Mr & Mrs Middle England: Utilities Stop by David Palethorpe Mr & Mrs Middle England live in constant fear of the knock at the door or the unexpected phone call. Not burglars, not trick-or-treaters — but something far worse: utility salespeople. It starts innocently enough. The phone rings, and a bright, synthetic voice cheerfully announces…

BLOWN AWAY By David Palethorpe The triggers pulled The hammer falls The sound, the recoil To late, to late To make it stay The shell is gone It’s on its way To a target far away A neutral bullet No remorse A human falls Life blown away By mankind Who made it this way

Colour of the Wind by David Palethorpe, I can’t see the wind But I know that it is there I feel it upon my face I feel it blowing through my hair It changes with the seasons Warm and cool and cold It changes with direction East, West, South and North I know that it’s eternal…

Flags, Floods and the Fine Art of Talking Rubbish by David Palethorpe Many will know that one of my passions is Rugby Union. I used to be a Rugby Development Officer and Regional Development Officer, and over the years I’ve coached at all sorts of levels — from the England Women’s Students in the early…

Spare a Thought for the People Who Show the Best of Britain by David Palethorpe In all the noise about migration — the headlines about “boat people,” the outrage over costs, and the soundbites from ReformUK Ltd — something essential has been lost: our humanity. Much of the rhetoric that dominates the debate, in my…

Opinion Perhaps Nigel Farage Has Finally Solved the Overpopulation Problem by David Palethorpe I used to think Nigel Farage and his political offspring were simply sad and angry people with nothing better to do than cause division and hatred. Angry about immigration, Brussels, bendy bananas — the usual stuff. I even gave them the benefit…

Mr and Mrs Middle England in Ipplepen Halloween It’s coming up to October 31st, and here we are again: bloody Halloween in Ipplepen. Children — and, let’s be honest, some of their parents — dress up as vampires, witches, and ghouls, then knock on doors demanding money or sweets. On any other night of the…

The Paradox of Tolerance – A Reflection on Who We Are by David Palethorpe I used to tell my children — now adults themselves — that one of if not the greatest qualities of the British people have always been our tolerance. We’ve been a nation that, even when we disagreed, respected difference. We had…

The Union Flag belongs to everyone who calls the UK home – It Should Unite NOT Intimidate Flags, Fear, and What True Patriotism Means By Cllr David Palethorpe, Deputy Leader, Teignbridge District Council At Teignbridge District Council yesterday (Thursday 23 October), we discussed the value that foreign nationals, refugees, asylum seekers, and those with indefinite…

Reflections from the Junk Mailbox by David Palethorpe Just out of interest the other day, (OK I was bored), I went through my junk emails. Normally, I just open the folder, select all, and delete without reading anything — on the theory that if it’s important, whoever sent it will get in touch again. However,…