Joe Jackson: It's Different for GirlsRecorded live in 1979 for BBC2's Rock Goes to College. (more) |
Trumps' White House thuggery appals the world including most AmericansOne of the things that makes me happy when I see the declining state of our political life is that 'at least we're not as bad as America!' That thought kept going through my mind when I read accounts of the UFC fight which took place at the White House at the weekend. Four things struck me when I read them: Firstly, this is supposed to be the home of the Head of Government of the Country and to that extent it belongs to all the people of the Country. Could you imagine Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle being opened ... (more) |
We are being held hostage by the Tory voters who have lent us their voteHow many people reading this article have been sat at a house party in the north - and when the conversation gets onto politics (which it usually does), no other attendees know a single thing about the Liberal Democrats. Attendees aged eighteen, nineteen, twenty who have not got a clue about what we stand for, a single policy, except, maybe Davey's stunts. I tell them I support the Liberal Democrats, and a true response I once got was, "is that the orange one?". This is where we are standing with the youth, and hey, a lot of the older generations ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1534Keir Starmer should set a timetable for his departure from Number 10 and give his successor the opportunity to prepare for becoming prime minister, argue Hannah White and Alex Thomas. "Digital spaces should be safe for people of all ages. But I don't believe bans are the answer. Technology companies need to be held to account and required to block harmful content and build safety into their designs."Lisa M. Given on what Britain can learn from Australia's attempt to ban under-16s from social media. Ben Mayfield has seen a new film on the countryside access debate in England and Wales: ... (more) |
Dear United Kingdom: Anti-white racism and the attack of diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI)On the day of the 10th anniversary of the tragic passing of Labour MP, Jo Cox, who will poignantly be remembered for her maiden speech in which she said "We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us." We contrast that with the juxtaposition of what emerged on Sunday when Nigel Farage had taken to social media and laid claim to Anti-white racism after he said that Britain was now a "two tier state against white people". Tragic events over the last fortnight have triggered memories for me long since ... (more) |
The toxic legacy of BrexitThe Guardian reports on the view of Kim Leadbeater MP, the sister of Jo Cox, who was brutally murdered ten years ago yesterday, that political hatred and division in the UK is probably worse now than during the Brexit referendum. Speaking to the Guardian's Today in Focus podcast Leadbeater, who was elected to the same Yorkshire seat held by Cox in a 2021 byelection, said everyone in public life had a responsibility to try and ease tensions. Referencing the response of some politicians to the murder of Henry Nowak, which was followed by disorder in Southampton, Leadbeater said people should ... (more) |
No Carry Ons: Kenneth Williams's other filmsThis is fun. A compilation of 11 short clips of Kenneth Williams in films that aren't Carry Ons. Williams, as he frequently pointed out on Round the Horne when he wasn't being properly serviced, was classically trained. When he was young he was highly regarded as an actor, and Maggie Smith acknowledged him as an influence on her own work. (more) |
Three Lions but no St George's flagsI went for a walk across the town after lunch today and saw this Three Lions flag. What I didn't see was any St George's flags. Twenty years ago, I was in Shropshire during the 2006 World Cup and I can remember St George's flags in the upstairs windows of houses in some very leafy streets in Shrewbury. I expect the children of the house demanded them for their bedroom windows. This year in Market Harborough, there's nothing. It looks as though the far right has put us off our national flag by making it a symbol their thuggish politics. ... (more) |
Al Carns portrays Labour politics as a form of ancestor worshipEmbed from Getty ImagesWriting about Blue Labour in Liberator at the start of year, I suggested that: Maurice Glasman's target voter is a white working-class man in a manual job in the North of England in 1957. That makes him a modernist when set against Al Carns, judging by the defence minister's resignation statement in the Commons today. Here's how Carns began: As honourable members know, I came into politics for one reason. That was to enact change. But to be able to work out where you're going, we must realise where we have come from. The Labour party I ... (more) |
Could Hitler have won?Could Hitler have won? - that's the title of my next talk to Sunniside History Society. I will be looking at various wartime events and explain how a different outcome to them may or may not have influenced the course of the Second World War. I will be keeping the shocker to the end of the talk when I explain how Hitler could have won control of Europe and then the world. (more) |