This week the rulers of the Hutt River province received a $1.8 million tax bill, rising to $3 million with interest and penalties. It is the latest instalment in a dispute that began in 1970 when a farmer, Leonard Casley, declared independence from Australia and built his own nation, complete with currency, visa requirements, and […]

This week Ten placed itself in voluntary administration. It might be the beginning of the end for commercial television as viewers increasingly prefer to download their favourite programs and watch at a time that suits them. This is a global issue and reflects a rapid expansion in the number of channels and a corresponding decline […]

This week the build up to the UK election featured the usual rumours about the future of the NHS but little, if any, comment on the fact that £600 million was withdrawn from hospitals and healthcare providers in the last financial year, because of fines for breaching performance targets. Instead of supporting struggling institutions the government removed money […]

This week I submitted my postal vote for the UK election. The campaign has been marred by the negativity of some candidates and parties as they prefer to attack each other’s policies rather than highlight their own. Social Media is full of inaccurate and irrelevant information, making it harder than ever for voters to make an informed […]

This week it was time to renew passports for some of the children. As they have dual British and New Zealand nationality this involved separate applications, and very different experiences. The New Zealand system is entirely online, involving a few questions, a digital photo and the contact details of a referee. Despite some technical issues […]

This week a Panorama documentary exposed unethical practices by private enforcement officers who chase litter droppers. It highlighted the routine outsourcing of government and council duties. Tasks such as medical assessments, running prisons, and providing transport are sold to private companies. Polling shows that only 21% of the public, trust those companies, compared with 65% […]

Paper five pound notes are no longer legal tender in England and Wales. They never were in Scotland and Northern Ireland. An 1845 act of parliament allowed three Scottish banks to print their notes but the Bank of England has operated a monopoly in England and Wales since 1921. Anyone extracting money from an ATM […]

In 2012 several English cities voted against directly elected mayors. This week elections were held for mayors in regions that included the same cities. The main responsibility for the incumbents is to promote an economic strategy, even though few of them are expected to have any economic experience or qualifications. Regional economic issues used to […]

  In 1963, a new shorter version of cricket was introduced to the English domestic game. It proved popular so a second cup and a league were added. Only one cup survived in 2013 and a new even shorter version was added. T20 proved popular and was copied overseas. This week fifteen of the eighteen […]