2008

2007

• Micro solutions to macro housing problems 4th October 2007

• Regulating second home ownership? 19th June 2007

• The do-as-we-say culture 19th June 2007

• Cornwall: Can we 8th June 2007

• Good for whose health? 8th June 2007

• Opportunism: A meal often eaten hot 8th June 2007

2006

• A market open to all...except local people 11th December 2006

• Plurality in politics 29th November 2006

• No room at the inn (nor affordable homes... 16th November 2006

• Twitchy Whips 21st November 2006

• Skewered on the Axis of Folly 24th October 2006

• Beyond city regions September 2006

• A recall or a deja-vu 15th August 2006

• Power to the people 15th June 2006

• Cavities in dental service could get worse 13th February 2006

• Freedom of speech: Defending to death or causing death? 8th February 2006

2005

• Desperately seeking sustainable answers in Kenya 12th September 2005

• Extending more than just our sympathy 22nd August 2005

• No paupers lunch for the jet-set 16th August 2005

• Charity BEGINS at home 6th June 2005

• DEFRA ploughing same furrow 20th May 2005

• Funny kind of Cornish... 22nd March 2005

• Making the most of what we have 14th March 2005

• The supermarkets are creaming it 28th February 2005

• Bovine TB 28th February 2005

• A View from the Bottom Left-Hand Corner 19th January 2005

2004

• Losing the battle for the heart of the countryside 30th September 2004

• Informed customers 14th April 2004

• Ploughing ahead 24th May 2004

• Supermarkets have UK farmers in arm-lock 14th April 2004

• Does Whitehall really know best about rural poverty? 19th February 2004

2003

• We cannot build ourselves out of our problems 1st September 2003

• A department to manage events beyond its control 1st September 2003

• A new contract for farming 30th April 2003

• The Minister and the fish market 12th April 2003

• O2 Airwave and the tetra masts 14th May 2003

2002

• Rick Rescorla 10th December 2002

• Why the 20-day rule needs changing 18th November 2002

2000

• A region that offers antiseptic oblivion 30th May 2002

"New dawn for
peace lessons"

 

If the essence of life is a new dawn, a wide horizon and a blinding blue sky promising hope, expectation, anticipation, then this Remembrance Sunday was a lively day to reflect on one of the harshest lessons of life.

We collectively built ritual fields of poppies which echoed the pain from the poppy fields of Flanders and even those of Helmand province.

Humbled by tales of bravery, shaken by monumental loss, in the sharp sun, stillness and silence we stood upright, though a little crumpled on the inside.

We reflected on the ironmongery of peace… “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares…” (Isaiah), perhaps hoping that the acts of bravery, courage and ultimate sacrifice were not futile.

Shall we learn the lessons which history teaches us? According to Israel’s Diplomat Abba Eban, “History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives”.

But perhaps we can do better than that. Nelson Mandela once wrote “No-one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite”. (Long Walk to Freedom).

We must live in hope that he may be right. But it sounds like a lot of hard work; all that forgiving and befriending… But perpetual hard work is better than War. So let’s keep working at it. Each challenge a new dawn until our “last post” sounds.

A Parliamentary Sketch,
15th November 2007

If you’ve ever sat there struggling to see what’s on TV, there’s now a service called Audio Description that could transform your viewing experience.

Audio Description is a free service available now on digital TV to help people with sight problems to follow and enjoy programmes. Like a narrator telling a story, an additional commentary describes body language, expressions and movements, making the story clear through sound.

Audio Description is available with a wide range of popular programmes from East Enders to Shameless, documentaries and films. If you have a sight problem that affects your TV viewing or you know someone who has, you can find out more about how to get audio description by calling the special Audio Description Helpline on 08456 010181 or by visiting the website www.audiodescription.org.uk