Ensuring Your Child’s Safety On The Road

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For any parent, the moment that your child passes their driving test is an undoubtedly daunting experience. Whilst you may have had months to prepare for it, you’ve not even contemplated that moment when they’re legally allowed to drive out on the big wide road world on their own.

Now, I know it’s only a natural parental instinct to want to wrap them up in cotton wool and drive them around everywhere yourself, but there comes a time when you have let them go to enjoy their own independence and freedom.

However, there are things you can do to both increase their safety and ease your own parental worries, whilst they’re out on the road.

Enroll Them In a Pass Plus Course

Although your child has already invested a lot of time and money into initially learning to drive, once they’ve passed their test, you can arrange for them to take ‘Pass Plus’ – a 6-hour driving scheme that allows new drivers to gain more confidence in other driving conditions that they may not have experienced in their normal lessons, such as town driving, all-weather driving, driving out of town, night driving, driving on dual carriageways and driving on motorways.

The ‘Pass Plus’ scheme can usually be done with their current driving instructor and in the car they’ve recently been learning in, however, many driving instructors will be happy to do it your child’s own car – should they have one waiting for them after they’ve passed! Once the 6 hours have been completed, it requires no test, and your child will receive a certificate stating they’ve completed it. Undertaking the scheme may also reduce the cost of their insurance if you notify their car insurance provider once it’s been completed.

Enforce Mobile Phone Rules

One of the biggest and most common problems amongst new, young drivers is the distraction of a mobile phone whilst on the road. We all know how much they’re already glued to them when they’re using them in the home, but quickly checking a test message or replying to a BBM whilst behind the wheel can have devastating impacts.

Once your youngster has passed their driving test, it’s important to sit down with them and discuss a personal set of rules that they must adhere as soon as they get behind the wheel to drive. Encourage them to switch their mobile phones once they get in their car, in order to make sure there’s no possibility of distraction whilst they’re on the road. As well as removing the distraction, doing so will also have the added benefit of saving their battery life, should they break down or run into a situation where they may need to call you.

Fit a GPS Tracking System

Now, I know you’ve probably read the heading of this and thought “surely having a tracking system fitted is going a little too far when it comes to parental worrying?’ but, hear me out, because having a GPS tracking system fitted in your child’s car will not only put your worries to rest, but it’ll also make sure they do actually drive safely.

I’m sure that you’ve probably already sat down and discussed with your child the importance of driving safely, but we know how exciting passing your driving test is, and all you do is want to get out on the road, show your car off to your friends and offer to drive them around everywhere. But, unfortunately, sometimes the excitement can often lead to lack of concentration and even sensible awareness, which can lead to accidents.

Are you sat at home late at night worrying where your child is if they haven’t got home at the time they said they would? Well, with a GPS system, such as those available from Track What Matters, you can easily track their location, track what route they’ve taken, and even track what speed they’ve been travelling at – so you’ll easily be able to tell both if they’re safe and if they’ve been also been driving safely.

Vanessa Paradis is the face of Conscious For H&M

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Frost Magazine favourite Vanessa Paradis is the face of Conscious, as H&M launches Garment Collecting

Vanessa Paradis is the face of Conscious at H&M this spring, wearing pieces in the campaign that are both on-trend and also more-sustainable. It is all part of H&M’s ongoing commitment to a more sustainable fashion future, showing that the best fashion can be made from Conscious materials.

The actress and singer wear pieces as a ruffle-edged yellow sundress, as well as an embellished zip-up utility jacket worn with botanical print trousers. The pieces are part of a collection full of optimism for spring, with romantic styles like a floor-length dress alongside sporty shapes such as a cropped jumpsuit and a tropical print T-shirt dress. There are accessories too, such as ankle-strap heels, and the entire collection is made from more sustainable materials, such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel.

The full women’s collection will be available in H&M stores worldwide as well as online from end of March, alongside Conscious collections for Men – blazers, chinos, Ikat print shirts and shorts – as well as fun prints for kids and babies.

Vanessa Paradis says, “I like being part of something like the Conscious collection at H&M. I try my best to shop consciously, and vintage is very much part of my wardrobe. I love the style and it works in an eco-friendly way because I like to use and reuse old clothes.”

Coinciding with the campaign will be the launch of a Conscious garment collecting action at H&M. Customers will be able to bring any unwanted garments from any label to selected stores, and in return for each bag receive an H&M voucher, to a maximum of two bags per customer per day. H&M is the first store to encourage garment return on this scale, in an effort to prevent clothing from going to landfill.

