A Tollesbury relation of mine was charged with piracy in 1894Daniel Thomas has been charged with criminal damage and failing to disclose the PIN for his phone, so far, at least, disappointing those who hoped he would be charged with piracy. I take an interest in such matters because a relative of mine was one of five men charged with piracy in 1894. These was not, as I have been given to claiming, the last prosecutions for piracy in Britain, because five Grimsby trawlermen were convicted under the Piracy Act as recently as 1966. Still, the story of the five Tollesbury men charged with piracy, my relative Stephen Appleton among ... (more) |
Lib Dems most liked by political rivals, study findsA press release from King's College London brought the news last week: The Lib Dems are the party most liked by their political rivals, according to a new study published ahead of the party's annual conference in Brighton. The research, by the Policy Institute at King's College London, finds rival parties' supporters rate their warmth towards Lib Dem voters at 39 out of 100 - four points higher than Labour voters, who rank second, with 35.1 Reform UK supporters are viewed most coldly by their rivals, with a rating of 20. The Lib Dems are also seen by their opponents ... (more) |
A Week in Politics #7Helen Morgan MP (Photo: Shropshire Live) Unsurprisingly, following our party conference, I have a few cheers to offer this week. Cheers to Helen Morgan MP for keeping maternity safety on the agenda. On 21 September, the party published its analysis of rising serious childbirth injuries and called for staffing, training and resources to improve care. Cheers to Tim Farronfor putting water company reform back in the spotlight. The party set out plans aimed at making water companies answer to billpayers and tackling the close relationship between the industry and its regulators. Cheers to Lib Dem members for backing a new ... (more) |
The Lives of Others: a powerful film about art and the StasiThe latest edition of the email newsletter for my podcast, Political Fictions, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Get the books As well as covering some books in the podcast, we also mention others in the newsletter's bonus content. You can browse all the books mentioned and get them for yourself – including The File, as discussed in this edition of the podcast – via my Bookshop.org page (affiliate link). The Lives of Others ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1582"Watching him involved engaging a kind of cognitive dissonance: this desperate, thin man was the same person as a sweet 6-year-old saying he wanted to learn about the moon; a handsome 20-year-old studying Physics in Oxford flirting with the camera; a 48-year-old who had realised that the research he was still passionate about had hit a dead end."Jude Rogers on 70 Up. Ferdinand Mount has no truck with the idea that Britain has always welcomed refugees: "The usual narrative of the Peasants' Revolt describes John Ball and Wat Tyler's march to London, Ball's sermon at Blackheath ('When Adam delved and ... (more) |
Observations of an Expat: When Donald met XiDonald Trump met Xi Jinping this week. Little of substance was agreed. But the meeting itself was of considerable substance. The symbols of protocol send powerful messages. Where people meet. The colour of the carpet. The body language and the strength of the hand clasp and the sincerity of the smile can set a diplomatic agenda for years to come. The Xi-Trump Summit was all about diplomatic signals. Trump's messages were clear from the red carpet to the flyover to the state banquet, he was telling Xi: We respect you. We need you. Xi, on the other hand, arrived knowing ... (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 BMG 20% (+2) 28% (+1) 8% (-2) 9% (-2) 23% (nc) 5% (vs Ref) 23-24/9 GB Find Out Now ... (more) |
Smugglers and pirates in GowerFans of the BBC's Poldark know all about Cornwall's stories of smugglers and pirates, but Gower has its fair share of stories as well. As the Visit Swansea Bay site says. the peninsula - with its hidden coves and bays, towering cliffs and stormy seas - could well have been designed with rogues, brigands, illicit cargoes and maritime mayhem in mind: During smuggling's 18th- and 19th-century heyday, seemingly sleepy Gower was a smugglers' hotbed. Local kingpins operated with near-impunity, employing hundreds of people and running rings around overstretched customs authorities. Those days may be long gone, but some things haven't ... (more) |
ALDC by-election report, 24th SeptemberSix principal authority by-elections took place across England on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th September. The Conservatives were defending two seats (in South Staffordshire and Berkshire), Labour defended two seats (in Milton Keynes and Brighton & Hove), localist party Tunbridge Wells Alliance defended one in Kent, and the Green Party defended one in Gloucestershire. The highlight of the week came from Kent, where the Liberal Democrats staged a sensational victory in Tunbridge Wells - surging from third place in May to win the ward with 37.4% of the vote. In Berkshire, we came within a whisper of another major gain ... (more) |
New crematorium evacuated just weeks after opening as firefighters rush to sceneI'm hoping the judges will decide it's time for a holiday soon. But for now, Cambridgeshire Live wins our Headline of the Day Award. (more) |