STAR LETTER: Champagne wages on a lemonade budget
Isle of Wight ObserverDear 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…
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 MoreSTAR LETTER: Lords should be selected on merit – not patronage
Dear Editor, The latest revelations reported about a former aide of Keir Starmer who campaigned for a convicted child abuser…
Read MoreIW OBSERVATIONS: Negative campaigning: we’re not printing it
With the IW Council elections now confirmed for May 7, the IW Observer has taken a careful look at the…
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 MoreVECTIS VIEW: Andre Usborne – Island Olympian
As the start of 25th Winter Olympics approaches in Italy, I reflect on my own Olympic participation in the 1980s.…
Read MoreWIGHT IN WESTMINSTER: Richard Quigley MP — Labour MP for IW West
With everything going on in the world – nationally and internationally – it’s easy to miss good news locally. But…
Read MoreIW OBSERVATIONS: When absence isn’t apathy
Tilly WalderThe Isle of Wight’s low school attendance figures and below-average exam results are sometimes spoken about in the same breath,…
Read MoreSTAR LETTER: Is traffic planning up to scratch?
Dear Editor, There seems to be a complete lack of joined up thinking with the road closure regime operated by…
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