Peter was born in Dublin, of Irish and German heritage. He came to England for a year in 1982, and, having decided he liked working in the NHS, never got round to going back. He has worked in Oxford as a GP for the past 30 years, latterly very part-time. He is a senior clinical lecturer at Oxford University, where he teaches communication skills to medical students, and he is a GP appraiser and examiner. He has 3 children, living in Oxford, Leipzig and Hollywood, and 3 grandchildren. He loves England and sees it as home, as it is where is where he and his wife Geraldine watched their children grow up. However he is deeply saddened by what has become of the country since 2016, in particular the way in which unscrupulous people have misused the concept of “democracy” for their own ends and to their country’s detriment. As a committed European, he is eager to help the cause of continuing collaboration with our EU neighbours. He is currently Chair of Oxford for Europe.
Time for a Reset, BJ? Sir John Major told us the truth in The New European on 9 November: “In recent decades, we have consoled ourselves that we ‘punch above our weight’ in international affairs. I think that was true – but that was then and this is now. Our hefty international influence rested on […]
An Oxford doctor urges his MP to extend transition. If we cannot agree a “Good” Deal then we must request an extension to the Transition Period. Dear John, It will not surprise you that I’m writing to you about the second lockdown, which is now imminent. … I am not an ‘instant expert on epidemiology’, I […]
By the time you read this, it is entirely possible that the US presidential election will have been resolved, and we will know whether the Americans and the world will have to cope with another four years of incompetence, corruption and mendacity. Equally likely the matter will have been kicked into the long grass as […]
If we can’t agree by [15 October], then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement between us, and we should both accept that and move on,’– Boris Johnson, 7 September 2020. “Opportunties” outside the EU? “There are huge opportunities for a sovereign independent UK to cut free trade deals very […]
“For thousands more years the mighty ships tore across the empty wastes of space and finally dived screaming on to the first planet they came across – which happened to be the Earth – where due to a terrible miscalculation of scale the entire battle fleet was accidentally swallowed by a small dog.”Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide […]
The Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) of the British Medical Association was held online on 15th September. One of the motions selected by participants was the following: Motion by South Central Regional Council: That this meeting is concerned that a further peak of COVID-19 infection may occur at the same time as the Brexit transition period […]
The look on Johnson’s face, as he is being told some home truths by Ed Milliband in the debate, says it all. “Dear Vote Leave activists: don’t worry about the so-called ‘permanent’ commitments this historically abysmal Cabinet are trying to make on our behalf. They are not ‘permanent’ and a serious government – one not […]
“The government needs to move on from soundbites and focus constructively on serious and long-term solutions. Britain is better than this. We have a proud history of welcoming people fleeing some of the most violent and oppressive regimes in the world and we can’t stop now.” Stephen Hale, Chief Executive of Refugee Action “The only difference […]