The only Tory MP to join the SDPBritish politics has never been short of defectors. It has, however, been rather less well supplied with defectors whose principles survived the journey. Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler was one of the exceptions. A Conservative MP who crossed the floor to join the SDP, subsequently embraced the Liberal Democrats and eventually found his way into Tony Blair's Labour Party, he was a political traveller of unusual range. As the One Nation Liberals prepare to publish our founding pamphlet, Beyond the Right, his career challenges the increasingly tedious assumption that One Nation politics is the proprietary invention of the Conservative Party. Born in Banbury ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1605"The public's disgust with Trump is now inextricably bound up with disgust for that other cult - the smug-maxxing techno-narcissists who think we all want to live in the world they're designing."Tina Brown looks at America after the midterms. Sol Gamsu finds that Britain's schools are segregated by social class - in London in particular: "For post-16 education, London's state schools and colleges are very unequal. In affluent western boroughs such as Richmond upon Thames or Kingston, working-class students are heavily concentrated in further education colleges, with a larger number of more middle-class state schools." Lindsey Blumell says the media ... (more) |
Small Faces: Itchycoo ParkOnce, long before you were born, I played this over and over again on the jukebox of The Bird in Hand, Henstridge. The pub also had a bar billiards table, so it was a good evening. (more) |
Plaid Cymru pursue their independence obsession at taxpayer's expenseDuring the Senedd election the now-First Minister said that his first goal was to show people what a Plaid government can do. Yet rather than focus on the key issues of health, education, and the cost of living, it seems that they are still obsessed with independence, and it is the taxpayers who are picking up the bill. The BBC reports that the case for Welsh independence, as well as more devolution for Cardiff Bay, will be considered by a new body set-up by the Plaid Cymru Welsh government. The news website says that the so-called National Commission for Wales ... (more) |
Ghostwatch (1992)Ah Ghostwatch on the BBC!! (Spoiler Warning) I will set the scene for you, I was 10 years old it was a Saturday 31st October to be exact. My parents were always a bit more liberal where bedtimes were concerned on a Saturday and I was looking for something to watch on a Halloween night. I seem to remember seeing an advert for Ghostwatch during the week and I think I joined the program about 10 to 15 minutes in so it was already in full swing. The first thing I recognised were some very familiar faces. Michael Parkinson a ... (more) |
Uniformed organisation paradeOn Sunday, after the remembrance service was over in Whickham, there was a parade of uniformed organsiations. (more) |
Wreath laying in WhickhamOver 50 local organisations laid wreaths at the Whickham War Memorial during the Remembrance service on Sunday 8th November 2026. (more) |
Last PostMy 3rd video from Remembrance Sunday - Last Post. (more) |
A mini Lib Dem reshuffleFollowing Charlie Maynard's resignation as the Lib Dem Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Ed Davey has now done a mini-reshuffle of the Liberal Democrat spokesperson team in the House of Commons: Bobby Dean takes over Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Lee Dillon replaces him as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Manuela Perteghella replaces him as a Parliamentary Whip Paul Kohler is the party's new Immigration and Asylum Spokesperson, adding this to his Northern Ireland brief Ian Roome is the party's new Veterans and Service Personnel Spokesperson Announcing the appointments, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey ... (more) |
Michael Moorcock and Iain Sinclair in conversationFrom The Morecambe Fringe Festival Podcast: In this episode writer and filmmaker Iain Sinclair catches up with Sci-Fi author and Hawkwind collaborator Michael Moorcock in an exclusive Morecambe Fringe Podcast interview. Click on the image above to listen to it. (more) |