1973

The IRA was hard at work on the mainland, Vietnam was drawing painfully to a close, Watergate was unfolding, the three day week began and the country's economy was going down the toilet. Clearly these were HALCYON DAYS as this correspondent to the Witney Gazette agrees

Sir, One of the best series on television finished a couple of weeks ago - Life on Mars.

Phillip Glenister was brilliant. It was interesting that once Sam Tyler returned to the present time, he found he preferred life in 1973. Didn't we all?

Back then, this was still a democratic country, and not a dictatorship ruled by the EU.

You could express an opinion without being called a racist, politically incorrect, or being sued.

Children could still have fun and play all the games we played as children.

Back then, common sense prevailed - unlike these days.

It would appear that lots of people preferred life back in the l970s which is why so many families are leaving this country to live permanently in France.

Pam Jones, Cote

We don't have time to stop for doilies

This is great copy from the Express, but the best thing about it is the existence of a group called We are the English and their quote. Indeed, I can't remember the last time I stopped to grab a doily to go with my Ginsters chicken and mushroom slice & Rollo yoghurt


THE humble doily – once a ­symbol of refined society – is in terminal decline, a retailer announced yesterday.

Supermarket chain Asda reported a “collapse” in demand for the delicate paper plate decorations.

Asda spokeswoman Julie Simpson said the doily had aged badly and no longer represented class and good manners...

Julian Crichton, of campaign group We Are The English, said: “It’s another symptom of a changing society. We don’t have time to be polite and civilised and we eat on the go.

“We don’t have time to stop for doilies.”

If you have a look at the We are the English website you'll notice they're selling a book called English Martial Arts by Terry Brown. It covers bare fist fighting (honed over centuries in pub brawls), broadsword and quarterstaff and proves that "our fighting tecniques rank as high in effectiveness and pedigree as any in the world".

red all over

This is the best first paragraph I've read in a long time, from Saturday's FT:

The Dead Sea is not yet dead nor is the Red Sea red. But an ambitious multibillion-dollar plan to pump Red Sea water into the shrinking Dead Sea could turn it red.

I am the law

What's not to like about the new title for the DCA, the Ministry of Justice? I don't know why it's not the department of justice, but it's better as it is because it sounds rock.

Now they just need a new HQ - like the Grand Hall of Justice. Wikipedia says: The Grand Hall is the headquarters building of the Justice Department of Mega-City One. Since Justice Department is responsible not only for law enforcement but for most arms of government, the Grand Hall is essentially the central government building of the whole city-state of around 400 million people. As well as containing government offices it also contains the living quarters of several senior judges (including Dredd since 2124), a well-stocked armoury, and two public museums.

Aha!

A joyously unenlightening written answer. And they say the system has been trivialised by opposition politicians

Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat) | Hansard source

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When, and in what form, they expect to publish the outcome of the review by the Department for Constitutional Affairs of electoral systems in the United Kingdom.


Baroness Ashton of Upholland (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs) | Hansard source

The Government review of the experiences of the new UK voting systems introduced for the devolved administrations, the European Parliament and London Assembly elections, whichis being conducted by officials within the DCA, is underway. Any decisions on any next steps, if necessary, will be taken in due course.

Le Grauniad

A biscuit for whoever can spot the mistake in this from today's Guardian

Ms Royal, the first woman with a chance of becoming president, is half of France's biggest political power couple. She has four children with but never married the socialist party leader, Francois Hollande.

Mr Hollande has appeared on a beach with his wife reading "The History of France for Dummies" while she was snapped in her bikini for a celebrity magazine. But he says he prefers his political title to "first gentleman" and would not move into the Elysée palace. Unlike Bill and Hillary Clinton's promise of "two for the price of one", they have been at pains to stress their political independence