Peter Rhodes

2 weeks ago | expressandstar.com | Peter Rhodes

Star columnist gives his views on the government's plans for free school meals, ministers and his summer holidaysI caught a snatch of a radio debate in which someone promised that free school meals would help “hard working people.” So who will help the freeloaders, the skivers, the workshy and the feckless? I think we should be told. Another week, another series of line-ups starring Joe and Josie Public as moving wallpaper for government announcements. You know the sort of thing.

3 weeks ago | expressandstar.com | Peter Rhodes

One of Putin's favourite TV propagandists, Vladimir Solovyov, has warned of nuclear war with Britain and is advising our Celtic neighbours to jump ship while they can. As he puts it: “Scottish brothers, you must fight for your independence. Right? These English colonisers have no business on Scottish soil.”By coincidence, the new Scottish-based TV shocker, Dept Q (Netflix) has the occasional anti-English moment, as when one Scot is heard to whisper: “Give us our bloody independence.”

3 weeks ago | expressandstar.com | Peter Rhodes

According to a weekend report on the Great British fertility crisis, the main reasons for couples not having kids include money worries and “not feeling ready.” What advice can we of the older generations offer these baby-ditherers? Only the eternal truth: if you wait until you can afford children, you'd never have them.

3 weeks ago | expressandstar.com | Peter Rhodes

In the Gettysburg Address of 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Today, the veteran Democrat politician Bernie Sanders defines America under Trump as “government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, for the billionaires.” Nice one.

3 weeks ago | expressandstar.com | Peter Rhodes

Star columnist Peter Rhodes discusses the hottest topics from garden bulbs to Hitler's dietHitler was a vegetarian. Therefore, vegetarians are Nazis. Agreed? Of course not. The above is an example of what academics call Reductio ad Hitlerum, Latin for "reduction to Hitler," or playing the Nazi card. Put simply, it means that if, for example, you're discussing modern politics and start dragging the Nazis into the debate, you've probably lost the argument.