Super Secrets of the Successful Jobseeker by Simon Gray

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 Keeping ahead of the competition in 2013 From ‘Super Secrets of the Successful Jobseeker’  Author

Getting yourself to market

“Knowledge is power” might be a cliché these days, but the stark fact of the matter is that it’s never been more of a truism. When you know more about the environment you’re about to enter, then the better you can market yourself, and adapt.

I have interviewed a number of people recently who have been in secure jobs but have been thrown into the hustle and bustle of the jobs market because of redundancy. To be frank, some of their expectations have been unrealistic. They often think that the jobs market is exactly the same as when they last looked for a position –  but times have changed.

I often equate this to a prisoner who has been newly released from prison after serving a 10-stretch. Their surroundings are unfamiliar, and time, people and technology has moved on. It’s no wonder they’re confused.

In my experience, jobseekers react to this in two different ways: they bury their head in the sand and try and pretend nothing has changed; or they take a more enlightened approach and try to gain more understanding of the modern job market and how best to place themselves within in it.

It’s no secret that there are now more people applying for the same job than ever before. With this comes a downward pressure on salaries, and, as far as employers are concerned, it’s most definitely a “buyer’s market”.

Employers are under the impression that they don’t have to try too hard to find great candidates with the skills they need because there appears to be so many out there looking for jobs. They’re also in no rush to make snap decisions when it comes to appointments – nor will they hire unless completely necessary because of the cost risk that taking someone on incurs. In short: employers believe they sit in the seat of power.

Jobseekers, meanwhile, are going into the jobs market believing it’s going to be tough to land a role. They’re thinking to themselves: “I’m going to have to work really hard to find a job and I’m not guaranteed to find one – is there any point?” They also believe they should be grateful for any job that’s offered to them at whatever salary. But the main thing they believe is that they have absolutely no power in the jobs market at all.

I think this is misguided. Why? Because you simply can’t control what is out of your reach. The mindset of employers is beyond a jobseekers capability to alter, and so trying to do so will only waste time and lead to a dead end. The jobseeker would be better spending their time and effort trying to understand what their future potential employer is thinking, and how you can tailor your skills and experience to meet their requirements. In doing this, you’ll be instantly rebalancing the relationship.

The first thing any jobseeker should do is remember who their competition is. Make sure you differentiate yourself from other jobseekers; instantly falling in-line with what the competition is doing will put you at a distinct advantage. Arm yourself with the weapons you need to make you stand out from the crowd.

This can seem like a daunting task, but it needn’t be. Research is vital, and this can be done at a local level rather than trying to ascertain what’s happening nationally.

The local press is a good place to start. Find out what’s happening in the regional economy, and basic steps such as measuring the thickness of the local jobs paper is a good place to start if you want to take stock of hiring activity in the market.

Recent figures show that as many as 20 per cent of people online at any time are looking for a job. Use this time to take a look at jobs boards and search for skills that employers are looking for.

Talk to the professionals – set up meetings with local recruitment businesses. Ask their advice on what’s happening, skills sought after and salary levels.

Do your homework on your local business scene; who are the larger businesses and who are the up and coming SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises)?

By undertaking these simple steps, you the jobseeker, will have a more realistic handle on the jobs market and a better of the times on the times your are living in.

With a clear picture of how things are, you are far better informed and more empowered to plan your attack and find your next position.

Django Unchained | Film Review

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Quentin Tarantino is a filmmaker whose name and ego seems to precede his films by quite a substantial degree. Since bursting onto the independent scene with the fantastic Reservoir Dogs in the early 1990’s his reputation and title as a ‘saviour’ of contemporary American cinema has grown rapidly, winning an astonishingly loyal fan base and even coining its own phrase; ‘Tarantinoesque’ which commonly refers to the trademark motormouth and foul mouthed dialogue that he revels in. Yet for the admiration that has been heaped upon him, Tarantino has found himself under growing accusations of plagiarism, violence for violence’s sake and the inability to rein in his work, spiralling off in all directions and drawing out what are essentially ‘B-Movies’ into epic lengths. His latest, his long planned Western, is arguably guilty of all of these and yet is handled with such bravura and panache that when all is said and done there is no denying that whether for better or worse, you are at the mercy of a force of nature behind the camera.

