1. From Closed Shop to Open All Hours In 1405 the Great Emperor Yongle sponsored a massive mission of world exploration that would be captained by the explorer Zheng He. The boats used by these expeditions were among the largest sail powered boats the world had ever seen – by comparison...

Not many people have pointed out a particular aspect of the Labour party’s grand plans for energy and the utility bills. Scratch that “not many” and think “nobody”. Beyond the partisan exchanges fuelled by marketing vs marketing, beyond all that the voter wishes...

You would not believe me but this election has many many echoes of 2008. This government is bending over backwards in order to show the voters how much change it has already brought into place and there is no doubt that some sort of progress has been achieved. On the other hand this blog was...