Monthly Archives: February 2012

More trouble for the EU. Democracy continues to interfere with the European Union’s best laid plans It’s bad enough that Greek elections could be held in April to allow voters there the chance to express a view on new rules … Continue reading →

A quote from Bertrand Russell in a book I was reading caught my eye: “Cruelty lurks in our instincts, and fanaticism is a camouflage for cruelty.” And antismoking fanaticism is indeed very cruel. Smoking bans are acts of cruelty to … Continue reading →

It’s been very warm here in middle England these last few days. So yesterday I went out and bought several trays of little plastic plant pots, 40 per tray, and a GroBag Plus of soil/compost. And today I half filled … Continue reading →

Troll was back again last night, posting on my blog and Leg-iron’s, and maybe a few others as well. Leggy reckons that he’d found out that it was quite easy to impersonate someone, once he’d got their username and password email … Continue reading →

As I see it, the smoking ban has created a divided society. After all, when one bunch of people is “exiled to the outdoors” (as Deborah Arnott put it, months before the UK smoking ban came into force), while everyone … Continue reading →

Another Chris Snowdon quote, again in respect of plain packaging: “It is extraordinary that a government which claims to be against excessive regulation should be contemplating a law which even the provisional wing of the anti-smoking lobby considered unthinkable until … Continue reading →

I was listening earlier today to Deborah Arnott and Chris Snowdon being interviewed on the Today programme about plain packaging proposals. Chris Snowdon had been asked a question about a report by the Adam Smith Institute, and Deborah Arnott was then … Continue reading →

H/T Captain Ranty for this Daily Mail article. Ban smoking in beer gardens to stop social smokers from lighting up, experts say The smoking ban should be extended to beer gardens and areas outside pubs and bars to tackle a … Continue reading →

On 23 Feb there’s going to be a webcast of a debate between Richard Dawkins and the Archbishop of Canterbury: Dialogue with Archbishop Rowan Williams and Professor Richard Dawkins Philosopher Sir Anthony Kenny will chair a dialogue between the Archbishop … Continue reading →

I’ve been reading The Battle of Britain by James Holland. It’s a very good book. Perhaps the best one I’ve ever read about it. So I’ve had my head filled with Spitfires and Stukas and so on over the past … Continue reading →