 

Shortly before the outbreak of the American civil war, Django (Jamie Foxx) is freed from a chain gang by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a dentist turned bounty hunter who needs Django to identify a gang of outlaws he is hunting down. Quickly realising that Django has talent for the trade, Schultz forms an alliance to give him his freedom and rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the plantation she has been sold to. It is a journey that will take them across a surreal and profane landscape and ultimately to the doorstep of the extravagant and sadistic slave trader Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his unnervingly loyal servant Steven (Samuel L. Jackson).

 

Tarantino has made no secret of his love of the Western genre (though he has referred to this new work as a ‘Southern’). Motifs and visual allusions to the classic Spaghetti westerns of the 60’s and 70’s adorn his previous films along with the now typically anachronistic use of music from Ennio Morricone to present day rap tracks and  everything in between. Django Unchained feels more like a sponge for pop culture than just a straight homage. That it works as well as it does is a testament to how horribly addictive Tarantino’s aesthetic is at its best. Profane soliloquies trip off the tongue, cameras swoop and crash zoom with grace and claret soaks the surroundings to a hysterically overemphasised effect. There is a killer in joke in which Franco Nero, the Italian superstar famed for playing the titular Django in a series of Italian westerns, meets his American namesake. The films setting, both historical and social, has brought controversy for Tarantino’s supposed fixation with racial epithets but the swerve and swagger on display as well as the overall theme of retribution puts aside accusations of racism on his part. As he did with Inglorious Basterds Tarantino has taken an idea (or at least a cinematic idea) of history that is emblazoned on our minds and has taken a switchblade to it and crafted a piece of postmodern beauty out of it (if beauty is the word you can use). He does this more effectively than he did in Basterds and in similar vein Kill Bill Vol.2 where he was indeed guilty of spinning off into a fan boy tangent and making the parts more than their sum. Whilst I do think the third act of Django could be tightened somewhat, it never becomes dull or trying. Long dialogue driven scenes, notably one set around a dinner table late on, throb with tension and a knowing wit. The payoffs are exceptionally enjoyable. It’s not just verbally that Tarantino excels; a jaw droppingly violent shootout stands next to the House Of Blue Leaves showdown in Kill Bill as proof he should be considered an action director of note.

 

Django Unchained also serves as a reminder for Tarantino’s other exceptional trademark; his ability to elicit magnificent performances from his ensembles. After the accolades he received for Inglorious Basterds it is no surprise to see Christoph Waltz reunite with the director and a joy it is to. He would seem to have been put onto this Earth for Tarantino’s words to have the pleasure of his delivery. His Schultz is savvy, charming, deadly, is smarter than everyone in the room and knows it. There is a line comically alluding to Schultz’s English being a second language. Whichever language which he delivers in (English, German or French) he remains masterful. Leonardo DiCaprio is clearly having a ball flitting effortlessly back and forth between comically debonair and psychopathic rage. Watch out for the scene where he loses his temper and smashes a glass with his hand. The result is not faked. Having spent many years playing the incredibly straight faced and dramatic lead, he proves a perfect foil for a more extravagant and comedic turn. Here’s hoping he plays to the advantage. Brilliant as these two are the films is very nearly stolen by Samuel L. Jackson as house servant Steven. The Uncle Tom from hell, balding, limping and in a constant state of bewilderment/silent rage Jackson relishes the ultimate in reverse stereotyping. It’s a role that if misjudged could have come across as extremely uncomfortable. Under his performance, it’s a scary and hysterical joy. Another larger than life performance could tip things too far over the edge yet Jamie Foxx wisely decides to play down any caricatures. His Django is a man of few words and big actions and when there are words they come like daggers. It’s a performance of quiet electricity.

 

Django Unchained is not perfect by any stretch. Part of me still would very much like to see Tarantino whittle down a project to under two hours and some of his choices of direction still raise an eyebrow. He casts himself in a cameo role with a bizarre and quite frankly terrible Australian accent that proves he should genuinely stay behind the camera than venture in front of it. Minor faults aside this is something of a comeback for Tarantino, ironic that he is considered the master of comebacks for actors. His devotees would argue he never went away but this is definitely in the upper tier and reminds you of his best. It’s like a shot of tequila; it burns the throat but the aftertaste is terrific.

