Professor Joad sees his play at the Theatre Royal, NorthamptonI braved the heat today, went into town and called at the market. I came a way with a book called Repertory at The Royal: Sixty-Five Years of Theatre in Northampton 1922-92. As you would hope, there's plenty about this blog's heroine Freda Jackson, but this post is about C.E.M. Joad. Joad was once a substantial public figure, chiefly as a member of the panel of the wildly popular radio programme The Brain's Trust. There he allowed himself to be called "Professor Joad" when he was no such thing, which riled his fellow philosophers. They also, whether from jealousy of ... (more) |
The DVLA's problem with number platesThe latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, 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: A quick update this time on two questions I've asked in Parliament, one on a new topic for me, and one on very much not a new topic. Can the DVLA properly monitor number plate compliance? [IMG: Green car parked at side of the road] Photo by JJ Jordan on Unsplash. I try ... (more) |
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: The NightThis wonderfully dramatic single failed to make an impact here in 1972 and wasn't released as a single at all in the US. But by 1975 it had become a Northern Soul classic and made 7 in the UK singles chart when it was re-released. (more) |
School uniform, boys in skirts and Marcuse's 'repressive tolerance'For years, just as the coming of the Christmas season is marked by the appearance of the first disappointing 'Santa's Magic Xmas Wonderland, so the arrival of High Summer has been marked by a news story about boys being banned from wearing shorts to school in hot weather and, after a careful reading of their school's uniform regulations, turning up in skirts as a protest. There is an inferior story of this sort in the Manchester Evening News. A father has protested because his son was almost banned from taking a mock exam because he turned up for it wearing ... (more) |
Huge victory for Campaign for GigiThis week was a huge moment for the Campaign for Gigi. After almost two years of campaigning for safer standards, inspections, and regulation of the nursery sector, the Government has announced a huge package of measures that would make nurseries safer and put child safeguarding at the forefront of the sector. £8 million will be spent on strengthening safeguarding across early years, 3,000 more unannounced Ofsted visits will now take place to spot risks, and stronger checks on new nurseries before they open will happen. As well as this, new legislation will be introduced in September which will set out ... (more) |
We have no idea what history will say about Keir Starmer and it may not be right anywayI see a lot of people saying that history will be kind to Keir Starmer - much kinder than commentators have been in recent weeks. Three points... First, history is not a single agreed narrative but a collection of debates. History will say lots of things about Keir Starmer, some of them quite contradictory. Second, we have no idea what history will say about Keir Starmer, because his career will be seen in a wider context, much of which hasn't happened yet. Andy Burnham may be lead Labour to defeat at the next general election, or he may win that ... (more) |
Andy Burnham's record on policing: Success story or missed opportunity?Andy Burnham's role as Mayor of Greater Manchester comes with a responsibility that is often overlooked. As well as leading the city region, he also holds the powers previously exercised by the Police and Crime Commissioner. That means he is ultimately responsible for overseeing Greater Manchester Police (GMP), setting priorities and holding the force to account. As with housing, Burnham's record on policing is more complex than either supporters or critics sometimes admit. The strongest criticism of Burnham's policing record is that one of the biggest scandals in the history of GMP happened on his watch. In 2020, inspectors placed ... (more) |
Lib Dem billboards attack Farage's £5m "reward for Brexit"The only person to profit from Brexit is Nigel Farage, who has walked away with a £5 million payout he described as his reward for Brexit, the Liberal Democrats claimed yesterday. The Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey launched a nationwide billboard campaign to mark the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum. The campaign highlights how ordinary families across the UK are facing skyrocketing household bills in the aftermath of Brexit, all while taxpayers face a £90 billion hit every year. Speaking at a rally held in front of one of the billboards in London, Davey said: "After ten years of ... (more) |
Is Kier Starmer the new John Major?I think that history will be kinder to Kier Starmer than the media, his opponents and those within his own Party. What has happened to him reminds me very much of what happened to John Major three decades ago. As we look back on him, his behaviour, and his achievements we certainly understand more about and sympathise with Major than we did in the 90s. The basic thing that Starmer and Major have in common is that they are decent men with principles and beliefs that are close to the main stream beliefs that most of us hold. They believed ... (more) |
Burnham: Strategic implicationsMuch of the UK media coverage of an expected Burnham government later this year has focused on personalities and relatively trivial policy proposals. Broader strategic issues have largely been absent. However, Burnham's local transport reforms and administrative refinements in Manchester have shown a desire to 'make the state work'. Burnham has implied that a 'privatisation mentality' and an obsession with opaquely contracting everything out to the private sector, has led to the abandonment of attempts to make state institutions work properly. He's out to challenge such assumptions, he implies. This concept seems to lie behind Burnham's ideas about the nationalisation ... (more) |