Vicki Woods



Profile:
Full name: Vicki Woods

Area of interest: Society and Politics

Journals/Organisation: The Daily Telegraph

Email: [mailto:vicki.woods@telegraph.co.uk vicki.woods@telegraph.co.uk]

Personal website:

Website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/vickiwoods

Blog:

Representation:

Networks:



Biography:
About:

Education: Lancaster University

Career: Trained as a sub-editor on Harpers; sub-edited at Radio Times for two years; returned to Harpers as chief sub-editor; moved to Tatler, stayed for four years, rising to deputy editor; joined the Daily Mail as editor of 'Femail', stayed for a year and a half before becoming editor of the Mail's Mail and Femail magazine; contributing editor to American Vogue; appointed editor of Harper's and Queen, 1989/1994; wrote a diary column for The Spectator, joined The Daily Telegraph as a columnist, 1998 - Current position/role: Commentator


 * also writes/written for:

Other roles/Main role:

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:
 * Apart from Spam, bread and jam and HP sauce, the only thing I remember eating was tripe - The Observer, 2004
 * We liberals have strong feelings, too - The Daily Telegraph, 2005
 * What about the hard-working classes? - The Daily Telegraph, 9th December 2006

Broadcast media:

Video: Recently presented the BBC's What the Papers Say

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours:

Scoops:

Other: Married to Frank Walker of the Mirror Group; mother of Octavia Walker - who currently writes on beauty and health for the Sunday Mirror 

Books & Debate:


Latest work:

Speaking/Appearances:

Debate: 

The Daily Telegraph:
Column name:

Remit/Info: Society and Politics - "Vicki Woods, a sparkling magazine and newspaper writer, brings her sharp eye to bear on anything from war in Iraq to life in the Home Counties."

Section: Features / Comment

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:vicki.woods@telegraph.co.uk vicki.woods@telegraph.co.uk]

Website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/vickiwoods

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Saturday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 900/1000 words



Articles:

