Archive for January, 2009

UK first time buyers start to nibble

Posted on January 31, 2009 in Other stuff

These may be just straws in the wind but:

The number of mortgage applications in the UK is up for the first time in over a year, particularly from first time buyers.

The number of mortgage approvals increased in December over November, against …

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Curse of Sunny Jim haunts Brown

Posted on January 30, 2009 in Politics

There have always been obvious parallels between former Labout prime minister Jim Callaghan and Gordon Brown; both inherited the crown after years in waiting (although Callaghan concealed his ambition rather better) and both knew that they might be in for …

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Smokin’ Joe trips up over N’Zogbia

Posted on January 30, 2009 in Sports

Football, especially at perennial under-achievers Newcastle United, has never been short of comedy and new(ish) Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear has lifted even the always diverting Toon to new heights.

Joe began his regime with a foul-mouthed tirade at the assembled hacks …

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Grumpy tweeter Oddie quits Springwatch

Posted on January 30, 2009 in Arts, Media

Bill Oddie, the former ‘Goodie’ who’s reinvented himself as an amateur ornthologist on the BBC 2’s Springwatch and Autumnwatch, is stepping down.

This means there’ll be no more bickering between Oddie, 67, and the rather younger co-presenter Kate Humble, the reason …

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The bankers are still dancing

Posted on January 30, 2009 in Business, Politics

Back in the summer of 2007, when the credit markets first began to get skittish and bad news was already emerging about sub-prime mortgages, Citigroup chairman and CEO Charles ‘Chuck’ Prince observed that, while the music was playing, “we’re still …

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Are we falling out of love with cars?

Posted on January 30, 2009 in Business

The most alarming thing about Honda’s decision to shut down production in the UK isn’t the length of the layoff (although at four months that’s bad enough) but that, when work resumes in June, the target will be 120,000 cars …

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Gutsy folk hero John Martyn dies at 60

Posted on January 29, 2009 in Arts

The great names of the 1960s and early 70s are dropping like flies alas and John Martyn, born in Surrey but an adopted Scot and a marvellous interpreter of Celtic angst, has died aged 60.

Martyn was part of a generation …

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Will Obama’s $819bn actually work?

Posted on January 29, 2009 in Business, Politics

Well if $819bn doesn’t help to boost the US economy then the obvious explanation would be that the economy is dead.

The argument raging between Republicans and Democrats is that the former want more tax cuts for richer people (past president …

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