HOLMSEY: The crimes that test our conscience
Isle of Wight ObserverI’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.…
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 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 MoreHOLMSEY: If this is grown‑up government, fetch the crayons
Sir Keir Starmer has come out fighting, and apparently the great enemy of our age is… Reform. Insults seem to…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Another week, another omnishambles!
It’s no secret: everyone running a business is spooked. In 2020, hiring 21-year-old cost employers £17,035. Today, that same person…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Trump, Starmer, and the art of getting it wrong!
The Orange One loves winding up Europeans – and the Canadian PM, obviously. His threats against Canada and Greenland are…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Prostate and planning updates
“I’m pleased to tell you, it’s not cancer.” The consultant sounded chirpy, almost as if he’d cured me. Breaking bad…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Whatever happened to the Saturday job?
I don’t remember anyone complaining that President Obama invaded Pakistan to grab Osama Bin Laden. Once captured, Bin Laden was…
Read MoreHOLMSEY: Sometimes we don’t realise how lucky we are!
We shared some of our grown-up kids with their partners’ families this Christmas. Those giant get-togethers of years gone by…
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