 * I have intimations of mortality every day - The idea of burning up your body is a little wasteful, especially when you can instead donate it to anatomy students - 20th September 2014
 * Taking pets across borders can be risky – especially if there’s an Englishman about - Having walked through Nothing to Declare with a small tortoise in my handbag, I was stopped by a woman officer who asked me to empty my bags - 2nd August 2014
 * War memorials that stop the heart, not the traffic - In villages across the land, the war dead are remembered with an understated dignity - 26th July 2014
 * Fear not Ma, everything in the garden’s lovely - It’s only when you’ve been away for a while that you cherish the beauty of summer - 13th July 2014
 * A bunny-boiler who considers rabbit fair game - Jeanette Winterson is an example to all – some of us can’t even wring a chicken’s neck - 21st June 2014
 * Sadness, and a surprise, at the 9/11 Museum - The memorial at Ground Zero is filled with objects that shock the tears out of you - 7th June 2014
 * Drivers are in a hole and will have to dig deep - Gone are the days that we could laugh at the state of French roads – now it's Britain that is riddled with potholes - 19th April 2014
 * Cashmere will always make a man look good - Obama is bold enough to go for pink, but other men buying clothes for women should play safe - 15th March 2014
 * Manners maketh the Brits a laughing stock - Poking fun at the Army chief who told officers how to be gentlemen is, well, rather rude - 9th March 2014
 * Fur, fake or fake-fake? It’s all very confusing - Wearing animal skins may be out in London, but there are bargains to be had in Manhattan - 22nd February 2014
 * Avios, amigo! We and the dogs really must fly - Crossing the Atlantic is bad enough, but how will English pooches handle a polar surge - 11th January 2014
 * After the feasting, it’s usually fasting season - One Christmas dinner is not exactly gluttony, so what motivation is there to lose weight - 4th January 2014
 * Christmas in the city, with all the trimmings - Telephones that work and music in every room – it’s not like this back in the village - 28th December 2013
 * Oh for a little of Nigella’s courtroom brilliance - That leonine creature in the witness box is an inspiration for all those baffled by Mr Barrister - 7th December 2013
 * Our high street needs help, not a free ride - Some bright spark at the parish meeting thought a minibus to Tesco was a great idea - 1st December 2013
 * Taking dogs abroad is far from plain sailing - It was full steam ahead for our dream trip – until we found out about the pet problem - 23rd November 2013
 * The lessons gone unlearnt at Westminster - The fallibility of MPs Nadine Dorries and Nadhim Zahawi is regrettably familiar - 16th November 2013
 * The goon squad comes for Newbury's illegal immigrants - Heavy-handed patrols would be funny if they weren’t so tragic - 9th November 2013
 * Banning sweetness may leave a bitter taste - If something has to go from our diet, high-fructose corn syrup might be a good start - 2nd November 2013
 * No offence Facebook, but I’m going to unfriend you - It was the packet of Benson & Hedges that got me on to Facebook, but it’s time to give it up - 26th October 2013
 * Babies aren’t state property – they’re grandma’s - Various agencies seem to have taken over where grandmothers once held sway - 19th October 2013
 * These parties are wilting, just like my bay tree - I’m too busy reading emails from pressure groups to think about who to vote for - 5th October 2013
 * Where to go when the last trump sounds? - It’s time to consider the grave matter of where in our churchyard I should be buried - 28th September 2013
 * Politicians don’t make children safe, parents do - Any teen with a laptop will be able to outwit a spendthrift government - 21st September 2013
 * Only a fool would put the boot into high heels - What could strike a more resounding note than to sport the deeply unfashionable - 14th September 2013
 * When lost car keys drive you round the bend - In these days of chips with everything, finding replacements should be simple - 31st August 2013
 * How I took revenge on the BBC’s officer class - As a 25-year-old living on egg and chips, the thought of doubling my salary was irresistible - 24th August 2013
 * When will our politicians stop talking trash? - Nothing is likely to make a grumpy woman grumpier than men banging on about bins - 17th August 2013
 * Imagine a life without meat, cheese or fish - Forsaking the village butcher is one thing, but going vegan brings a whole new challenge - 10th August 2013
 * Sobering stories of wine, women and units - Alcohol is taking its toll on a generation that doesn’t seem to be getting the message - 3rd August 2013
 * If Archbishop Welby thinks he has problems... - As costs rise at our parish church, the congregation dwindles to less than half a dozen - 27th July 2013
 * Who wants a minister for women? Not me - Feminists have tried to create 'equality’ between the sexes, but it can’t be done - 20th July 2013
