http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/ Latest from the online edition en-gb Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:24:42 +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/ Maurice O’Brien, in his typically acerbic column (Reading Chronicle, July 15), was right to lambast Jonathan Ross, who treats interviewees like trampolines to bounce jokes off, and Alan Hansen, laziness personified as a football pundit. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/29/47675-letter-leave-auntie-alone-maurice/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/29/47675-letter-leave-auntie-alone-maurice/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +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 CYCLING is a commendable pastime, especially when those in the saddle have chosen pedal-power as an alternative to gas guzzling cars (although the unfortunate person who has to sit next to a sweaty, Lycra-clad work colleague might not agree). http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/22/47629-leader-cycle-of-life-is-a-bit-of-giveandtake/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/22/47629-leader-cycle-of-life-is-a-bit-of-giveandtake/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:00:00 +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 IT IS a personal tragedy for all the employees of our local PCT and Strategic Health Authority that both are set to be scrapped by 2013 (Chronicle, July 15) but good news for local taxpayers. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/22/47542-letter-personal-tragedy-but-a-public-gain/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/22/47542-letter-personal-tragedy-but-a-public-gain/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +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 I’D LIKE to say a big thank you to Sidmouth Ward at the Royal Berkshire Hospital for looking after me recently. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/21/47571-letter-a-heartfelt-thank-you-to-staff/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/21/47571-letter-a-heartfelt-thank-you-to-staff/ Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +0100 Opinion The Government has provided a stunning reply to my question on the levels of salaries paid to EU officials. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/20/47573-letter-can-the-office-junior-stop-this-eu-madness/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/20/47573-letter-can-the-office-junior-stop-this-eu-madness/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +0100 Opinion TWO years on from the Chatham Street roundabout closure plans - and still no compromise. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/20/47572-letter-lets-not-go-round-this-one-again/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/20/47572-letter-lets-not-go-round-this-one-again/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +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 THERE was something very odd about the events leading up to Raoul Moat's demise. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47439-moat-wasnt-the-only-one-with-a-gun-to-his-head/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47439-moat-wasnt-the-only-one-with-a-gun-to-his-head/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:00:00 +0100 Opinion WITH millions of pounds being sliced off budgets right, left and centre it is astonishing that when it comes to Reading's roads there are still ways to flush our cash down the drain. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47441-leader-only-one-way-for-this-crazy-road-idea/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47441-leader-only-one-way-for-this-crazy-road-idea/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:00:00 +0100 Opinion ARE we the only ones who object to young children being allowed to stand in supermarket trolleys? http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47473-letter-parents-are-off-their-trolleys/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47473-letter-parents-are-off-their-trolleys/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0100 Opinion I would like to express my thanks for the many years of entertainment that Alison Powell has given me with her Keeping It In The Family column. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47444-letter-we-have-felt-like-a-part-of-your-family/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/15/47444-letter-we-have-felt-like-a-part-of-your-family/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +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 TALL talk may win hearts and minds but in the cold light of day actions speak louder than words. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47442-leader-shattered-dreams-and-broken-promises/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47442-leader-shattered-dreams-and-broken-promises/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:00:00 +0100 Opinion You reported Theresa May's decision to scrap Labour's "policing pledge", and in particular the guarantee that police officers would spend at least 80% of their time on the beat ('Theresa throws out policing pledge', Chronicle, July 1) http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47373-letter-police-will-still-be-bound-in-red-tape/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47373-letter-police-will-still-be-bound-in-red-tape/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100 Opinion Daisy Benson has U-turned on her commitment to social care eligibility, writes Cllr Pete Ruhemann http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47362-letter-take-care-about-switching-daisy/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47362-letter-take-care-about-switching-daisy/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0100 Opinion It is a real tragedy (and a huge false economy) for Reading Borough Council to cut the funding of Connexions by £317,000. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47367-letter-make-the-right-connexions/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47367-letter-make-the-right-connexions/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0100 Opinion There is fierce opposition to the proposed windfarm on the Reading University land known as Rushy Mead. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47364-letter-reservoir-dogs-wind-farm-plan/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/08/47364-letter-reservoir-dogs-wind-farm-plan/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +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 THE reality of life down Austerity Alley will only strike home once some wretch forced by law and a shriveled pension to work far beyond a reasonable age finds himself in front of an employment tribunal fighting literally for his existence. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47260-bowl-up-for-a-full-strike-in-austerity-alley/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47260-bowl-up-for-a-full-strike-in-austerity-alley/ Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0100 Opinion I read with interest your report "Ofsted praise for borough" (Chronicle, June 24) because it illustrates the improvements made and successes achieved by schools in Reading in recent years. http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47256-letter-schools-report-card/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47256-letter-schools-report-card/ Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0100 Opinion May I express my thanks to the unknown 'guerilla gardener' who has taken time out to beautify the West Reading Horse Trough, located on Bedford Road near Central Swimming Pool? http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47259-letter-blooming-lovely-horse-trough/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47259-letter-blooming-lovely-horse-trough/ Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:00:00 +0100 Opinion WHILE most public sector services face draconian cutbacks it is an added bonus that our mental health services have been given a £70m boost (Chronicle, June 24). http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47257-letter-a-real-shock-to-the-system/ http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/opinion/roundup/articles/2010/07/01/47257-letter-a-real-shock-to-the-system/ Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:00:00 +0100 Opinion