The New Conservative

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The sun

Goodbye Sunshine

Not content with blocking every last vestige of fun we have – tobacco, alcohol, food (all festooned with warnings) – our government is now intent on blocking the sun, possibly removing from the long-suffering British public one of the few pleasures still free to enjoy, on the rare occasions we actually see it. If they

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The Vatican

My Will Be Done 

“You have no idea how much money it costs to keep the Mahatma in poverty.” It was not long after Pope Francis’ death had been announced that this saying from one of Gandhi’s followers came to my mind, the cumulative effect of countless mentions of his humble lifestyle combining to give his simplicity an almost

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Library

April Reflections

Modelled on Jay Nordlinger’s “Impromptus” in National Review, I’ve written another ‘Reflections’ piece which is a series of paragraphs on various ideas: Early in my career, my boss gave me some of his funds to run. Not, to be clear, out of laziness but because, as he pointed out, no-one knew whether I would be

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Spitfire

Remembering Lost Heroes

As we approach the 80th anniversary of VE Day, I think of those I knew who lived and died in that conflict. My dad started in the pits aged 14 in 1935. When he wanted to join up, they wouldn’t let him. Britain needed coal. It still needs it, but it lies wasted and unmined,

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Hull Marina

Make Way for the Mayor

This will be a familiar story to many around the UK, but here goes anyway. Ambitious, and dare I say it, possibly sensible plans for a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal (eight cities and a population almost the same as Scotland’s) really never went anywhere because of petty rivalries between cities and ridings. [You only need to

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