http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/blogs/ Latest from the online edition en-gb Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:21:12 +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/ EVERY day of my working life I'm engulfed in an avalanche of drivel and verbiage served up by regiments of PR men and women. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/08/05/47804-missing-the-days-when-pr-meant-proportional-representation/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/08/05/47804-missing-the-days-when-pr-meant-proportional-representation/ Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:30:00 +0100 Opinion THERE has been much talk of the Big Society since the Prime Minister's launch a few weeks ago. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/08/05/47802-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-august-5-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/08/05/47802-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-august-5-2010/ Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:30:00 +0100 Opinion IT IS GOOD that we've reached recess. Tempers, exacerbated by the hot cloying weather, were beginning to fray around Westminster. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/29/47710-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-july-29-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/29/47710-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-july-29-2010/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:30:00 +0100 Opinion WERE any of us to walk up behind a policeman and push him to the ground with such force that he died shortly afterwards there's little doubt what would happen next. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/29/47664-some-are-more-entitled-to-justice-than-others/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/29/47664-some-are-more-entitled-to-justice-than-others/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +0100 Opinion MUCH Parliamentary business is done away from the Commons Chamber in the Committee corridor. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/28/47808-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-july-28-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/28/47808-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-july-28-2010/ Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:30:00 +0100 Opinion IT'S almost the end of the summer term in Parliament, with recess starting at the end of next Tuesday, but the pace certainly does not seem to be slowing down. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/22/47590-alok-sharmas-westminster-diary-july-22-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/22/47590-alok-sharmas-westminster-diary-july-22-2010/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:30:00 +0100 Opinion THERE were 13 of them, stretching across a valley ridge above the southern reaches of Champagne-Ardenne. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/22/47541-a-powerful-message-about-renewable-energy/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/22/47541-a-powerful-message-about-renewable-energy/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +0100 Opinion IT IS three years since the devastating floods of 2007. Floods then, drought now. Our weather seems to fluctuate between increasing extremes. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/21/47809-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-july-21-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/21/47809-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-july-21-2010/ Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:30:00 +0100 Opinion THE Pace of the Coalition Government is quite breathtaking and I must say a little unexpected. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47513-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-july-15-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47513-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-july-15-2010/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:30:00 +0100 Opinion LAST WEEK Lord Prescott of Hull parked his ample haunches on the red leather benches in the House of Lords. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/14/47810-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-july-14-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/14/47810-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-july-14-2010/ Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +0100 Opinion It is with some concern that I have found I have been breaking the law. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47360-its-time-to-squirrel-away-these-ridiculous-laws/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47360-its-time-to-squirrel-away-these-ridiculous-laws/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0100 Opinion A MOMENT of comedy last week when I was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47261-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-july-1-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47261-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-july-1-2010/ Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:00:00 +0100 Opinion LAST WEEK started with a 48-hour trip to Agadir in Morocco for the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/30/47811-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-june-30-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/30/47811-richard-benyons-westminster-diary-june-30-2010/ Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:30:00 +0100 Opinion HAVE you noticed that the TV cameras have almost stopped turning up at Wootton Bassett? http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/24/47170-we-can-count-the-victims-or-count-the-peaces/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/24/47170-we-can-count-the-victims-or-count-the-peaces/ Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:00:00 +0100 Opinion THERE may well be an excellent reason why Alex Allen is paid just over 160,000 big ones a year to be Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Professional Head of Intelligence Analysis in the Cabinet Office. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/10/46931-money-money-moneyin-a-people-officers-world/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/10/46931-money-money-moneyin-a-people-officers-world/ Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:00:00 +0100 Opinion SO WHAT happened to the new political leaf? Now they've turned it over we find it's nothing more than the flimsiest fig variety which goes nowhere near covering their customary naked greed. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/04/46813-exes-mark-the-spot-on-my-contract-with-the-tories/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/04/46813-exes-mark-the-spot-on-my-contract-with-the-tories/ Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:00:00 +0100 Opinion IT is said that a week is a long time in politics and so it proved to be for Liberal Democrat MP David Laws. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/03/46755-alok-sharmas-westminster-diary-june-3-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/06/03/46755-alok-sharmas-westminster-diary-june-3-2010/ Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:00:00 +0100 Opinion A DRAMATIC few weeks, but before I get into that let me first sincerely thank my constituents for returning me as their Member of Parliament with a hugely increased majority. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/27/46761-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-may-27-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/27/46761-rob-wilsons-westminster-diary-may-27-2010/ Thu, 27 May 2010 12:00:00 +0100 Opinion It was in a somewhat surreal, fevered and unique atmosphere that I arrived at Parliament on the Monday following the General Election to take part in a series of induction days. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/20/46634-alok-sharmas-first-westminster-diary-may-20-2010/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/20/46634-alok-sharmas-first-westminster-diary-may-20-2010/ Thu, 20 May 2010 20:00:00 +0100 Opinion THE thing I remember most clearly about polling day on May 6 was thinking how simple it would be to steal a vote. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/20/46493-votive-offering-for-one-party-wont-help-us-now/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/20/46493-votive-offering-for-one-party-wont-help-us-now/ Thu, 20 May 2010 09:00:00 +0100 Opinion FIRST it was going to be the internet election. It wasn't. Then after the leadership debates they said it would be known forever as the television election. And it wasn't. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/13/46511-thats-what-i-call-a-bogof-deal/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/13/46511-thats-what-i-call-a-bogof-deal/ Thu, 13 May 2010 10:00:00 +0100 Opinion ONE question has remained unanswered since the volcanic ash crisis erupted. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/06/46520-funny-business-over-volcano--or-was-it/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/05/06/46520-funny-business-over-volcano--or-was-it/ Thu, 06 May 2010 14:00:00 +0100 Opinion COALITION is a dirty word; especially when it leaves you standing in a country lane for 18 hours outside Harold Wilson's house. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/04/29/46536-put-that-in-your-hung-pipe-and-smoke-it/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/04/29/46536-put-that-in-your-hung-pipe-and-smoke-it/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:00:00 +0100 Opinion ONE excessively rainy teenage summer I reached the final of the school lawn tennis tournament by beating another boy at snooker. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/04/22/46540-remote-votes-for-carcrash-tv/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/04/22/46540-remote-votes-for-carcrash-tv/ Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:00:00 +0100 Opinion MY BIGGEST Reading band-crush, The Colours, are playing in town tomorrow. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/04/16/45999-rare-hometown-gig-for-the-colours/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/04/16/45999-rare-hometown-gig-for-the-colours/ Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:00:00 +0100 Opinion