York Press | Columnists

Cyclists do need to be protected

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:51:10 +0000

THE car horn blew and the driver shook his fist out of the passenger window. He did not appear to be looking where he was going. Anger vented, he turned his eyes back to the road and drove off in a furious haze.

Balance is not easy to achieve

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:42:02 +0000

PLANNING the future of our fair city is such a minefield you have to feel sympathy for those charged with the task. There is an argument York suffers from a form of “historic blight” because no one can suggest changing anything without someone complaining it will spoil our exceptional heritage.

Teen girls are a true delight!

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:45:31 +0000

WHAT is it about teenage girls that makes them so loveable? Is it the stroppy outbursts, the stomping around, the sullen sulks or the endless mood swings?

Regrets, I’ve had a few...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:07:07 +0000

IF I had my time over again... How many times do we say this in our lifetime? Loads, I bet. I know I do. While like Edith Piaf, there are times when je ne regrette rien, there are others when I wish things had been oh so very different.

Tax system is in need of repair and reform

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:32:18 +0000

This week, research from the Taxpayers’ Alliance found that the average British family will pay £656,000 in tax over their lifetime – a staggering amount of money.

Spare us the US party posturing

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:17:47 +0000

Why oh why do the media believe we want to hear all about internal party elections of the great US of A?

Grumps who lack a Muppet touch

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:25:06 +0000

DO YOU remember Statler and Waldorf, the disagreeable old gents from The Muppet Show? They used to deliver a running commentary on the show from their position on high in a box.

Paying respects

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:07:02 +0000

ONE of the complications with our wonderful language is how one word can mean so many things. Take “respect” – not a particularly long word, but with such different significance for different people.

Putting premium on insurance cover collapse

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:04:49 +0000

They make it sound so easy in the adverts. Simply dial a few numbers and hey presto, you’re sorted.

Honestly, not a lot has changed

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:21:49 +0000

WOULD you pocket a fiver you find lying in the street? Or would you hand it in to your local neighbourhood policing team?

The mild bunch...

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:38:04 +0000

In this month’s wildlife column, Jono Leadley of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust sees early signs of spring.

Pouting makes me curl my lip

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:48:57 +0000

DID you settle down in front the BBC's adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’s First World War epic, Birdsong, on Sunday evening, only to find yourself struggling to hear the dialogue?

Quiet gentleman in a chaotic world

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:00:23 +0000

REGINALD Hill was a lovely man, everyone says so. I met him only once and can concur, even if he did tease me about my suit.

You can get the blues on any old Monday

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:43:18 +0000

I HAVE always been a bit sceptical about Blue Monday.

‘Forgotten’ man who links to Dave

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:38:01 +0000

ONE reasonably confident prediction for the political year ahead is that David Cameron’s European veto will continue to cause ripples in the corridors of power.