STAR LETTER: Context matters when talking about candidate privacy
Isle of Wight ObserverDear Editor, Your recent report, saying that many candidates in the local elections on May 7 have chosen not to…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: And the result is…
It’s possible this column will be of no interest whatsoever to at least half of you, because it’s about local…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: Mandy, Moscow and the missing answers
Dear Editor, During Monday’s ‘Prime Minister’s statement on Peter Mandelson’, we were treated to the PM’s grovelling apology to Epstein’s…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: A welfare system that punishes work
I used to be resentful of those who chose not to work. That resentment largely diminished when I asked myself…
Read MoreIW OBSERVATIONS: Questions raised over pre‑election reporting
The IW Observer is in an unexpected dispute with the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after raising concerns about…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: Bag charges backfire
Dear Editor, I always enjoy your newspaper and would like to respond to an article in last week’s edition. It…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Whoever you vote for badgers lose and the taxman wins
Spring has sprung, the clocks have gone forward, and – praise be! – the Easter holidays are now upon us.…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 3 April 1920
Listening to older Island residents is always interesting – as the editor of the Isle of Wight Observer published on…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: Champagne wages on a lemonade budget
Dear Editor, I am writing to express my serious dissatisfaction with the financial management and priorities of the Isle of…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Two weeks away and everything’s gone bang…
I’ve been missing in action for over a fortnight. I hope you enjoyed Michael, my stunt double. My oh my,…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 14 March 1857
This story from the Isle of Wight Observer published on 14th March, 1857 show that some things never change –…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 1 March 1856
Much like today, mid‑19th‑century residents were frustrated over rising utility costs. In Victorian Ryde, people were already challenging what they…
Read MoreGREEN FINGERS: Your garden is bursting into life
You might be considering growing something a little different this year, maybe seaweed or rice, following the relentless rainfall we…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: A realist’s guide to optimism
“Cheer up, Holmesy, try and keep a sense of perspective,” writes Yarmouth-based Matthew John Pomeroy Leeming. I love feedback and…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: Rearranging the deckchairs
Dear Editor, Things only go from bad to worse for the Government. When you look at the list of U-turns,…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 15 February 1919
The Isle of Wight Observer published on 15th February 1919 reported on a new transport service which it was hoped…
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