This strange looking character is actually Barney Baloney - a clown (in every sense). Why the sad face, you probably haven't asked? Well, Mr Baloney has been forced to stick with the juggling after been refused insurance if his act includes…

Government The prospect of yet another reorganisation of the National Health Service will be raised today by Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, in a speech on how "independent" the NHS may become. In a lecture at the London School of…

The new Bagehot at The Economist, recently returned from a posting to a "harsh, cold country", thinks that those of us who claim Britain is going to the dogs are hypochondriacs. I have sent the following letter in reply: Sir, In 1980, the…

Government   Plans to offer more drug treatments to child sex offenders to try to stop them committing further crimes have been announced by the Home Office. The treatment involving libido-reducing drugs or anti-depressants would be taken…

First Bush. Now Blair. What is happening to the world? Actually, the feigned surprise could be considered disingenuous. This author does not generally perceive politicians as knaves or fools. Mostly, they are decent and intelligent people…

-(Picture - Hat tip: Guido Fawkes)- An interesting story in the Times the other day suggested that a candidate's face could make the difference when it comes to an election.  With the labour party deputy leadership entering its final week…

Government Tony Blair yesterday argued that competitive pressures on newspapers and broadcasters meant stories were chosen for their potential impact on the public rather than their accuracy. Voicing for the first time his long-standing…

So incredibly one person in our poll thought that the new Olympic logo was worth every penny of the £400k it cost.  Maybe Lord Coe reads Picking Losers..? An overwhelming 76% of you thought £400k was a complete waste of money regardless of…

So yesterday, as promised, Ruth Kelly outlined the plans for the implementation of HIPs. All houses with four or more bedrooms will be required to have them from August 1st, then it will be a phased implementation with three bedroom houses…

Government   Women would get the legal right to breastfeed in public, under a new law being proposed by the government. The measure in the Single Equality Bill aims to boost figures suggesting only 20% of UK women breastfeed exclusively for…

Government The biggest overhaul of Britain's immigration laws for more than 35 years is being planned by the Government, which has admitted that their complexity has undermined public confidence in the system. The myriad of legislation…

There is a marvellous booklet, published by the Social Affairs Unit in 2000, called the Dictionary of Dangerous Words. It contains modern definitions, provided by many great thinkers and Oliver Letwin, of words "which once meant something…