 

Charlotte’s Bistro Review

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On Monday we visited Charlotte’s Bistro in Chiswick. It launched in 2010 following the success of its sister restaurant, Charlotte’s Place. Charlotte’s Place, in Ealing, has been around for twenty seven years and is one of our favourite restaurants so expectations were pretty high.

On entering Charlotte’s Bistro we were immediately struck by how different everything is to Charlotte’s Place. As Alex, the owner, tells us ‘we think of Charlotte’s Place as the mother and Charlotte’s Bistro as the daughter’. You can see exactly what he means, whilst Charlotte’s Place is more traditional Charlotte’s Bistro is modern and sleek. It has a stylish bar at the front followed by stairs leading to a raised area at the back where the restaurant is.

Our night starts at the bar with ‘gin school’. Something Charlotte’s Bistro is doing every Monday. Every week features a different Gin. This week it’s Caorunn (pronounced ka-roon), a delicious Scottish gin. We liked the gin and learnt so much we’ve decided to do an article on it. After a couple of excellent G&Ts we head to the raised area and our table. Both the bar and restaurant are packed, impressive as it’s a Monday, and there is a great atmosphere.

The menu is small, five starters and five mains, all the food is in season. I like that because you know a lot of focus has gone into the dishes. Our waitress is friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. She helps us select a sublime wine. We start with the Dorset crab with pickled cucumber and toasted sourdough and a pressed middle white ham knuckle terrine and mustard mayonnaise.

Our starters arrive almost immediately. I start with the ham terrine. Presentation is excellent. The terrine is beautifully made and absolutely delicious the mustard mayonnaise is light and a perfect accompaniment. The toasted crouton like biscuits on the side are crunchy and a delight. All in all an brilliant starter.

But it gets even better when I try the Dorset crab. Wow! A truly exceptional dish. This dish exercised my salt taste buds in a way that I can’t remember happening before. It tastes of the saltiness of the sea but is beautifully balanced and delicate. The texture of the sourdough against the crab was delightful. The sauce with the crab was divine and the pickled cucumber works beautifully with the crab. We both agreed this was one of the best starters we’d ever had. Flawless.

With such incredible starters our taste buds were tingling and our expectations were sky high for the mains. The fish dish we choose is the silver mullet, with white beans, smoked bacon and preserved lemons. Our meat dish is the confit white pork belly, parsnip, curly kale and caramelised Braeburn apple.

The silver mullet was another great dish. Presentation was beautiful. The fish was perfectly cooked and the skin was deliciously crispy and salty. The combination of white bean, smoky bacon and mullet was extremely tasty. The sauce was excellent. The dish was perfectly seasoned again the saltiness of the dish was delightful.

The pork belly dish was also a truly exceptional dish. The pork was soft and tender, the crunchy, tasty and the perfectly textured crackling was an absolute delight. The parsnip puree was incredibly smooth and delicious. The caramelised Braeburn apple was a real triumph and worked beautifully with the pork. The kale a vegetable I am not usually a huge fan of was perfectly seasoned and was deliciously salty and added to the whole dish. Quite simply superb.

The portion of chunky chips I ordered on the side seems in hindsight an insult to the chef since they were wholly unnecessary. But the taste of one salty chip only serves to highlight the skill and subtly the chef has shown with saltiness in their other dishes.

Our puddings are the baileys and orange cheesecake and the warm almond and blackberry bakewell. The cheesecake was excellent and beautifully presented. Smooth, creamy, beautifully subtle with a tasty crumbly base. The orange sauce which surrounded it was delicious and the candied orange peel which topped it added an extra dimension. The warm almond and blackberry bakewell was for me the least exciting of all our dishes. The bakewell was good but a little sweet for me and I didn’t feel the salted caramel worked. That said my colleague really enjoyed it.

 

Overall this was a fantastic experience. From the gin school through to the food. A wonderful night. The food was truly exceptional. I’ve been fortunate to eat in many restaurants but few come close to this. The Dorset Crab and the Pork Belly dishes were outstanding. The restaurant is unpretentious and friendly which makes for a great atmosphere and it is brilliant value for money. It was not surprising that it was packed out on a Monday night. We will certainly be returning soon.

