Category Archives: Opinion

A snapper up of unconsidered trifles

Autolycus, in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, is described as a roguish peddler, vagabond and pickpocket who steals the Clown’s purse, pilfers a lot, but ultimately helps the lovers Perdita and Florizel to escape. Autolycus describes himself as a “snapper up of unconsidered trifles” – a description that can be applied to me as I squirrel… Read More »

Supermarket Law

Which is the odd one out in the list below? There’s no place like ASDA You shop, we drop Your M&S Law firm goes public Buy one get one free – (BOGOF) Every little helps! Like all good quiz questions, there is a catch. In fact, there is no odd one out. They are all… Read More »

Fantasy island

The 1970s was the decade we all like to forget. Amongst many dubious inventions, I have had reason to recall recently the TV series called Fantasy Island. The owner charged wealthy individuals $50,000 each to come to the island and live out their fantasies. Pretty well all the fantasies were unlikely. I suppose that is… Read More »

Of mice and men

Hunca Munca and Tom Thumb were two bad mice. Beatrix Potter conceived the story of how they both created mayhem in the dolls’ house belonging to Lucinda and Jane, while the dolls were out in their pram. When the little girl who owns the dolls’ house discovers the mess, she gets a doll dressed up… Read More »

What is life?

What is life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare? Most of us rarely have time to look at the great buildings which surround our places of work or rest. W. H. Davies thought that life was not worth having if you could not enjoy a good gawp in a… Read More »

Why look a gift horse in the mouth?

Chris Dale begins his report Millnet offer £10,000 of e-Discovery services for free  with Virgil’s phrase, “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes” which is commonly, if loosely, translated as “beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” If you have been abreast of recent economic developments, you will know that the Greeks are unlikely to be bearing any gifts for… Read More »

Education, education, errm…

Fresh from the mauling the Chilcot inquisitors suffered recently at the hands of Tony Blair, the former PM would doubtless wish to offer a similarly spirited and robust defence of his 1996 speech when campaigning for the return of a Government of New Labour, in which he asserted that the three main priorities for government… Read More »