 * Our postman delivers a sack of bad news - Things are going to go downhill with privatisation, according to the man in the hi-viz vest - 13th July 2013
 * Nothing is quite as soothing as a well-kept suit - Prince Charles’s patch was a rare sight for a generation that has forgotten how to sew - 6th July 2013
 * It’s such a thrill when your birds fly the nest - Surely the lure of the Niger seed would prove irresistible – all we had to do was wait - 29th June
 * Hemlines are plunging and I’m feeling down - The Season of the Midi is upon us, proving that the economy is still stuck in the doldrums - 22nd June 2013
 * Homage to Catalonia and all that free parking - The locals down at the pub can feel it in their bones – some Spanish sun is heading our way - 15th June 2013
 * I want a little domestic dignitas - When it comes to dying there’s no place like home - 1st June 2013
 * I’m still baffled by the idea of gay marriage - In my day, getting wed was just a bourgeois way of safeguarding a chap’s property - 25th May 2013
 * Summer only starts when we women say so - The suspicions of my Mr Whitcher suggest men are clueless when the sun comes out - 4th May 2013
 * Vote for Farage? Are you completely bonkers? - Regulars in the Oak have fallen for Ukip, but I’m sticking with the twinkly young Tory - 27th April 2013
 * The Iron Lady used her wardrobe as a weapon - No woman could ever vote for those blouses, I thought. But she proved me magnificently wrong - 13th April 2013
 * How a former teaboy turned into a class act - Do you see yourself as Established Middle or Elite? You just have to tick the right boxes - 6th April 2013
 * Richard Griffiths - the greatest of the history boys - This vastly endearing actor, who made such an impression in Withnail And I and The History Boys, was someone you felt you knew – and wanted to know better - 30th March 2013
 * That’s it – I’ve had it with the Today programme - Mrs Thatcher was a role model for women, so why does the BBC continue to vilify her? - 23rd March 2013
 * Oh, for a taste of original sin in the Deep South - New York may bring in calorie controls, but they’ll surely give it a miss in Mississippi - 16th March 2013
 * The Wind in the Willows and rats in the roof - A deer cull may appal city folk, but nature is a different proposition for us country dwellers - 10th March 2013
 * Oh dear, you’re not Ukipping, are you? - I have to be careful what I say in the company of the disillusioned Tory - 2nd March 2013
 * Her Majesty and I are older now – and colder - The Queen has faith in her two-bar fire, but you can’t put one in the upstairs bathroom - 23rd February 2013
 * Crisis, what crisis? Let’s all eat beef on Sunday - If the horse has bolted there’s no point in us missing out on a proper roast dinner - 16th February 2013
 * At least there can be honesty among thieves - The Chris Huhne scandal: mother knew best, especially when it came to the matter of marital trust - 10th February 2013
 * At least there can be honesty among thieves - The Chris Huhne scandal: mother knew best, especially when it came to the matter of marital trust - 9th February 2013
 * The perfumers’ skills are not to be sniffed at - Ambergris may not have the most fragrant of origins, but it’s vital for the noblest of noses - 2nd February 2013
 * In this snow, living in a cottage comes into its own - The heavy snow is causing misery for millions, but there's only joy in a country home blanketed in white - 19th January 2013
 * The Falklands: a war that brought out the hawk in me - This week’s letter from Argentina's La Presidenta evoked thrilling memories of Margaret Thatcher’s finest hour - 5th January 2013
 * A bleak midwinter for reading of the banns - As another church tradition is threatened, does anyone have a just cause to object? - 29th December 2012
 * Five funerals and a wedding for Christmas - If the world had ended yesterday, at least we would have been lucky with the weather - 22nd December 2012
 * There was no rain. Everyone relaxed, except me - My daughter got the 'home-made’ wedding she wanted. What was I so worried about? - 15th December 2012
 * Wedding bells are near so let’s hope our winter bride doesn’t get cold feet - It seemed such a good idea to reconnoitre the venues – until events took a dramatic turn - 17th November 2012
 * The Movember mystery of the butcher’s topside - One rural riddle has finally been unravelled – but a more delicate matter may lie ahead - 10th November 2012
 * Let’s celebrate the fabric of our country - Harris tweed is back – but our textile industry has never had the plaudits it deserves - 3rd November 2012
 * Valérie Trierweiler: another fine Ms or a fully formed Madame? - The case for making an honest woman of France’s first lady is cloudy at best - 27th October 2012
 * Who will watch those who watch the doctors? - My prognosis for doctor competency checks is more bureaucracy and more public expense - 20th October 2012
