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Opinion

Making their peace among all the guns and weapons

John Greenleaf Whittier accompanied Joseph Sturge, the Birmingham industrialist, on a tour of slave plantations during the latter’s visit to the US in 1841.

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Battle lines drawn as MPs fight for the countryside

MPs representing rural constituencies have demanded a better deal from the Government.

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Time: the most precious commodity we possess – relatively speaking

Last week we went through the twice yearly ritual of altering the time by an hour on all our devices as we moved from summertime settings.

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Gentleman Jim leaves his own indelible mark on newspapers

Jim Guthrie was a gentleman, with traditional values, honourable and decent, with a dry sense of fun. He was also a hell of a reporter across nearly five decades.

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Nods and winks across the Great Wall

Its quite difficult to put your finger on what China's preconceptions might actually be.

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Christopher Bucktin: With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Obama decides it’s better to look dumb than guilty as he denies knowledge of the US eavesdropping on its allies..

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Playing an alternative tune with investments

The sale provides an example of how some high net worth individuals are increasingly being drawn towards alternative investments.

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We’ll network again, don’t know where, don’t know when

It’s that time of the year the Birmingham business community collectively takes leave of their senses and say “Great! The German market is on its way – let’s meet there for a seasonal catch-up!”

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Make history for future generations

This city has such an interesting past, and I feel that many more business organisations should seriously consider writing up their history so that future students can benefit from a wider base of knowledge.

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Backbench MPs flex their muscles with energy firms

The horrible truth about being an MP is that it doesn’t give you a lot of power.

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A sorry tale of a system rotten to its deepest core

250 investors lost money when they entrusted Gary Hexley with it. He was convicted this week.

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UEFA chief’s expansion plan to prevent cut in Euro qualifiers

A debate has broken out between some of world football’s leading administrators over the size of future World Cup tournaments.

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Squatters find a new home in the loophole

A year ago squatting in a residential property was made a criminal offence, punishable by up to six months behind bars or a fine of up to £5,000.

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How our city became a star of the silver screen

Without Balcon, it’s unlikely that British cinema would have hung on as long as it did. David Puttnam certainly thought so.

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Birmingham bus lane fines... a policy funded entirely by its failure

If the idea of Birmingham city centre’s new bus lanes was to clear congestion and get cars and taxis out of the way so buses can run freely and on time then it has clearly failed.

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China - not too big to finesse

As the whole world seeks to position itself with regard to China, it's good to see the scope and variety of connection that this City already has there. Even the last few days provide some compelling examples.

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A tale of two cities

A report shows that the regional imbalance between London and the South-east and the rest of the ��Ƶ is widening at a pace that is making the imaginary north south divide ever more pronounced.

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Christopher Bucktin: No one needs to watch beheadings on Facebook

Its decision will no doubt reopen the debate on regulating internet content, especially if such organisations fail to act correctly even just by moral standards...

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Kevin Pietersen proves comedy can be be costly in court

Where there is big money, there are also lawyers – and that basic rule is as relevant in the world of sport as it is anywhere else.

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The vexing question of the stability of annuities

Questions have been raised in recent months as to whether annuities can provide people with a good level of retirement income.

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Extension to pension enrolment

The Government has extended the period that new employees have to auto-enrol in a pension scheme from four to six weeks is certainly welcome for small and medium-sized enterprises.

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Shroud of secrecy around the £342,000 a day we pay Capita

Capita makes £58,000-a-day profit from its Service Birmingham deal with the council – yet the contract details are kept secret, leaving taxpayers in the dark.

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Feathers fly as hens rule the roost

The city of Durham is one of England’s greatest treasures, a world heritage site, crowned by its Norman cathedral and castle, with a network of medieval streets rolling down to the River Wear.

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John Major highlights Tory lurch to the right

Sir John Major's comments illustrate how David Cameron has abandoned his "liberal Conservative" approach and reverted to traditional Tory values.

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