http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/blogs/ Latest from the online edition en-gb Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:24:48 +0000 Copyright (C) 2010 Clyde and Forth Press Ltd http://www.clydeandforthmedia.co.uk/feeds/ 57 http://www.clydeandforthmedia.co.uk/furniture/lb_logo_500x75.png http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/blogs/ THE nearer we get to the end of the phoney war and the commencement of genuine electoral hostilities so the stench of hypocrisy intensifies. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/03/11/45301-taxpayerfunded-designer-handbags-at-dawn/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/03/11/45301-taxpayerfunded-designer-handbags-at-dawn/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000 Opinion A little bit of history was made in Parliament this week, when both the Government and Opposition front benches were defeated by a large margin when backbench MPs of all parties determined to wrest control of Commons business from the Whips. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/03/11/45302-martin-salters-westminster-diary-march-11-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/03/11/45302-martin-salters-westminster-diary-march-11-2010/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000 Opinion WHEN will we stop treating the NHS like some spoiled brat who must be indulged to the full to ensure all the toys don't disappear from the pram in some epic tantrum? http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/03/04/45178-stop-the-barbarism-and-start-the-reform/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/03/04/45178-stop-the-barbarism-and-start-the-reform/ Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0000 Opinion It was with excitement that I opened this particular jiffy bag, after the storming performance electro trio Chew Lips gave when I saw them at the Oakford earlier this year. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/03/02/45112-in-the-mail-this-week-chew-lips/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/03/02/45112-in-the-mail-this-week-chew-lips/ Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:00:00 +0000 Opinion SHAMEFUL. Somebody named Clinton Proud's wiped out 25 years of my life, if not my entire existence. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/25/45034-whos-voting-for-identity-safeguards/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/25/45034-whos-voting-for-identity-safeguards/ Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:00:00 +0000 Opinion On Sunday we heard the 'shock horror' allegations that the Prime Minister occasionally loses his rag with his civil servants. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/25/45035-martin-salters-westminster-diary-february-25-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/25/45035-martin-salters-westminster-diary-february-25-2010/ Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0000 Opinion MONETARY union via the Euro was always half-baked because it was never really a genuine economic union. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/18/45015-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-february-18-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/18/45015-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-february-18-2010/ Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:00:00 +0000 Opinion THE three years in which erstwhile defence secretary John Reid declared Britain would be happy to leave Afghanistan "without firing one shot" will soon become four. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/18/44915-sadly-this-war-is-just-not-cricket/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/18/44915-sadly-this-war-is-just-not-cricket/ Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:42:30 +0000 Opinion GOOD to see the aristocracy, either real or manufactured, can hold their own when it comes to dipping into the public purse. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/12/44800-therell-be-more-tears-before-secondhome-time/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/12/44800-therell-be-more-tears-before-secondhome-time/ Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000 Opinion AS THE general election draws nearer, there is even more to do than usual as the Government attempts to rush through the final bits of legislation before Parliament is dissolved, and the fun and games begin. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/12/44830-martin-salters-westminster-diary-february-11-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/12/44830-martin-salters-westminster-diary-february-11-2010/ Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0000 Opinion HOWEVER down in the mouth you're feeling about the temperature or the economy there is one major consolation. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/05/44677-his-left-hand-knows-exactly-what-his-right-is-doing/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/05/44677-his-left-hand-knows-exactly-what-his-right-is-doing/ Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0000 Opinion I RARELY comment on the minor parties at Westminster - and that includes Liberal Democrats, DUP, SNP, Ulster Unionists and assorted independents - because their impact is so limited and their behaviour so erratic. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/04/44679-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-february-4-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/02/04/44679-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-february-4-2010/ Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0000 Opinion GOD knows the poor wretched people of Haiti had more than their fair share of misery before the earthquake struck. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/28/44440-first-an-earthquake-now-a-media-tsunami/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/28/44440-first-an-earthquake-now-a-media-tsunami/ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0000 Opinion LAST Friday I met Tom Bellamy - former guitarist with the much-missed Cooper Temple Clause - as he rehearsed at the newly relaunched Play studios. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/27/44421-life-as-a-loser/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/27/44421-life-as-a-loser/ Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:00:00 +0000 Opinion HAS IT sunk in yet that the duplicity, lies, misrepresentation, hyperbole, waffle and downright tosh are already at flood levels and the election campaign hasn't even officially begun? http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/21/44315-politicians-today-are-the-stuff-of-yes-minister/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/21/44315-politicians-today-are-the-stuff-of-yes-minister/ Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:00:00 +0000 Opinion Christmas is over. We're well into January. What this actually means, finally, is some decent telly. But forget the return of 24 and Lost, the most unmissable US show of the next few weeks is Leverage. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/19/388374-got-leverage/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/19/388374-got-leverage/ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:06:04 +0000 Opinion Members of Parliament celebrated new year in a variety of different ways back at Westminster. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/14/44155-martin-salters-westminster-diary-january-14-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/14/44155-martin-salters-westminster-diary-january-14-2010/ Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0000 Opinion SOME thoughts, neither romantic nor appreciative, and a few Dos and Don'ts from this past wintry week... http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/14/44154-when-youre-on-skid-row-keep-shovelling/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/14/44154-when-youre-on-skid-row-keep-shovelling/ Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0000 Opinion READING is on the rise again - that's the view of promoter, DJ and all round Reading-music-scene-hero Pete Wheeler in his exclusive column for The Guide this week http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/12/44120-breathtaking-scene/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/12/44120-breathtaking-scene/ Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:00:00 +0000 Opinion SINCE Christmas Day the sound of stable doors slamming shut has been almost deafening. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/07/44051-the-thin-veil-of-the-war-on-terror-is-shattered/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/01/07/44051-the-thin-veil-of-the-war-on-terror-is-shattered/ Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0000 Opinion DESPITE the massive dig-out we've given them over the past year or so, it's not every day your bank owes you money. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/31/43917-cheque-out-the-cheek-of-banking-cheats/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/31/43917-cheque-out-the-cheek-of-banking-cheats/ Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000 Opinion THROUGH the Stygian gloom of late Sunday afternoon a ghostly apparition appeared in the headlights, forcing me to take evasive action. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/24/43863-snow-prep-was-hardly-a-military-operation/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/24/43863-snow-prep-was-hardly-a-military-operation/ Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0000 Opinion THE major misgivings surrounding the Chilcot inquiry are its lack of legal muscle and the guarantee that nobody will get nailed at the end of it. But perhaps that's the beauty of it. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/17/43635-lack-of-legal-muscle-behind-chilcot--a-blessing-in-disguise/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/17/43635-lack-of-legal-muscle-behind-chilcot--a-blessing-in-disguise/ Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000 Opinion The run-up to Christmas is a ridiculously busy time in my constituency office. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/17/43634-martin-salters-westminster-diary-december-17-2009/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/17/43634-martin-salters-westminster-diary-december-17-2009/ Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000 Opinion ONE consolation for the ever decreasing number of psychiatric hospital beds is that it prevents our rulers using them as a penal threat. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/10/43474-wake-up-in-a-straitjacket--youre-about-to-be-left-out-in-the-cold/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2009/12/10/43474-wake-up-in-a-straitjacket--youre-about-to-be-left-out-in-the-cold/ Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:00:00 +0000 Opinion