 * Great War Remembrance: remembering the fallen – in the nick of time - The Prime Minister may have left it a bit late to plan our Great War tribute - 13th October 2012
 * Syria: Cultural vandalism leaves us all a little poorer - You don’t need to have been to Aleppo to know that the razing of its souk is a calamity - 6th October 2012
 * Why don’t women bank on getting to the top? - It’s a mystery why so few run Britain’s vast organisations – but there is a solution. . . - 22nd September 2012
 * In joy and sorrow, the pews are packed - As lives end, begin and are joined, our village church will find a fitting tune - 8th September 2012
 * Nobody’s ever believed squatters have rights - Criminalising squatters seems a bonkers waste of effort for no great result - 1st September 2012
 * It’s not just Prince Harry who packs a pistol in his pants - While brave Prince Hal was cavorting in the buff, where was his security detail? - 25th August 2012
 * I would help a relative on the final journey - We need a better form of assisted suicide than hauling very sick people off to Switzerland - 18th August 2012
 * Times are changing in the Deep South - Our host in New Orleans was discombobulated by coverage of the Games - 11th August 2012
 * 99p for a litre of milk? Pull the udder one - What comes out of cows is not a drink, but a 'product’ – and everyone takes a cut - 21st July 2012
 * Olympics - time for a clean sweep - The Olympics is good background noise while cleaning - 14th July 2012
 * 'Vision’ won’t help the Army - These defence cuts are a mystery - 7th July 2012
 * Money grows on trees with these tax scams - I resisted the charms of clever Trevor, a 'financial adviser’ – a flat tax would stop people like him - 23rd June 2012
 * This is what women should look for in a mate - Ignore the 'nappy wall’ and glass ceiling, and choose a man who actually likes you - 16th June 2012
 * Caught between Roundheads and Cavaliers - My neighbours have taken sides. If only they’d read 'How the Queen Can Make You Happy’ - 2nd June 2012
 * Earth-shaking news about Parmesan, the food of the gods - The Italian quake brings back memories of the life-changing power of Parmesan - 26th May 2012
 * We know how to look after babies - It’s not No 10’s job to lecture us on child care - 19th May 2012
 * Goaded to madness by the rain-filled drought - The drought would be better named as the inability of water companies to capture what falls down in torrents from the sky - 12th May 2012
 * The naked truth about porn - The Government can't stop people viewing filth online - 5th May 2012
 * There’s an art to charming your father-in-law - A royal friendship is blossoming over a shared passion for all things cultural - 28th April 2012
 * Will pupils really stand up for teachers? - Discipline in class is laudable – but times have changed - 21st April 2012
 * Finally, I saw Hockney’s blooming hawthorn - His slug-like blossom divides the critics, but it perfectly captures this puzzling spring - 7th April 2012
 * Count me out of the drought – I have a well - When the hosepipe ban comes, I for one won’t have to save the bath water - 31st March 2012
 * Is it wrong to take pleasure in my knickers? - Spending 10 quid on a pair of fancy pants is good for the soul - 24th March 2012
 * The good wives, standing by their bad men - There’s a special venom reserved for women like Asma Assad, who refuse to walk away - 17th March 2012
 * Me learn maths? There’s no percentage in it - The world may have gone binary bonkers, but I’d rather learn how to speak Italian - 3rd March 2012
 * When did giving become so taxing? - Donating to charity has become fraught with difficulties - 25th February 2012
 * When the donor dilemma becomes personal - Organ transplantation can be a moral maze – but some cases make things crystal clear - 18th February 2012
 * A fashion audition that wasn’t worth the weight - Karl Lagerfeld has a nerve criticising Adele, he once carried a few extra pounds himself - 11th February 2012
 * The brutal cold becomes a beautiful comfort - The magic of New York under snow is a reminder of winter’s warming ways - 4th February 2012
 * Thank God Diddling Dave is the retiring type - If the tax man’s going to accuse us of fraud, we don’t want to hear his silly euphemisms - 27th January 2012
 * The days when bigger wasn’t always better - Women’s body types have been admired for different reasons in different eras - 14th January 2012
 * The righteous anger of an unforgiving mother - Doreen Lawrence won’t play the role of victim as she continues to fight for justice for her son - 7th January 2012
 * I can’t do Christmas with end-of-bin Brussels - Delia Smith’s handy checklist only made things worse in a ravaged supermarket at close to midnight - 24th December 2011
 * The day I was Thatcher's fashion victim - Meryl Streep's portrayal in The Iron Lady made me weep – but the real Lady Thatcher once made me wince - 17th December 2011
