Venezuela's tragedy: how zoos, pets and strays suffer too

ANIMALS IN VENEZUELA are suffering from acute malnutrition in a country where even most people find it difficult to feed themselves. They are often simply allowed to starve to death, despite efforts to transport them ...

Venezuela's tragedy: Censored speech and independent expression

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION and of the press is under attack in Venezuela.  The Government is cracking down on any perceived opposition. The ongoing humanitarian crisis has made these responses more brutal, as food becomes scarce ...

Venezuela's tragedy: Corruption and cronyism in plain sight

RUNNING A COUNTRY in crisis is challenging for even the most capable politicians. When thinking of those that have successfully led a country out of crisis, you might think of a leader with the vision ...

Venezuela’s tragedy: the regime's policies deliver malnutrition and death

SINCE HUGO CHAVEZ declared his ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ in 1999, Venezuela has become entirely dependent on imported food. 

In 2014, it was estimated that 70 per cent of all goods, including food, ...

Venezuela’s tragedy: the unreported refugee crisis

SOUTH AMERICA has a new refugee crisis. Nearly a million Venezuelans have left their home country in the last 2 years, some claiming that the number may be as high as 4 million. On the ...

Venezuela’s tragedy: Now as dangerous as war-torn Afghanistan

FOR THE SECOND YEAR running Venezuela is the world’s most dangerous country. More than 40 per cent of Venezuelans have been victims of robbery or theft, leaving just 17 per cent of Venezuelans feeling ...

An Amazon Tax! Really? Imagine if Maggie had taxed Argos?

I UNDERSTAND 1979 was a rather tough year. The high street was full of bin bags the unions wouldn't collect. Cheap crinoline skirts, flared jeans and only Mrs Slocum's pussy to console us.

Are you local? Edinburgh's charity shops need a thorough clear-out

EDINBURGH is a rather special city. There is no other in the UK like it. A capital, a village, a tourist theme park, a financial centre. It has a lot going on and a lot ...

Rt Hon Sir Alex Fergusson – an appreciation

THE SAD DEATH this week of my great friend and former colleague, Sir Alex Fergusson, leaves the Scottish Conservatives – and Scottish public life – without one of its most significant, and well-respected, figures.  Alex ...

Spanners and Bananas – or how smart meters used a dumb approach

IT IS REPORTED that an expert adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate Change thought the civil servants in charge of the smart meter initiative were so technically ignorant that they “couldn’t tell the ...

Should we not be re-assessing who we defend and why?

THERE HAS BEEN considerable mission creep in NATO since the end of the Cold War. It has enlarged far beyond its original borders. It has taken on roles across Asia and is effectively now the ...

So, why do I feel we should leave the EU?

MY VIEW OF THE EU and the UK’s place in it has been in flux for some time but it has taken the last two years post the vote to evolve to where it is ...