I was delighted when Robert Jenrick defected to Reform last week.

“What a ****” I thought., “The Conservatives are better off without him.”

Congratulations to Lord Forsyth of Drumlean who is the new Speaker of the House of Lords.

If you’ve been paying attention to my musings (and name dropping) over the years you will know that Michael Forsyth gave me my first job after I left university in 1980.

There is a photo circulating on social media that features what appears to be a young Iranian woman lighting a cigarette using a burning picture of the Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.

It’s not clear where or when the photo was taken, but it’s an incredibly arresting image and it’s not the first time that freedom has been linked with smoking in the Middle East.

Campaigns to save the ‘great’ British pub are nothing new. I can think of several over the years, and here we are again.

This week the Telegraph launched its ‘Save the Pub’ campaign with a flurry of articles, including ‘Badenoch: My blueprint to save Britain’s pubs’.

Just back from Scotland where my son and I watched Dundee United play local rivals Dundee.

The less said about the match (United lost 1-0) the better, but I enjoyed the weekend.

Welcome back. Hope you had a good Christmas.

Before we navigate our way into the new year I thought I’d address one of the themes of 2025. You may have missed it, but here are some headlines (and articles) that highlight what I’m talking about.

All I want for Christmas is a government that doesn’t treat adults like children!

In the spirit of Christmas I’m pleased to report that Sheila Duffy, CEO of ASH Scotland, has been presented with a prestigious national award.

It’s not the gong she truly deserves (and still eludes her), but in the absence of royal recognition it’s the next best thing.