Mature Times - Comment

How grandparents can help prevent child abuse tragedies

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:01:24 +0000

In the wake of the Baby P scandal, and putting aside the abject response to the tragedy in PMQs this week by baying herds of MPs, several questions spring to mind. One is: excuse me, but haven’t we been here before? Secondly: if we really DO care for the most vulnerable in society, why is there a shortage of social workers in places like Haringey? And thirdly, what role, if any can grandparents play in preventing this?

More possessions - but are we any happier than 50 years ago?

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:25:49 +0100

Readers often tell us that, even though they "didn't have much" in the way of money or possessions, life was much happier a few decades ago than it is now. And it seems that our readers are quite right in their comments - as shown recently in a special 50 year anniversary report called 'Family Spending', published by the Office for National Statistics.

Urban myths

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:45:53 +0100

I love the way that jokes somehow make their way into the national consciousness as ‘facts’. This is usually because jokes are overheard in pubs (where alcohol has a way of dimming one’s judgement) or relayed by minicab drivers (say no more).

Ageism: now let’s finish the job

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:23:46 +0100

In August, Mike O’Brien, Minister of State for Pensions Reform set out the Government’s position on ageism. Fine words, says Kate Jopling, Head of Public Affairs at Help the Aged. But there is still a lot more to be done to eradicate discrimination.

What’s it worth?

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:14:18 +0100

I’m writing this having taken a call from a radio station. They want someone to go on air and defend retaining our post offices. Someone, somewhere, I suppose, will be brought on to say: ”Yes, closing them is a sad but necessary thing”.

I’ll stoutly say they’re a jolly good thing. And no doubt we’ll have a brisk on air discussion with listeners ringing in. But I think there’s a bigger argument here than just post offices. One that has its roots in the very way we choose to run our lives.

Stop electoral register being used by junk mail companies!

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:01:57 +0100

Very few people escape the modern trend of junk mail Give your address to a company, or buy a product - and suddenly there are so- called 'unbeatable offers' flooding through your front door every week. More recycling. But now a new survey has shown overwhelming support for a change in the law to ban junk mail companies from gaining access to voters’ details through the electoral register.

To BOGOF or not to BOGOF? That is the question

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:59:58 +0100

The mushrooming of large supermarket chains has changed the face of shopping for ever, causing the decline or even extinction of many small local shops. But how has it affected those on fixed incomes such as pensioners, and the millions who live alone. Jayne Warren wonders why everything - including the shelves - are stacked against them.

Madonna hits 50 - but what does that say about the rest of us?

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:03:59 +0100

Passing the 50 mark is always a significant moment in our lives. We're currently watching Madonna go through that stage - in her own way. But what does it mean for the rest of us? Baby boomer marketing expert Judith Cork has her own take on life after 50.

A taste of their own medicine

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:50:07 +0100

The idea of giving people in positions of power a “taste of their own medicine” has such huge appeal that we should, I think, extend it says Mature Times editor Tony Watts.

It's good news week!

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:41:23 +0100

... occasionally you get the good news pieces in the papers: new treatment hope for cancer, a rare victory in sport for one of our national teams, or Elvis being spotted eating sausage and chips in a café on the A1. But they are few and far between ...

Mature Times editor Tony Watts tries to buck the trend and look on the bright side.

What the Romans did for David Davis

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:40:00 +0100

"The prospect of catching murderers, rapists and terrorists before they strike again makes it, to me at least, a price worth paying." Was David Davis right to stand on a platform of civil liberties that would make life easier for the criminal? Mature Times editor Tony Watts doesn't think so ... and neither, it seems from your response to date, do our readers.

What a racket

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:48:32 +0100

Why, asks Mature Times editor Tony Watts, do some tennis players need to make such a racket when they hit the ball? And MT readers give their views too ...

It's official: the world has gone mad

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:00:58 +0100

We can conclusively confirm that the world has taken leave of whatever senses it started with. How do we know? Because Manchester Police have diverted their attention from stemming the rising tide of gun and knife crime in their city to send five of their finest officers to tackle a criminal they feel comfortable in arresting: a 54 year old man with a heart condition, accused of dropping an apple core

Energy bill shocker - but has it happened to you too?

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:06:34 +0100

We received our electricity bill recently. Nothing odd with that, you might think. Except the first thing to hit my wife as she opened the envelope were the words, in very large print: “Your account balance is £1,713.33 in debit”.

What has wealth got to do with happiness?

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:24:15 +0100

Gross national product "does not allow for the health of our families, the quality of their education or the joy of their play". Bobby Kennedy's words, 40 years on. But are they still relevant today?