Showing 1 - 10 of 69
The moggy that rules Downing Street
Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/02/2026
» Important news from London. This past week Larry the Cat has been celebrating his 15th year as chief mouser at 10 Downing Street. During that time the tabby has served six different prime ministers and has arguably been considerably more popular than any of them.
Hedgehoppers in search of good news
Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/02/2026
» Being the very first day of February it would have been nice if there was some good news worth celebrating, but unfortunately nothing immediately springs to mind. Cheerful news is an increasingly rare commodity these days. It all seems to be gloom and doom and hardly portends a joyful 2026. It can get a bit wearying grappling with news reports featuring contradictions, cover-ups and cock-ups, often accompanied by half-truths, prevarications and porky pies. But this is the world we now live in.
Time, ladies and gentlemen, please
Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/11/2025
» Well it looks like a decision has finally been made even though it has taken 53 years. According to Deputy Prime Minister Sophon Zarum, that quirky ban on the sale of alcohol in Thailand from 2pm to 5pm will soon be lifted. The ban had always defied logic. Let's hope there's not a catch, as the build-up to it, which involved several U-turns, has been a trifle confusing to say the least.
Good time to celebrate verbal gaffes
Roger Crutchley, Published on 12/10/2025
» Tomorrow happens to be Plain English Day which has in recent years morphed into International Plain Language Day designed to promote the proper use of language. In other words the aim is to cut out all the gibberish, mumbo jumbo, codswallop, balderdash, tripe, tommyrot, twaddle, tosh and bosh you may have become accustomed to… heaven forbid, some of it even in PostScript.
New words I probably won't be using
Roger Crutchley, Published on 31/08/2025
» The Cambridge Dictionary recently announced the inclusion of 6,000 new words mainly derived from their common usage in social media. I fear those words will simply be added to an already lengthy list of vocabulary I am totally unfamiliar with. As one observer noted "internet culture is changing the English language."
Please don't blame it on the penguins
Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/04/2025
» There has been quite a fallout from Mr Trump's Tariffs, from which even penguins and seals were not spared. So much for Happy Feet. As one American commentator observed with tongue firmly in cheek "the penguins have been ripping us off for years."
Great debates… and some not so great
Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/03/2025
» No-confidence debates similar to that which took place in the Thai parliament earlier in the week have become something of a tradition in the kingdom, but I can’t recall any such motion ever being successful. Still, at least it gives the MPs an opportunity to share their words of wisdom with us hoi polloi.
The art of choosing the right words
Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/03/2025
» The word "diplomacy" has been making frequent appearances on newspaper pages in recent days and unless you have been in hibernation there is no need to explain why.
Slow horses playing a strange game
Roger Crutchley, Published on 02/03/2025
» Last week's account in PostScript of the painfully slow horse I bet on at the Epsom Derby back in the Dark Ages prompted a reader to enquire if I had seen the British television series Slow Horses. I'm pleased to say I have and for those who are unfamiliar with the production I should point out that it has nothing do with the equine world but is an absorbing British spy thriller laced with dark humour.
It's time to jive on the old six-five
Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/02/2025
» Today is Feb 16, admittedly not a date that would resonate amongst most people. But this day 68 years ago witnessed the first time British television launched a programme dedicated to pop music or rather rock-and-roll. Not exactly earth-shattering news, but it was a start.