 * Our bateau came in just before the exams - The French teacher’s little 'treat’ was a great help – except when it came to buying buns - 10th December 2011
 * Beasts and saints in the free press - Good reporters need a cool contempt for the ordinary – you’ll find all human life among them - 3rd December 2011
 * Safe to give birth? I should jolly well think so - I was looking forward to hospital and ended up at home, but it shouldn’t matter either way - 26th November 2011
 * Am I the last person on earth to use angelica? - Finding this Christmas cake ingredient is like mission impossible - 19th November 2011
 * Why I will only wear my poppy on Sunday - We all believe in remembrance, but the early adopters drive me to distraction - 12th November 2011
 * Don’t believe the horror stories about nurses - A quango might spread doom and gloom, but only patients know how they’re treated - 15th October 2011
 * Life on the open road becomes a bit quicker - Raising the motorway limit to 80mph might just save me the expense of another speeding ticket - 1st October 2011
 * The NHS: If only the Government listened to the geeks - Whizzy IT systems are expensive – in the National Health Service or at home - 24th September 2011
 * Why gloomy Stephanie Flanders, the BBC's high priestess of economics, left me simmering in the kitchen - There was refuge to be had from our economic woes in some hard and fast seasonal cooking - 17th September 2011
 * Turkey, the perfect place to escape the apocalypse - Away from England and the eurozone there exists an easily accessible mix of both East and West - 10th September 2011
 * women who took on men with nuclear missiles'' - Greenham Common peace camps made quite a few people feel very unpeaceful - 27th August 2011
 * my cups no longer runneth over'' - After years of enduring ill-fitting bras, I finally discovered the joys of Rigby & Peller - 20th August 2011
 * we blame the parents? I’m not so sure'' - Whatever way you decide to bring up your children, you have no idea if they will turn out to be rioters - 13th August 2011
 * I didn’t know owt about posh speak'' - My fascination with Received Pronunciation stems from a traumatic encounter with Elastoplast - 6th August 2011
 * I a nimby, a Luddite or a party-pooper?'' - Like Lord Wolfson over HS2, I don’t want a music festival in my back yard - 30th July 2011
 * are cute, but caterpillars must die'' - I’m not going to get very far with David Attenborough's butterfly count while my vegetables are being eaten alive - 23rd July 2011
 * loves, lusts and passions of Rupert'' - Rebekah may be gone, but she wasn’t the only formidable woman in Murdoch’s life - 16th July 2011
 * stay in an NHS hospital cheered me up'' - A top-flight surgeon, clean wards and a nurse who sings Take That. There's nothing quite like the NHS - 9th July 2011
 * can be a very brutal business'' - Bashing a burglar in one's home might now be allowed, but it hardly seems wise - 2nd July 2011
 * 'Today’ of yesterday was great. Today, it isn’t'' - This programme has become almost unlistenable to because of all the shouting - 25th June 2011
 * every summer do, a little rain must fall'' - Could anything be more inspiring - or typically English - than a wet croquet party - 19th June
 * I do decide to end it all, I'll do it my way'' - If we can live exactly as we want, why can't we die as we want too - 11th June 2011
 * Quality Commission: long on buzzwords, short on compassion'' - To see what the Care Quality Commission does for its money, click on 'jobs' on its website - 4th June 2011
 * without broadband is a dim memory'' - Once the internet is down, the information highway is blocked and barred - 28th May 2011
 * Middleton even looks lovely popping to the shops'' - Our future queen is a genuine style icon – let's remember that she's a person, too - 8th May 2011
 * royal wedding doesn't disappoint in any way'' - The Duchess displayed a remarkable stillness on a day that lived up to its promise - 30th April 2011
 * feasts have always confused me'' - Easter comes as a big surprise when you have a mind that's as untidy as mine - 23rd April 2011
 * don’t care if I can’t touch it – I want it'' - Online clothes shopping has doubled in five years – I’m surprised it hasn’t quadrupled - 16th April 2011
 * answers the census bans us from giving'' - Tomorrow, family members will be forced to lie about how they are related to each other - 26th March 2011
 * Kate Moss knows, nothing appeals quite like an anti-social cigarette'' - Hiding tobacco under the counter is a come-on that no young wannabe can resist - 12th March 2011
 * looks like I'm never going to get to Libya'' - Ever since Reagan bombed my old school, I've been aching to go back. Too late now . . . - 5th March 2011
 * do nurses do if they don't nurse?'' - They used to look after us, but now they are facilitating our journey through illness - 19th February 2011
 * the last-chance saloon to the Bar-L'' - I’ve finally found some sympathy for the MPs who are swapping fancy threads for prison fatigues - 12th February 2011
