Private Eye

I once walked into an MP's Westminster office carrying a copy of "Private Eye" - with short, sharp "Anglo-Saxon" words he inquired why I was even touching that magazine (It would not be approriate on Washminster to quote directly - but it was fairly clear that he did not approve of my choice of reading material). Perhaps his strongest objection came from the column "HP Sauce" which highlights alleged misbehaviour (or sometimes a little hypocrisy) on the part of members of the Westminster Parliament. One of the functions of "Private Eye" is to highlight misbehaviour ('investigative journalism') - the regular columns include

Street of Shame - about the British newspaper industry (it used to be known as, as some still refer to it as "Fleet Street", but almost all the newspapers have moved elsewhere)

Rotten Boroughs - about local government

Signal Failures - about the railways

Other areas of British life are covered elsewhere in the magazine. But is also a satirical and cartoon magazine (the UK equivalent of "The Onion" - though probably a bit more 'grown up').

My daughter and son in law have given me annual subscriptions as Christmas presents for the last few years. A very good present, which keeps on giving! An online version is available at http://www.private-eye.co.uk/. I recommend taking a look (but be discreet, not in front of anyone who may be offended!)