HOLMSEY: A weekend that wiped me out
Isle of Wight ObserverIt’s the repetition you notice. Hour after hour, day after day, the same old routine, and there’s no escape. When…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: ‘We’re all going on a summer holiday’
While many of you were enjoying your holiday, I worked through the summer, although I did manage a four-day ski…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: When ‘Stopping the boats’ means sending more boats
Pick a side – any side. Did you support the Island’s two RNLI all-weather lifeboats crossing the Channel last Sunday,…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Burnham’s bounce will end at the boiler
It’s far harder to use less energy than to cut back on eating out, groceries and holidays. The price of…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Looking for perfection in imperfect world
I have a gift for spotting flaws, which means I’m never completely content with anything. Of course, none of us…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: A lifetime of sartorial mishaps
In the final months of school, looking sharp was my primary focus; impressing girls was the goal. School uniforms exist…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Holmsey’s got the hump!
The hot weather is affecting every part of our lives, even the fabulous County Show. If you didn’t bother going…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Policing thought crimes – while thieves walk free
Two uniformed police officers walk into a riverside pub. They hadn’t gone for a pint, nor were they responding to…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: The crimes that test our conscience
I’m too young to remember anyone being executed by the British state. Many other countries remain convinced that the worst…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Meet the new boss
Thanks to its complex multi‑party system, Belgium went 541 days without a government. I’m sure most of us would happily…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: The cold truth behind your £4 cone
Phew, what a scorcher. When the sun is beating down, who doesn’t crave an ice cream? Last weekend was the…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: It’s a stiff, bereft of life. It rests in peace!
People rarely accept defeat with grace these days. The Reform Party’s opponents keep calling them far‑right racists. Last Thursday, voters…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: The good old days – when dads did very little!
The cost of ferries, airline cancellations, and EU border delays are all good reasons to stay home this summer. I’d…
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 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 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.…
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