HOLMSEY: It’s a stiff, bereft of life. It rests in peace!
Isle of Wight ObserverPeople rarely accept defeat with grace these days. The Reform Party’s opponents keep calling them far‑right racists. Last Thursday, voters…
Read MoreLOOK BACK IN TIME: 14 May 1853
This letter to the Isle of Wight Observer published on 14th May, 1853 records James Observer, Jun’s outrage at even…
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 MoreSTAR LETTER: Context matters when talking about candidate privacy
Dear 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…
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