They could start by getting rid of low-value coins like 1p, 2p, 5p and 10p. I'm old enough to remember pre-decimal pennies grinding a hole in my pocket, even though eighteen of them would buy a … (View Post)

The thing I find really irritating about that quote is the phrase 'then-Chancellor'. Will knappers please stop doing this in the context of ancient history? As a fairly well-informed reader… (View Post)

...ring trousers that hardly reach his ankles. (View Post)

It's an enduring problem, though. We tend to be swayed by people who are fluent and lucid, not always to our advantage. I won't bother to mention them by name. (View Post)

I rather liked Luang Prabang, though we slept through the main attraction. The Buddhist monks turn out en masse at 06:30 every morning in an orgy of drum-assisted pan-handling. Apparently dollars are… (View Post)