About

“There are two qualities a good investigator needs above all: empathy and what Graham Greene said about writers – the “splinter of ice in the heart” – ruthless analysis coupled with empathetic curiosity.

After a lifetime specialising in law and financial investigations and seeing the human behaviours which lead to scandals, how cultures can go wrong and how they can be put right, I am interested in bringing that perspective to politics and current affairs. There is also the occasional instance inspired by Christopher Hitchens – “The finest fury is the most controlled.” These articles (many first published on the PoliticalBetting website run by Mike Smithson) are in the section called “A Woman with Opinions”.

The rest of the time I am busy with idleness, mostly in the Lakes, creating a garden. Slowly. Gardening is my passion. So I write about that and anything else which piques my interest and brings me joy.”