 * nothing to share when all is lost'' - Women who choose to live with rather than marry their partners should wise up to the law - 5th February 2011
 * with a smile? I'm not buying it'' - What works for Mary Portas does not necessarily work in a Poundshop in Preston - 22nd January 2011
 * the popular are not safe from the sack'' - These days, your favourite actor from 'The Archers' is just as much at risk as anyone else - 15th January 2011
 * cold, lurgy. . . whatever it is, it’s a swine'' - Please stop going on the radio, Andrew Lansley – you’re not making me feel any better - 8th January 2011
 * was poised for the perfect Christmas. . .'' -My aspirations of playing the efficient hostess have gone into cold storage - 1st January 2011
 * little room at my inn this Christmas'' - I've single beds galore, but couples are going to be fighting over the doubles - 18th December 2010
 * extra hour of gloom? Not on my watch'' - Vicki Woods is still living on British Summer Time – and says the rest of Britain should also see the light - 27th November 2010
 * blaze of glory in England’s green fields'' - This autumn has been a joy to behold – almost worthy of New England at its best - 6th November 2010
 * ruined my sleepy country lanes'' - A late-night drive had me calling down curses on Prescott’s head - 30th October 2010
 * fairytale springs into life on my doorstep'' - Vicki Woods is reminded of 'The Elves and the Shoemaker’ by a couple of young German journeymen - 23rd October 2010
 * trouble brewing and no mistake'' - It’s sad to see a factory closing. Even sadder when it makes your morning tea - 16th October 2010
 * tough being down to three laughs a day'' - Fifty-two, apparently, is the age at which we get grumpy. Do I really need to know this - 9th October 2010
 * exploding about climate change, actually'' - Vicki Woods gets hot under the collar about Richard Curtis's propaganda campaign to cut carbon emissions - 2nd October 2010
 * Blair seems to have amnesia over hunting'' - The ban he championed led to a law so complicated that the police won't enforce it - 4th September 2010
 * ready for a bit of in-service training'' - It's back to school in my house, even though the kids left long ago - 28th August 2010
 * ladies, I'm not worried about wage gaps'' - Equal pay statistics are bogus because they don't compare like with like - 21st August 2010
 * justice makes a mockery of the law'' - The detention of a British student without trial should make us all fearful - 14th August 2010
 * weighty matter that's not for the likes of Anne Milton and Lynne Featherstone'' - The fat can call themselves what they like – it's nobody else's business - 31st July 2010
 * we made Afghanistan a better place?'' - Everyone's ready to leave, whatever the consequences for the populace - 24th July 2010
 * Capello consigns us to a fete worse than death'' - Thanks to England, the village fund-raiser failed to go into extra time - 3rd July 2010
 * a grey old life without soothing nicotine'' - Harold Pinter was gripped by 'existential despair' when he gave up smoking. I know the feeling - 12th June 2010
 * time the boys got back to their sheds'' - There’s a lot to be said for blokey places where men can work out their problems - 5th June 2010
 * Abbott is the only woman for the job'' - Good luck to her – but the rest of the sisterhood should sharpen up - 22nd May 2010
 * fret not, for you can do anything'' - In politics as in business, the best person should get the job, and sometimes that is a woman - 15th May 2010
 * Election 2010: Well, that was a waste of a sleepless night'' - Vicki Woods shares David Dimbleby’s pain as the hours - and cars - pass at a stultifying pace - 8th May 2010 (General Election 2010)
 * smack of political meddling'' - European pressure to ban smacking is an unwelcome intrusion into family life - 28th April 2010
 * plea to the Tories: no more TV debates'' - Will someone block the television debates next time - 24th April 2010
 * Election: This debate opens a whole new can of worms'' - The debate was bad enough – then came the spectacle of the viewers’ verdict - 17th April
 * would Ronnie Reagan have done?'' - This week’s treaty was a reminder of when the Cold War got personal for Vicki Woods - 10th April 2010
 * praying that David Cameron will stop the madness'' - Vicki Woods hopes the election will bring a government that repeals Labour’s loonier policies - 3rd April 2010
 * health Nazis should butt out of our lives'' - Vicki Woods is an ex-smoker, but is enraged by the tobacco-banning authoritarians - 27th March 2010
 * there a ballot box marked F for Female?'' - The idea of politicians chasing the woman’s vote is unappealing - 20th March 2010
 * forget that they were 10 years old'' - How can we ever decide what to do about children who kill children - 6th March 2010
 * sleeping beauties to red-eyed monsters'' - Today's children aren't getting enough sleep - but is that really my fault - 20th February 2010
