Free markets work; free trade only benefits tyrantsFree markets liberated us from the overweening power of church and aristocracy and created a rights culture. Emile Durkheim established back in 1893 the constitutional, commercial and civil law required to govern the society of strangers that capitalism creates. Free markets empower people with a choice of where to buy, work and live, and vendors compete with lower prices right down the supply chain. Free trade operates above our heads, regulating governments and giving capital the right to own, operate and profit, in markets that may be scarred by monopoly, corruption, slavery and child labour. Free markets are democratising; free ... (more) |
It's Sunday, 4 July 2027, three years since Labour's historic landslide victory.Want to check how many seats they won before half the backbench got booted for defending something dangerous like, I don't know, free school meals? Let's pull up the Wikipedia article. Oh, hang on... we'll need to verify our ID first. Can't have children accidentally learning about something subversive like austerity. Not after Wikipedia was designated a "Category 1" site under the Online Safety Act. They fought it, of course – took the government to court back in 2025. But after a year of legal ping-pong and mounting fees, they gave in. Now you just need a passport, facial scan, ... (more) |
Reform's first successful by-election defenceThree principal authority council by-elections this week, including Reform UK's first successful defence of a seat: Easington & Shotton (Durham) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: ➡] RFM: 46.7% (-3.5) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 20.2% (+0.8) [IMG: 🙋] Ind (Hood): 20.1% (-1.6) [IMG: 🙋] Ind (Cochrane): 6.9% [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 2.3% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 1.8% (-2.6) [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 1.0% (-3.2) [IMG: 🙋] Ind (Childs): 0.9% (New)Reform HOLD.Changes w/ 2025. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2025-08-07T22:31:14.136Z For what all this means for the running total of council by-election results since the last May elections, see my council by-elections scorecard here. These by-election ... (more) |
Childminding recruitment campaign in DundeeThe City Council is supporting the Scottish Childminding Association's recruitment campaign to encourage Dundee people to consider taking up a career in childminding. Advantages of flexible employability opportunities for local people to work from their own home, as well as the potential growth of childcare options for city families are being highlighted as benefits. Funded training and support would be provided to successful applicants, who will also be able to access employability and Business Gateway support throughout the programme and into their self-employment journey. The campaign features Dundee childminder Elaine Bruce, who runs Elaine's Amazing Spaces. Elaine worked in child ... (more) |
UK Homelessness minister resigns after embarrassing claimsThe Mirror reports that Labour's homelessness minister has resigned following reports that claimed she threw out four tenants before ramping up the rent on a house she owns by £700 a month. An earlier report said that Rushanara Ali, who has previously criticised "unreasonable rent increases" reportedly gave the renters four months notice that their lease would not be renewed. They say that it has been subsequently claimed that the East London home was subsequently re-listed for rent within weeks of them moving out at a massively increased price: The four were sent an email saying they would have to ... (more) |
Council by-election results scorecard 2025-2026Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2025 and the May 2026 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con [7] +1 (+1/0) -2 (+1/-3) +1 (+1/0) -7 (+2/-9) – – -1 (0/-1) -8 Lab -1 (0/-1) [8] -1 (0/-1) -2 (0/-2) -15 (0/-15) – – – -19 Lib Dem +2 (+3/-1) +1 (+1/0) [17] – +1 (+1/0) – – +1 (+1/0) +5 Grn -1 (0/-1) +2 (+2/0) – [3] – – – – +1 Ref +7 (+9/-2) +15 (+15/0) -1 (0/-1) – [1] – ... (more) |
What Once Was finds an abandoned brickworks in Deep RutlandAnother noseh with the very Leicestershire Steve, who describes it on YouTube like this: In this video, we explore an eerie abandoned brickworks hidden deep in the countryside. With no records, no signs, and zero history online, this forgotten site is a true mystery. Nature has begun to reclaim the decaying buildings, leaving behind haunting scenes of industrial ruin. Join us as we walk through rusted machinery, collapsing walls, and the eerie silence of a place time forgot. Whether you're into urban exploration (urbex), abandoned places, or industrial decay, this location will leave you wondering what stories it once held. ... (more) |
Homelessness minister Rushanara Ali resigns after claims she made people homelessEmbed from Getty ImagesFrom the Guardian website this evening: Rushanara Ali has resigned as homelessness minister after it emerged she evicted four tenants from a property she owns in east London then re-let it weeks later for £700 more a month. ... Ali announced her resignation on Wednesday [shurely Thursday? - Ed.] evening after hours of intense criticism from housing charities and opposition parties. She had been under pressure to explain the contradiction between the stated reason for ending the tenancy and the decision to re-let the home at a higher price after no buyer was found. This seems a ... (more) |
Another Labour councillor joins Lib Dems in Southampton[IMG: Rebecca McCreanor] Rebecca McCreanor has joined the Lib Dems from Labour. Following Matt Bunday joining the Lib Dems in Southampton, now another Labour councillor – Rebecca McCreanor – has done the same. She takes the Liberal Democrat group up to seven. The Southern Daily Echo reports: Coxford ward representative Cllr Rebecca McCreanor said she took the decision after "much soul searching and considerable reflection". She said the Labour was "no longer the party for me", adding that national policies were "not on the side of the people of Southampton". Group Leader Cllr Richard Blackman said: I'm delighted to welcome ... (more) |
Shelagh Delaney is interviewed by an alien in 1959The latest Backlisted podcast is a great edition on Shelagh Delaney and her 1958 play A Taste of Honey. It was her first play, written and produced before she was 20. It was then filmed in 1962 with Rita Tushingham, Dora Bryan and Murray Melvin. As the Backlisted blurb asks: How did a Salford teenager change the face of British theatre? Nearly 70 years on, why do the play's themes and characters continue to resonate in the 21st century? And what did Shelagh Delaney do for an encore (and why do so few people know about it)? This show will ... (more) |