The Joy of Six 1559"Violence has prevailed against the freedom of the press. I was denied the right to report on the disgraceful acts which later unfolded after I left for my own safety - and that is wrong. Violence against anyone should be condemned, that's a fact. But violence against a person simply trying to report is an obstruction of truth."Henry Durand tries to report on the mob violence in Thetford. Carole Cadwalladr introduces a timeline of The Nerve's investigation of Nigel Farage's biggest funder, Christopher Harborne, and argues that Farage is a symptom, not a cause, of forces reshaping politics across the ... (more) |
Nicola Sturgeon talks to Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Festival[IMG: iain Dale talks to Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh] It's that time of year again when Edinburgh transforms into one of the most exciting and occasionally bizarre places on earth. You can be casually walking down the street and see people dressed up as genitals coming towards you. There are brilliantly creative street artists and ingenious living statues everywhere. It's also absolutely hoaching with people and this year, with Princes Street remaining closed due to the awful fire last month, getting from A to B is even more frustrating – unless you walk. LBC host Iain Dale is hosting his ... (more) |
The Coasters: Yakety YakIsn't this brilliant? It has everything, from a situation every Fifties American teenager would have been familiar with to an irresistible catch: "Don't talk back." Yakety Yak was written and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who were responsible for many great songs, and performed by the Black doo-wop group The Coasters. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The union of a black vocal group with two Jewish songwriters was one of the most propitious in rock history. Leiber and Stoller's witty, street-smart 'playlets' were sung with sly, clowning humor by the Coasters and accompanied by ... (more) |
Tom Arms' World ReviewWho is responsible for the mass migration of Moroccans into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta? Some 72,000 migrants swam around a border breakwater to Ceuta beaches. Seventy thousand have been returned. 181 drowned. 1,100 unaccompanied minors have been taken to mainland Spain. A handful remain at large. Some blame the Spanish Supreme Court which ruled that illegal immigrants arriving by sea should be treated differently. Others say it was simply another example of the power of social media. Some conspiracy theorists are pointing an accusing finger at Donald Trump and Europe's far-right anti-immigration lobby. The most credible—but far from certain—villain ... (more) |
Clacton ad infinitumThe BBC reports that this Thursday's Clacton by-election will feature the longest ballot paper in British political history, and that it will cost four times as much to print than regular ballot papers. The news site adds that the list for the Clacton parliamentary by-election, which was prompted by the resignation of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, is 90cm (3ft) long: When people unfold the paper, they will find it is longer than most adults' arms. Tendring District Council chief executive Ian Davidson - who is the acting returning officer for the by-election in the Essex constituency - said organising ... (more) |
Which is the most unworkable policy?It seems the Conservatives have entered a competition with Reform to see which party can come up with the most unworkable policy. Over the past week, Reform announced that if they were in government, they would use the Royal Navy to forcibly return asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats to France. That would mean Royal Navy vessels entering French territorial waters without permission (more) |
Neo-Nazi and net zeroThe Conservatives have really lost the plot. In a desperate bid to outdo Reform, Kemi Badenoch has announced that no one supporting net zero will be allowed to stand as a Conservative candidate in the general election. This led to one former cabinet member (Grant Shapps) being refused permission to stand. Yet at the same time she was standing by a Conservative local election candidate with (more) |
A blue plaque for Traffic's Jim Capaldi in MarlowJim Capaldi, singer, Traffic's drummer and Steve Winwood's longtime writing partner, is now remembered by a heritage plaque on his former home in Marlow. It was unveiled on Sunday 2 August, which would have been Capaldi's 82nd birthday. Among the people who gathered to see the plaque unveiled were Capaldi's wife Aninha and their daughters Tabitha and Tallulah, and figures from the world of music including Steve and Muff Winwood and Bob Harris. The plaque, which was installed by The Marlow Society, commemorates the home where Jim lived from 1971 until his death in 2005. Photo from the Jim Capaldi ... (more) |
Conference Agenda is out![IMG: Front cover of Autumn 2026 Conference agenda with photos of Ed Davey and other MPs and Brighton seafront] It's just six weeks until Lib Dems gather in Brighton for our Autumn Conference. Yesterday afternoon, the Conference agenda came out. Over the four days we will see debates on such subjects as: Ending Violence against women and girls Mortality of children in temporary accommodation Maternity care Party strategy Defending Democracy Food security Water companies AI Making music matter Rural and coastal education There will be keynote speeches from: Jane Dodds Alex Cole-Hamilton Max Wilkinson Munira Wilson] Daisy Cooper Cllr Lisa ... (more) |
For International Cat Day: This is Sylvia by Sandy WilsonOne of the books I saved from my mother's house was This is Sylvia by Sandy Wilson. This review from the Brechin Advertiser (25 January 1955) explains all. A nonsense book that is something quite new is the autobiography of that successful musical comedy star, Sylvia. Sylvia hesitated when her friends urged her to write her memoirs. She had lived her nine lives to the full, they said, so why not give her story to the public? Hester Briggs finally persuaded this great-great-granddaughter of a Sultan to take the plunge and tell her story up to now. As for the ... (more) |