Turning Point UK chief executive suspended by Tories over contract killing claimsHeadline of the Day has already been won by a penis-biting dog from Rutland, but this Guardian story is still worth your attention: Former Tory election candidate suspended over contract killing claims A former Conservative election candidate has been suspended from the party after he was seemingly filmed discussing the cost of hiring contract killers and offering to "broker" the services of a far-right activist with alleged paramilitary links. Jack Ross was filmed apparently asking an undercover reporter "What do you want done?" before listing the type of violent options that could be bought. Ross appeared to tell the Al ... (more) |
Queen Mary did not request the Agatha Christie radio play that became The MousetrapDorian Lynskey has written for The Nerve about the current production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap and the play's history: The Mousetrap began as a birthday present. Queen Mary, the widow of George V, was turning 80 in May 1947 and requested a half-hour radio play from Christie as part of the BBC's celebrations. Every source says that, but it appears not to be true. In his mammoth podcast on The Mousetrap (starting at 0:17:05), Kemper Donovan says: Now the company line on this radio play commissioned for Queen Mary's birthday is that Queen Mary herself specifically requested a play ... (more) |
The Stone Roses: Waterfall"Ian Brown said in an interview that this is about a girl whose fed up with everything, drops an acid and goes to Dover. What would Vera Lynn make of that?" (more) |
Dog owner fined after man bitten on penisNominated by a reader in Rutland who also liked the story's notion of a "scuffle" between two dogs, and originally skeeted1 by someone because it involves "a disused railway line between Stamford and Ryhall, and Ryhall is never in the news", this has won BBC News are esteemed Headline of the Day Award. Personally, I liked the defence solicitor's statement that "This was a particularly unfortunate incident, perhaps not helped by the layout of the location." That may have swayed the judges, though they do seem to like headlines involving the word "penis" in general. Notes Can't we just say ... (more) |
More ministerial dissent over Labour's immigration policiesThe Times reports that the energy secretary has become the latest cabinet minister to criticise Shabana Mahmood's plans to make it harder for foreign workers to claim permanent residence in the UK. The paper says that Miatta Fahnbulleh said that extending the time that foreign citizens had to wait before being granted indefinite leave to remain threatened "the process of building cohesion", she also warned that Labour needed to "raise the level of the debate" around migration and "challenge divisive political rhetoric": Under plans set out by Mahmood last year, foreign citizens would have to live in Britain for 15 ... (more) |
Jane Dodds stands down as Welsh Lib Dem leader[IMG: Jane Dodds being interviewed for Lib Dem conference] Senedd member and former MP, Jane Dodds. Jane Dodds is standing down as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Earlier today she said: I have decided to stand down as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Leading this party has been the honour of my life. When I was elected leader in 2017, I said I wanted to bring like-minded people together and make the Welsh Liberal Democrats a radical, progressive force in Welsh politics again. Nearly nine years on, I hope we've done that together. We've won councillors in every ... (more) |
The straight and narrow path to Marzipan TunnelOur History Underfoot takes us to the site of the once-massive Steveley Ironworks. He searches for a railway footbridge, because legend persists that the path crossing it leads to Marzipan Tunnel. (more) |
Jane Dodds to step down as Welsh Lib Dem Leader[IMG: Jane Dodds on Conference stage in front of banner saying "none shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity"] For nine years, Jane Dodds has led the Welsh Liberal Democrats through some very challenging times. By the time she took office, the party had been brutally punished at the ballot box for its role in the Coalition and the ensuing decade has not provided the most fertile of territory for us. However, Jane has stood up consistently for our values in that challenging environment. She has always stood up for human rights, proposed ways to alleviate child poverty, including ... (more) |
Jane Dodds to stand down as leader of Welsh Lib DemsEmbed from Getty ImagesJane Dodds has announced she is standing down as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, saying the work to increase its presence in Wales's parliament "should be led by a new generation", reports BBC News. She will remain as the party's only Member of the Senedd. BBC News goes on to say: "Leading the Welsh Liberal Democrats has been the honour of my life," she said in a statement on Tuesday, adding "now is the right time" to hand over the role. Only Welsh Lib Dem MP David Chadwick is eligible to seek nomination to replace Dodds ... (more) |
The silent scandal of ME...and in praise of Tessa MuntI wrote on the subject of ME back in February 2025. Sadly no progress seems to have been made, questions to the government receive "dead bat" pro-forma answers and still the silent scandal of 1.35 million people in the UK suffering from ME/CFS (or Long Covid with ME-like symptoms) continues. That's about 2,000 on average per UK parliamentary constituency. Some figures: The average lifetime costs per patient with ME are £4.7 million on average. There are £20 billion per year costs to the economy due to ME - and this is rising. (This includes loss of productivity and the fact ... (more) |