King Charles III once appeared in a Joe Orton playEmbed from Getty ImagesI knew that Prince Charles, as he then was, acted in revues when he was a student at Cambridge, but I discovered only recently he also appeared in a Joe Orton play. Over to the Trinity College website and a page about his acting career there: Dr Parry also cast the Prince as the padre in Joe Orton's play [The] Erpingham Camp, originally written for television in 1966 and set in a holiday camp where the campers rebel over the strictures of the manager. The performance was well reviewed. Student-turned theatre critic Valerie Grosvenor Myer wrote of ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1402"Almost all workers (98 per cent) at SOSE [South of Scotland Enterprise] believed the four-day week trial improved motivation and morale, while there was a decrease in workers taking time off sick and a 25 per cent fall in those taking sick days for psychological reasons." A Scottish government trial of a four-day working week finds that it improves productivity and staff wellbeing, reports Joanna Partridge. Sam Whewall, Avril Keating and Emily Clark say young people in seaside towns are being left behind and set out what could be done to help them: "Our professionals made two key suggestions for ... (more) |
ALDE Council: What it does, Lib Dem representation and why it mattersIn the list of federal party positions up for election this autumn is the Lib Dem delegation for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ALDE Council. The arrangements for this have changed recently, hence this post. As an internationalist party, I am immensely proud of how, despite Brexit, the Lib Dems are still major players on the European political stage, through our membership of ALDE and in the wider world through our membership of Liberal international. The ALDE Party includes political parties from inside and outside the EU. None of the other political groups in Europe - apart ... (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 15% (-2) 18% (nc) 13% (+1) 10% (nc) 34% (+1) -16% (vs Ref) 27/8 GB BMG ... (more) |
Why are UK trans people upset?I want to explain a few things and then it might be clearer why UK trans people are upset. In 2001 I married my wife, Sylvia. In 2005 I started medical transition. For the state to recognise this I had to submit to standards of "care" which were humiliating, degrading and which placed me at risk of violence. But I did it "by the book" As I did it "by the book", the NHS agreed to reregister me as female, which makes sense because my anatomy now is. In 2007 I had sex reassignment surgery. This had to be signed ... (more) |
Ninewells Community Garden AGM #dundeewestendThe Ninewells Community Garden AGM will take place on Tuesday 2nd September at 4.30pm at the garden. After the business of the meeting Kit Martin will give a presentation on how to make some gorgeous analogue photography nature prints. There's an open invitation to all volunteers and friends of the garden to join us for a review of 2024 and enjoy some light refreshments. Get in touch to book a space - just e-mail admin@ninewellsgarden.org.uk (more) |
Perched on a cliffI am pleased to say that I found the memorial to Swansea poet, Vernon Watkins on the first attempt. It is situated just below the cliff edge in Pennard, Gower, on the spot where he sat to write many of his poems. If you happen to be in the area, then walk from the car park at Southgate to your left as you face the sea. Once you get to the last house on the cliff, walk at a 90 degree angle to the edge and step down to a ledge just below it. That is where the memorial stone ... (more) |
Did Victoria and John Brown have a child and did my family know?Regular readers will know that my great great grandmother's siblings Sandy Campbell and Johanna Campbell were both trusted servants to Queen Victoria at Balmoral. So I take a particular interest in the subject of this podcast. I remember reading a paper that pointed out that Conservative historians hotly denied that Victoria and John Brown were lovers, while left-wing historians sniggered at the idea. The author hoped they were lovers and it made Victoria happy. In this podcast Fern Riddell describes her researches and discoveries, which make you think that - maybe, just maybe - there was such a child. And ... (more) |
Leicestershire Reform's cabinet member for children and families is a full-time studentPhoto by Grant Davies on Unsplash Leicestershire. Northamptonshire. Nottinghamshire. The carousel of stories about East Midland Reform-run councils goes round and round, and the painted ponies go up and down. So it's back to Leicestershire and a reminder from the Leicester Mercury that Reform UK's cabinet member for children's and families' services, Charles Pugsley, is about to start the second year of a computer science degree at the University of Nottingham. Does Pugsley, who was 19 when he was appointed in May, have the time for both these roles? His Conservative predecessor in his cabinet position, Deborah Taylor, has her ... (more) |
ALDC by-election report, 28th AugustThis week, only one by-election had a Liberal Democrat candidate. The other saw the Conservatives attempting to defend their seat. In London, Councillor Janet Grauberg and the team secured an impressive victory on Camden Council, with an impressive 15% increase in vote share. Congratulations to everyone involved in the local team! Camden LBC, West Hampstead Liberal Democrats (Janet Grauberg): 1,176 (54.4%, +15.4) Labour: 458 (21.2%, -23.4) Conservative: 222 (10.3%, -6.3) Reform UK: 155 (7.2%, new) Green Party: 152 (7.0%, new) Liberal Democrats GAIN from Labour Turnout: 26.44% Here are the results of the by-election in Nottinghamshire, where there was no ... (more) |