 

 

 

Monday to Saturday

Lunch 12pm-3pm    2 Courses £15.95 3 Courses £18.95

Dinner from 6pm     2 Courses £24.95 3 Courses £29.95

Sunday

All Day 12pm-9pm  Main Course £14.95 2 courses £19.95 3 courses £23.95

6 Turnham Green Terrace, London, London W4 1QP (Nearest tube Turnham Green it’s a two minute walk)

020 8742 3590

charlottes.co.uk/bistro/

 

The Oyster Shed | Food Review

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 A little while ago, I was treated to oysters, ceviche, and sundry other fishy treats at the Oyster Shed. Thoroughly spoiled, I ran (staggered) home afterwards, tummy fat, fully intending to record my enthusings over the delightful evening at length immediately upon arrival.

Sadly, due in no small part to the soporific (and delicious) combination of scallops, pork belly and cauliflower puree on which I had gorged, I passed out en route to my laptop. By the time I awoke  Christmas was underway, and it hardly seemed fair to bury my appraisal of this establishment amidst the seasonal deluge of mince pies and boring charity singles.

So, belatedly, to the Shed. I’d infiltrated a small group of foodies who were privy to an evening spent inside the Captain’s Table- a hidden dining room which like the main bar and restaurant, overlooks the Thames. Reflected lights sparkled in the inky water a stone’s throw from our window.

The Shed’s head chef, Mark, was on hand to give us freeloading hacks a thorough and informative demonstration of the correct way to fillet sea bass, among other necessary life skills (no sarcasm). Handy tip: Flat fish loses 50% of its body during preparation, and round fish 60%. Use this ‘waste’ for stock. Mark deftly parted said bass from its spine as we watched, mouths full of rich, silky, smoked salmon and trout which was laid out on platters to sustain us. Also important- serve fillets skin side up. It’s prettier.

We munched on translucent haddock and cod ceviche while Mark explained that scallop shells must be closed, or close when tapped, if you are to eat them without fear of stomach upset. He also reassured us that all the fish eaten at the Shed comes from reliably sustainable sources.

Then to the serious business of oyster shucking. While his audience (myself probably included, I can’t remember) muttered ‘hilarious’ witticisms along the lines of ‘shucking good evening’/’they look shucking delicious’/’nothing like a good shucking’, Mark freed one slippery, salty crustacean after another. He remarked as he did so that he had 15 scars on his hands, all from shucking. We nodded seriously, and by now rather tipsy on free champagne and wine, some of us had a go at shucking ourselves. I delivered mine messily, fingers briny as I tipped it back into my mouth. It tasted reasonable- certainly fresh, at least. I had another, then turned my attention to a table behind us now groaning with other ‘nibbles’. Mini fish and chips and burgers were both standard ‘fun’ party fare, but satisfying enough. Pork belly and scallops were accompanied by cauliflower puree, which was delightful. After that my memory becomes hazy. Freelancer turned freeloader, and I stuffed myself until I could stuff no more.

I’m reassured that Oyster Shed menu is seasonal- ‘specials are special’. However I’m pretty confident that staples such as oysters, ceviche and scallops will still be in evidence if you should find yourself there in the near future. Which wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

Dinner- £40-ish (quite expensive, all considered)
Service– Hard to say, since I ate at a specially-for-hacks event
Head Chef– Charming
Oysters– Fresh, salty
Food in general: Good enough
Cauliflower puree- A revelation
View– Lovely

 

5 Angel Lane  London EC4R 3AB, 020 7256 3240

HMV’s slow digital response to blame for demise – Musicmetric chief

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HMV’s slow digital response was its undoing, says leading digital music expert

HMV confirmed the end of its three-year nose-dive into administration last night with the appointment of accountancy giant Deloitte. But its fate was sealed long ago by its slow response to the digital revolution, according to a leading digital expert.

The firm, which employs more than 4,000 people, ceased trading shares and issued a statement which said: “The board regrets to announce that it has been unable to reach a position where it feels able to continue to trade outside of insolvency protection, and in the circumstances therefore intends to file notice to appoint administrators to the company and certain of its subsidiaries with immediate effect. The directors of the company understand that it is the intention of the administrators, once appointed, to continue to trade whilst they seek a purchaser for the business.”

Gregory Mead, CEO of Musicmetric, the global music analysts, said:

“It’s a sad but inevitable fate for a much-loved stalwart of the music industry. But where retailers like John Lewis have embraced the internet – building customers through its Click and Collect service – HMV simply failed to adapt to the changing tastes of music fans and the seismic shift we’ve seen as everything has gone digital.

“While figures from the 2012 Digital Music Index showed file-sharing to be rife right across the UK, the upshot of this is that there are millions of fans accessing music each day. The challenge for retailers like HMV has been to find ways to tap into this – but you’d be hard pressed to be able to walk into an HMV store and buy songs directly on to your iPod.

