% …

My sister-in-law spent her working life selecting and selling dresses.  When I think about this my jaw drops.  How on earth do you select a dress that will outsell your competitors?  To make good money out of that for an entire working life is extraordinary.  Having succeeded at making a …

The UK trades with the EU at an enormous deficit.  The UK also has a huge deficit in the payment of profits, rents and dividends to the EU.  The combination of the deficits in trade and financial transactions has led to a very large balance of payments current account deficit …

Empires rise because a group of people becomes more prosperous than their neighbours.  This enhanced prosperity is usually the result of the superior management of the economy, society and resources.  Relative prosperity gives the group the ability to project power. As can be seen from the graph below, we are …

A Nation is an area of land where the people pray, send their children to school, meet in their towns and houses, work, share resources and create and enjoy local services and benefits.  A Nation needs a vision for its future. Without a vision the unity needed to construct the …

The Industrial Revolution occurred in the UK in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. How far was this due to slavery or other intrinsic factors? There is clear evidence that the Industrial Revolution has its roots in the early to mid eighteenth century. The world’s first, large iron bridge was built …

When the tech giants rose to power I had an uneasy feeling that this was the start of something dangerous.  What is to stop companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook from simply, automatically, suppressing political opinions that they detest?  What is to stop them from taking money to do this? …

China has reacted to the failure of the West to condemn Concentration Camps for Uyghurs and ignoring the origin of COVID19 by expanding these camps and sending 500,000 Tibetans into forced labour. Western governments seem to have forgotten that you cannot appease National Socialists such as China. Perhaps as bad as the Concentration …