Oliver Letwin MP

One of the hazards of being a local MP is that you very quickly become very local indeed.

For many people, district or constituency boundaries are wholly invisible and even county boundaries are often of little account. For an MP, by contrast, constituency boundaries matter enormously – not just when it comes to boundary commissions and [...]

Can Dorset export?  Or are we just a delightful backwater, unable to sell to the world? 

The first answer is, of course, that Dorset can indeed export – and that it does export already on a major scale.

When you read the list of companies that are located in the geographical county, you cannot fail to be [...]

As everyone knows, there is at present a great shortage of homes. This makes it extraordinarily difficult for young people to find a place they can afford, so they can begin an ascent of the housing ladder.

As everyone also knows, there is considerable controversy about how we can make the provision of such homes compatible [...]

One of the worst nightmares for many a public figure is the thought that a large group of people will be gathered somewhere, expecting you to arrive and speak to them, and you will be stuck somewhere else.

Some years back, I found myself in exactly this position when scheduled to make an appearance at a [...]

There are lots of frightening things in the world.  But I don’t think there is anything quite as terrifying as a 60 foot long monster with eight foot long jaws, capable of crunching up a car.

If you meet one of these coming down the road or coming towards you in Lyme Bay, you might be [...]

One thing that the Dorchester and Weymouth area is not short of is prisons. With three of them in the vicinity, we must have one of the highest prisoner:population ratios in the country.

For various reasons, I have spent quite a lot of time in prison over the past 15 years – and the experience is [...]

For anyone who spends an appreciable proportion of their time (as I do) wrestling with large (sometimes vast) government contracts, there is a strong inclination to wonder whether Alice in Wonderland is a fairy-story or an accurate documentary.

Some of the tales of what has gone on over the years are nearly impossible to believe. Vast [...]

I was recently talking to someone who is very knowledgeable about heavy goods vehicles – and he made a point to me that I have been thinking about ever since. His point was that drivers of monster-sized heavy goods vehicles rarely, if ever, experience traffic jams.

Surely, I hear you say, there must be some mistake?

How [...]

Over years of writing this column, I have often highlighted examples of ludicrous bureaucracy and unnecessary, interfering regulation.

This is, of course, much easier to do when your party is in Opposition than when it finds itself in Government – because, once you are in Government, people can reasonably begin to ask why you aren’t doing [...]

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but when I go to the movies I very often find that the trailers are at least as exciting as the main item.  So I hope I can whet your appetite by using this column to trail the Job Club that will soon be emerging in Bridport.

Some while [...]