Attend the tale of Sweeney ToddI posted a video of the South Bank Show film on the staging of Sweeney Todd a few days ago and have been obsessed with Stephen Sondheim's musical ever since. I didn't see Sweeney in 1980, but I have strong memories of watching that film about that production, with the result that I cannot quite accept anyone but Denis Quilley and Sheila Hancock in the lead roles. Someone has made the video above by pulling out some of the scenes of the finished show from the film, and if you are as obsessed as me you will want to listen ... (more) |
The unsafe bridge over the Staffs & Worcs Canal at PenkridgePhoto: Canal & Rivers Trust Having been guilty of posting a fake AI image of the scene of Bluesky, I thought I'd better see what is really happening at the closed bridge over the Staffs & Worcs Canal at Penkridge. So here is the notice on the Canal & Rivers Trust site: On New Year's Eve, debris was reported in the canal below the bottom gates at Lock 38. An investigation found that the debris came from the bywash culvert next to the lock. The culvert, which also runs under a road bridge and beside a house, appears to have ... (more) |
Why is Trump getting away with Venezuela strikes? Thank heavens Lib Dems are condemning him?It's not the done thing for the leader of a powerful country to send his people in to arrest the leader of another country, regardless of how awful a human being he is and ship him and his wife back to said powerful country to face trial. I am not an expert in international law, but this does not seem to follow any kind of due process. One of the most depressing things about the first year of the second Trump presidency is that Trump and his officials have got away virtually unchecked with horrific abuses of process carried out ... (more) |
Ed Davey's New Year MessageEd Davey's New Year message came out when we were on our break, but, for the sake of completeness, here is his video, a kind of Lib Dem Wrapped. An unusual choice to give Kemi Badenoch a cameo, but then she was telling everyone how we get the church roof fixed, something which will, we suspect, never get old. Enjoy! (more) |
Council by-elections results: the quarterly statsHere are the scores on the doors for the latest quarter of principal authority council by-elections. (more) |
Adventures with Elsa (other princesses are available)One of the unexpected side effects of being a grandparent of a five-year-old girl is exposure to the full array of Disney princesses. And yes, I know that Elsa is a queen, not a princess, but you know what I mean, right? Our granddaughter is seldom happier than when she has a flowing dress to wear or, at least, she has been up until now. There is an emerging "threat" to this comfortable state of affairs. For she has discovered KPop Demon Hunters, this summer's unexpected hit. They don't really fit with the "princess vibe" and it offers a challenge ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1456"At present the Tories are making the same mistakes as their continental cousins - aping the rhetoric and policies of the further right upstart party that is destroying them from the flank. As long as this happens the Blue Wall of small towns and rural hinterland across the South beyond London will disappear altogether with large swathes of the country turning into a Lib Dem/Reform battle (council by election results show this is already happening)."Matthew Pennell asks if centre-right parties are finished across Europe. AI chatbots are gossiping about us behind our backs. Ashley Fike summarises a paper by the ... (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 18% (nc) 14% (nc) 12% (+1) 17% (nc) 30% (-3) -16% (4th, vs Ref) 24/12 GB ... (more) |
A castle and a country houseWe are travelling further west this week to Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire and Dinefwr Castle, which is situated on the outskirts of the town. Dinefwr Castle is a ruined castle overlooking the River Towy. It lies on a ridge on the northern bank of the Towy, with a steep drop of one hundred feet to the river. Dinefwr was the chief seat of the Dinefwr dynasty of the Kingdom of Deheubarth. The castle is a Grade I listed building. I was there a few days ago and, as you can see, the views are spectacular. As Wikipedia says, tradition relates that ... (more) |
The Grassy Shires: Farming in Leicestershire during WWIIThrill to footage of Nevill Holt Hall (now widely accepted to be the chief model for Bonkers Hall) from 1:13 and of Market Harborough cattle market from 9:57. This film brings home just how powerful the British state became during the Second World War. Thanks to Mark Howson for posting it on Bluesky - he says the Clarkes are still farming near Medbourne. (more) |