 * rag trade is now mainstream news'' - How wonderful that Alexander McQueen’s work is being so widely celebrated - 13th February 2010
 * first is fine, but this is plain ridiculous'' - Labour's plans to safeguard young people will kill the voluntary spirit - 5th February 2010
 * veils off women will help no one'' - The planned French ban on niqabs will be an absurdity if it is actually enforced - 23rd January 2010
 * breeding's obvious for my pedigree chum'' - The furore over Kennel Club standards has given dog owners plenty to worry about - 16th January 2010
 * the poor sweater-knitters of Iceland'' - Is it proper of Labour to insist foreigners foot a bill incurred by British greed - 9th January 2010
 * a pushy parent, and proud'' - There's nothing monstrous about wanting your children to fulfil their potential, whatever Kirsty Young thinks - 6th January 2010
 * pubs that died after giving up smoking'' - Vicki Woods still hopes the ban can be amended – even though she will no longer benefit herself - 2nd January 2010
 * pain of being mistaken for a nobody'' - Forget the puppy rumpus. What really rattled Vera Baird was not being recognised - 19th December 2009
 * Rees-Mogg's surname isn't the problem for David Cameron'' - The young Tory candidate shouldn't worry about her double barrel - just the other bit - 13th December 2009
 * Queens, but none fit to wear the crown'' - Not one of the actresses in Channel 4's royal docu-dramas did their subject justice - 5th December 2009
 * Iraq hearings: An inquiry with everything. . . except answers'' - It's all very cosy and polite at the Chilcot hearings - but where are the tough questions - 28th November 2009
 * no better parent than a grandma'' - The courts are finally learning that common sense is the key to childcare - 21st November 2009
 * mums go into bat for their boys'' - Ma Gotti take note – the instinct to protect your grown-up children will only make things worse - 7th November 2009
 * night of flying witches and pink turbans'' - Vicki Woods recalls her introduction to Edinburgh at Hallowe'en and the unexpected joys of 'guising' - 31st October 2009
 * Queen will stand up to Pope Benedict'' - When the Pontiff visits Britain next year he will meet his match - 31st October 2009
 * education system leaves me baffled'' - No one outside the Establishment can keep up with all the changes - 17th October 2009
 * best dress for her husband's success'' - Since we're back into blood-toil-tears-and-sweat mode right now, I thought it was quite canny of Samantha Cameron to wear that retro-Forties Marks and Sparks dress - 10th October 2009
 * pain of Paddington lingers 10 years on'' - A memorial stone is little comfort to the bereaved and survivors of the rail crash - 3rd October 2009
 * – the mystery of the vanishing mail'' - the amount of post we receive has been magically cut at the stroke of a pen - 26th September 2009
 * the lives sacrificed for an electoral fraud'' - Amazingly, the boy Miliband tells us we shouldn't even expect free and fair elections in Helmand - 12th September 2009
 * weeks in Poundland isn’t a real job'' - It’s not the job of the telly to answer policy questions - 22nd August 2009
 * are we in Afghanistan? It's hard to tell'' - The question to ask is no longer why, but for how long - 15th August 2009
 * drug-smuggler? Welcome home'' - The Government's attitude to crime is pretty hard to second-guess - 8th August 2009
 * flu: No amount of swotting will allay the perils'' - If this pandemic kills millions worldwide, as the 1919 Spanish flu killed my grandfather, I don?t see how there?s much I can do to protect myself - 25th July 2009
 * agenda for schools that's all frameworks and no maths'' - School governors have too much to read - 11th July 2009
 * nephew's clinched a 2:1 - Lord Mandelson should be proud'' - Is my brother's son the product of Labour's sterling work over 12 relentless years on education policy - 4th July 2009
 * Brown's military salute is a desperate face-saver'' - Gordon Brown seemed uncomfortable with the military from the day he became PM - 27th June 2009
 * inquiry into Iraq should at least be transparent'' - After all we've been through over expenses, we deserve better now - 20th June 2009
 * my trip to Paris, I long to be back with the free French'' - There were no yellow lines, no white lines, no Don't Park Here signs, no barriers at the Gare du Nord. Just a sense of freedom - 13th June 2009
 * husband's medical secrets are safer with me than on a skip'' - Vicki Woods wonders why her local doctor's surgery is so paranoid about giving out any information whatsoever - 6th June 2009
 * we weren't all called David Smith, life would be a lot easier'' - The name Jose is in decline as Hispanics become Americanised. I don's see the same thing happening here - 30th May 2009
 * didn't think I'd ever feel sisterly affection for Hazel Blears'' - If Brown sacks her, it will be because she told him, "YouTube if you want to," - 23rd May 2009
 * did Manchester do to deserve the ID card trial?'' - I've never met anyone who wants an ID card - 9th May 2009
