Talbot Street and Church Street, EllesmereOn the way to The Mere at Ellesmere - I've got out of sequence already - I came across some interesting buildings in Talbot Street and Church Street. The church, the Grade I listed St Mary's, was locked, but here are some photographs I took on that walk. (more) |
How the Zombies recorded Time of the SeasonThe Guardian has done one of its 'How we made...' features on the Zombies' 1968 single Time of the Season. It wasn't a hit in the UK, but reached number 3 in the US over a year after it was released. By then the band had split so they weren't able to cash in on this success. Here the band's singer, Colin Blunstone, recalls the recording of the song: Rod always has an overview of his songs in his head - he can hear the drum track, what the bass should be playing and what the lead vocal should be ... (more) |
Photos from Whickham North and Swalwell action dayOn Saturday we had another action day in Gateshead, this time in Whickham North and Swalwell ward. Here are some of my photos. Providing lunch is always a good way to booost the number of helpers. (more) |
Mathew on Monday: Prime Minister, it's time to restore our freedom to move across EuropeThere are few things that better demonstrate the damage Brexit has done to our country than the loss of our freedom to live, work, study and build a life across Europe. It was a freedom we took for granted. A freedom that opened doors, broadened horizons and brought people together. A freedom that represented something profoundly liberal: the right of individuals to make choices about their own lives. And it was taken away. Now, as Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues his discussions with European leaders about rebuilding Britain's relationship with the European Union, I have a simple message: restore freedom ... (more) |
A new article for Central Bylines: We shouldn't laugh at Ladybird books but celebrate themI've a new article on Central Bylines this morning: it's a defence of the much-misunderstood Ladybird Books: The classic Ladybird Book is no more. The imprint still exists, but it's based in London - the signs at Loughborough station welcoming people to "The Home of Ladybird Books" were taken down long ago.There's always an element of nostalgia when writing about old children's books, but what many of us feel when thinking of Ladybird is not sadness for a lost past so much as sadness for a lost future.You may also be interested in my recent article on Malcolm Saville for ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1597"More than 260 peers hold multiple, individual shareholdings - stakes in listed companies - worth more than £100,000 apiece. In fact, some Lords held more than 200 individual holdings, each valued in excess of £100,000. Even assuming each asset was only worth £100,000, that would put the combined value of those shareholdings alone at more than £22 million."Huw Macartney finds the House of Lords has gone from aristocracy to assetocracy. Nathan Levy on the need for politicians to reject short-term thinking: "The people who aren't in the comments are those we need to hear from more often: the 24-year-old renting ... (more) |
Reform's link to Iranian regime revealedThe Guardian reports that Nigel Farage's newest billionaire donor was in business with a powerful Iranian religious foundation under the authority of the country's supreme leader, raising questions about his past dealings with the hardline republic. The paper says that Hossein Ghandehari, also called Sasan, was little known in the UK until he pledged to give millions to Reform UK this summer and donated £50,000 to Farage to cover the cost of two passes for the Davos World Economic Forum. They add that he has said he is moving his tax residency from Switzerland to the UK in order to ... (more) |
Library reopening - the videoThe official reopening of Whickham Library took place on 15th October. I took the opportunity to make this short video of the refurbished facility. (more) |
Photos from the official reopening of Whickham Voluntary LibraryEarlier this month the official reopening of Whickham Voluntary Library took place. The refurbishment was paid for by a government Pride in Place grant. Here are a few of the photos I took on the evening. (more) |
Bodhana Sivanandan is youngest ever female international masterThe 11-year-old English chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has recorded her greatest achievement yet. She has become the youngest girl ever to qualify for the international master (IM) title, which is one rung below grandmaster. In doing so she has eclipsed the record of Judit Polgár, generally regarded as the strongest woman player of all time, who was was 12 years and 2 months old when she earned her IM title. Bodhana is 11 years and seven months old. Chessbase quotes Bodhana's fellow IM, the English Chess Federation's director of international chess Malcolm Pein: "I can only describe Bodhana as a ... (more) |