BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN When David Cameron took over the leadership of the Conservative Party I was very much unconvinced. History records I wasn’t alone. For when he first faced the electorate in 2010 (and doesn’t that seem a very long time ago), he was unable to persuade enough of us to hand him sufficient majority. It is often forgotten that the Conservative Government of 2010-2015 … Continue reading Which Way to Jump?
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN Following Dennis Skinner’s comments in last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour’s army of screeching social media supporters is making much of the investigation into Conservative Party spending two years ago ahead of the 2015 General Election. Up to two dozen MPs have reportedly been investigated for allegedly, let’s not try to dress this up, pulling a fast one over matters of election … Continue reading Remembering Labour’s Crooks
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN Three years ago I watched in stunned amazement as a Qatar Airlines jet was escorted into Manchester Airport. Its captain had reported that a threat had been made against the aircraft and the RAF was sent to intervene. Thankfully it was just a hoax. Some poor passenger had lost his mind and claimed to have a bomb. Seeing the heavily-armed fighter shepherd … Continue reading Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN ‘An inquiry into this period in Britain’s shameful history.’ And so Jon Snow began the Channel 4 News lead story on the evening of Monday 27th February. Keme Nzerem’s report on the abuse of children shipped throughout the Commonwealth under the Child Migrant Programme was indeed harrowing. Though uncomfortable to watch, the reporter deserves credit for sensitively handling a difficult subject. But … Continue reading Snow – Flake or Provocateur?
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN Nobody would have claimed it was Spring, but late February was pleasantly and unusually warm. A change of season, with all of its potential, was definitely in the air. Having taken breakfast at the harbour’s edge, I eased the car onto the motorway slip road. A thin layer of high cirrostratus filtered the climbing sun; it was perfect weather for the long … Continue reading From Autoroute to Hell
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN This morning was a good one; she remembered who I was. When I tucked my elderly relative safely into her bed last night, as I’ve done every night for the last few years, I did so in the knowledge that she might not remember exactly who I was upon awakening. Alzheimer’s does that. It’s one of the many nasty little tricks this … Continue reading Alzheimer’s Sufferers are Human
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN Yesterday I wrote an article about a scheme being run by a county council somewhere in deepest South West England. It will effectively provide free publicity for the scheme, which has admirable aims, throughout several towns within its catchment area. I duly did some research and churned out exactly 500 words. As a courtesy I sent a draft to the appropriate council … Continue reading Councils’ Anodyne Nonsensical Drivel
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN What we know: On Tuesday afternoon an Airbus A330 operated by Pakistan International Airlines was intercepted by RAF Typhoon fighters over British airspace. Originating in Lahore, the airliner was en route to London Heathrow when it was diverted to Stansted Airport in Essex. It landed without incident at 14:50 and was held away from the airport terminal. Police officers boarded the aircraft … Continue reading Mystery at 30,000 ft
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN Whilst I cannot claim expertise in the multitudinous idiosyncrasies of the English Language (a fact the once optimistic yet, alas, ultimately disenchanted publisher of my lesser-known novel Osprey would undoubtedly attest – if he still took my calls*), whenever the use of a particular word or phrase gains unexpected traction in general usage, it seems I cannot help but notice. Especially so when … Continue reading The Misrepresentation of Ethical
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN Yesterday, after far too long a wait, the fading embers of a long-forgotten love affair burst explosively back into flames. I’ve owned my Peugeot 205 GTI since the nineties. When, on that cold winter’s night back in 2007, I left it parked on the drive, I never meant for it to stay there. But stay there it did. For a variety of … Continue reading A Fine yet Humble Chariot
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN Well Fake News is certainly making the, erm, news lately, isn’t it? In an extraordinary press conference last week (a conference which, if nothing else, showed that the next four years will certainly not be devoid of amusement), US President Elect Donald Trump didn’t just level the charge at Buzzfeed (I don’t know them either), he also called into question the veracity … Continue reading Inexcusably Inaccurate: BBC News
BY MATTHEW CORRIGAN The day dawned one of those nasty, dank mornings that thankfully only January can conjure up. 2014 had just given way to the new year but the holidays were already a memory. Shorn of the previous week’s gaiety, the free world was still shaking off its collective hangover. Reality bit hard as everyone knuckled down to get through the worst month of … Continue reading #JeSuisCharlie