 * wants justice for Gurkhas, except the MoD'' - The Gurkha rebellion was the best thing to come out of Parliament since Blair's resignation speech - 2nd May 2009
 * ministers lose the plot, our school is getting one of its own'' - Michelle Obama's vegetable garden is an inspiration to us all - 25th April 2009
 * would you want to pay off your mortgage?'' - wouldn't you be better off spending the money instead? - 18th April 2009
 * like my surgeon to have practised on people first'' - The European Working Time Directive will prevent surgeons being trained properly - 11th April 2009
 * Obama up close and personal with the Queen - how lovely'' - It was charming, that shot of our tiny, pink-clad sovereign and the towering First Lady, their arms briefly entwined - 4th April 2009
 * believe that sex is either funny, rude or dangerous'' - Anyone in Britain discussing sex or pregnancy – teenage or otherwise – is doomed - 28th March 2009
 * class divide is simply thriving in education'' - For all Tony Blair's old boasts, there is an unacceptable chasm between what children achieve in state and private education - 21st March 2009
 * have a lot to learn from school governors'' - You would never catch school governors hiring members of their family with public money - 14th March 2009
 * days of the nineties are a distant dream'' - The affluence of Cool Britannia is well and truly over, and who knows what lies ahead if "quantitative easing" fails - 7th March 2009
 * loved and hated Margaret Thatcher equally. How could I not?'' - The BBC's Margaret brought back the Thatcher years vividly, says Vicki Woods, who'd like to watch it all over again, shrieking with delight. - 28th February 2009
 * the good old days when the NHS didn't send you packing'' - Modern British hospitals are startlingly eager to send you home - 21st February 2009
 * needs doctors and nurses, not tsars'' - paying for dementia special advisers will deprive patients of care where they need it most - 7th February 2009
 * make the world's best hats, so why not wear them?'' - British women should emulate Aretha Franklin and indulge in some magnificent head-gear - 24th January 2009
 * can judge David Miliband now'' - Mr Miliband sounded like a dunce in his school-boy essay on the war on terror - 17th January 2009
 * in England, not Indonesia please'' - The loss of Wedgwood is yet another blow to traditional British manufacturing. But some hardy souls are sticking it out - 10th January 2009
 * working-class boys are the best placed in 2009'' - My nephews in the North rang with thanks for their presents (nothing like folding money for boys of drinking age) and when I wished them a happy and prosperous New Year, it was the first time I've actually meant it - 3rd January 2009
 * dentists have stopped NHS work'' - The Government's dental contract has put dentists off the NHS - 13th December 2008
 * Balls don't know about our schools'' - Schools are already forbidden to interview prospective mothers and fathers, for fear of being swayed by (her) Whistles cardigan or (his) Church's shoes - 6th December 2008
 * helping to run the village pub'' - 29th November 2008
 * just can't legislate for sex'' - I'm enough of a feminist to resist the infantilising of all women (including the ones who choose to pursue a career displaying their bottoms) - 22nd November 2008
 * courses are not experience'' - The near-certainty that Sharon Shoesmith will eventually be removed from her £110,000-a-year post gives me no satisfaction - 15th November 2008
 * Peter Mandelson, not George Osborne, over falling Tory support'' - 8th November 2008
 * Brand and Jonathan Ross, what is this passion for extended boyhood?'' - Jonathan Ross is 48 in a fortnight! Brand is "only" 33. Man-boys swaggering around in public are the bane of my life - 1st November 2008
 * is a sorry example for our schools'' - "He's two and a half," a British mother in New York told me, "His report card was a page long. You don't know whether to laugh or freak out and hire a tutor." - 18th October 2008
 * off the mortgage or buy shoes?'' - 4th October 2008
 * is losing its core voters fast'' - 27th September 2008
 * is accountable for this?'' -becoming a community governor involves an awful lot of incomprehensible abbreviations - 13th September 2008
 * Palin, dazzling but scary'' - I'm cheering for McCain's VP to break the glass ceiling, but her hawkish foreign policy leaves me cold - 6th September 2008
 * did Labour become so nasty?'' - The way this Government has invaded our privacy and eroded our long-cherished freedoms is sickening - 30th August 2008
 * soldiers to athletes is stupid'' - One lays down his life for his country, the other wins medals - Mr Brown should know the difference - 23rd August 2008
 * dies a death in the afternoon'' - Bullfighting is on the verge of going the same way as hunting with hounds in this country - 16th August 2008

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