“The changing face of music, and that digital technology has overhauled the way we interact with records, means that artists can engage directly with fans, meaning physical retailers have needed to evolve as well. While previously it was all about CD releases and the Sunday chart show, now the most important thing is knowing where your fanbase is and what drives them so you can market to them directly and maximise revenues from a myriad of sources.”

The Wright Wing Part 2

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Disclaimer: Ignore whatever he says. He knows nothing.

 

Warning: This week’s article might get a big heavy so I will punctuate it with jokes

 

This week was meant to be the 150th Anniversary of the London Underground but you know…delays.

 

While it’s not strictly political news BBC this week ran another series of stargazing and asked us all to help explore Mars. I’ve been exploring them for years but I have gallstones now so they’re a bit too fatty to eat now. While we’re on mars right “mars a day helps you work, rest and play” might be the biggest lie in all of advertising history.

 

I like to write my stand up material in the nude…yeah…bare jokes!

 

MP’s in an anonymous survey have stated that they believe they deserve a 32% pay rise. I can almost hear them justifying it by claiming it was less then a 3rd.of a pay rise. In this time of, as we are constantly reminded Mr Chancellor, austerity to suggest a 32% pay rise for yourself is a another blow to the public’s opinion of who you are what you do a MP’s. I don’t have anything funny to about this but it is most certainly a joke. Meanwhile starting salary for people in the police force will be cut £4,000. Wonder if those at the top of the police force will see similar pay cuts. I highly doubt it.

 

A lot of the time new hip hop music gets me annoyed, you know, makes me angry. Thankfully it’s only a Tinnie Tempah.

 

The first portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge has been unveiled. And I have to say that I wasn’t aware Karen Brady was the duchess of Cambridge. Take a look at it again yeah and see I’m right about this.

 

Lord Strathclyde has stood down from his position in the Cabinet. This ends his 25 year run as a part of the Conservative front bench. There are no jokes I can make here. Legally and from a liable point of view there are no jokes to be made here at all. Nothing to do with any sort of criminal investigation currently going on. I have no idea what you think I am a implying here. His friends have said there is no political reason for his departure. And why should I question that. I am sure there isn’t if they say there isn’t. SO obviously there is no joke to be made here. Let’s all move on because clearly, and I want to make this very clear, I am saying nothing about this or anything to do with hotels in north Wales. I do not review hotels in north Wales is what I mean. Clearly there is no connection here at all. Legally I want to make that clear.

 

I don’t know about you but I have an extensive disaster kit prepared at all times now because if even Labrinth is predicting an earthquake then I need to be prepared.

 

And yes that is an old joke but not as old as this one

 

Don’t go chasing waterfalls? Is there any need to chase them? Surely you just find them. Like they don’t move location. Yes they involve moving water but the waterfall itself doesn’t move so there is really no need to warm me no to chase them. Because why would I chase them? Yeah. Current.

 

David Cameron has accused UKIP of containing some pretty odd people. Because The Conservative party is a model or normality Mr Cameron? Pot. Kettle. Kettle. Pot. You get the idea.

 

HMV has gone into administration and I am feeling a little like I’ve lost a friend. I loved HMV and I spent plenty of money in their stores. HMV was like a second home I spent so much time in there. I will miss it. HMV will be a loss and now where do I physically buy DVD’s in the “high street”? Nowhere. Upset is an understatement.

 

Dear David Irvine, get your finger out and start putting an end to these “protests” over the flag. While I don’t agree with Belfast City councils decision to limit the days the flag is flown over Belfast City Council this is not the answer. Mr Irvine, along with other “political leaders” who are linked to organisations like the UVF need to call this off. They need to realise that this will solve nothing and actually makes the case the DUP are trying to make harder.

 

And Finally Nick Clegg has confirmed he will stand as a candidate and seek to be return to parliament at the 2015 General Election. This is apparently news. A man saying that he wishes to continue doing his job is news. A career politician saying he WILL stand for election is news. Surely it would be news if he wasn’t going to stand in 2015. That’s news. And to many Liberal Democrats that would be welcome news.

 

Thanks. Come back next week when I will be taking a look at the evolution of the teapot and how we stored tea before it was invented. (in case you hadn’t figured it out anything I tell you will come up next week never will)