Published in 1979 complete with a foreword by Mike Yarwood, this is a collection of brief pen portraits of television stars of the day. Just to list those thought worthy of discussion brings back a lost era. James Galway, Wendy Craig, Ron Pickering, Dickie Henderson. Max Boyce, Pam Ayres, Brian Glover, Penelope Keith. And because this is 1979 no one on television is gay and only Trevor McDonald is black. But the real interest of This is Their Life lies in the identity of its author. It is Jonathan Meades. Meades turned 32 in 1979 and fame was still some ...
The Ludlow Advertiser wins our Headline of the Day Award. Many thanks to the reader who nominated this one.
In an interview with The Observer, new Lib Dem leader Vince Cable has set out his approach to taxation, including a fondness for land taxes: Vince Cable has signalled he will examine radical new taxes on wealth to ease inequality in Britain... [He] said he wanted to look at ideas such as aligning capital gains tax with income tax to ensure the richest pay more. The former business secretary also said he was interested in exploring the concept of a land value tax, which would see an annual levy placed on properties according to the size of their plot... He ...
One of the things anticipated for this Parliament is that Brexit, and its associated legislation, will dominate everything. That's not to say that legislation for other things cannot happen - there is still space allocated for Private Members Bills, for example. But the scope for other Government-sponsored legislation is small. The other complication for Government [...]
This week brought the tragic news of yet another relatively young father taking his own life. This one was famous, and famous particularly for lyrical angst. This was something that some people dismissed as mere sales-related, unhappy-teen-attracting, pseudo-angry posturing, of course, as is often the case with 'angry music', or anything that tries to use a musical medium to say anything more meaningful than 'Oooo I love you baby'. We need to talk about mental health. We need to talk about changing public attitudes, and we need to talk about healthcare policy issues, and we need to talk about it ...
As you read this, I'll be on my way to the beautiful Highlands for two weeks. I need my spiritual home to work its restorative magic on me. I have decided that I'm going to have a proper break. In previous years, I've still done meetings and continued to write for LDV albeit at a reduced rate. This year has been a bit of a rollercoaster. From the personal drama of my husband's serious illness last Autumn to the Council elections to the General Election and starting a new job, I've not had much space to draw breath. I need ...
Sat 22nd
11:47
Police "formally considering" allegations over Conservative Party's 2017 general election campaign
Labour MP Wayne David revealed in Parliament this week that the police are "formally considering" investigating the Conservative Party's 2017 election campaign for illegal activities following a Channel 4 investigation: Mr David said the Electoral Commission had written to him confirming the police were "formally considering the allegations". An undercover investigation by C4 News, broadcast last month, claimed call centre workers may have been carrying out paid canvassing, banned under electoral law, as they promoted key Conservative messages to undecided voters in the weeks before the election. [BBC] Channel 4 first aired the results of its investigations in June, which ...
Fri, 15:45: Sad news as we lose another of the old guard. https://t.co/c8Gw6dJ6Id Fri, 17:23: RT @ClassicDrWho: In my youth I got invited by Deborah Watling to watch ep 1 of The Pirate Planet at her house! ;) Full anecdote https://t.... Fri, 19:21: RT @MSmithsonPB: The price of Brexit. Jobs moving to Dublin. https://t.co/1Gtd5UssCR Sat, 09:59: Bouillon. @ Bouillon Castle https://t.co/OPsVJfoP4J
Queen Elizabeth revealed her favourite pop song and it's a gay anthem · PinkNews Second best Lillibet stroy ever, after the Prince Abdullah and the Land Rovers one What's really behind The Sun's decision to publish Jodie Whittaker nudes Be afraid: An adventure of the Thirteenth Doctor I'm glad that my first 13th Doctor fanfic was a good one. I really liked this. Although it gave me a "My Sharona" earworm... [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
When someone commits suicide such as someone famous, you hear a lot of people say that it doesn't matter how good someone's life might appear, you don't know what's happening inside their mind. It's true, you don't know but you can find out. There is a high chance someone in your life will at some point struggle with mental illness. Some might even consider suicide. The way you can help them is by making it clear you are open to listening. Listening is the key. Discussing what is going on inside our minds, especially with the stigma surrounding mental health ...
I have almost certainly written more letters and emails as Vince Cable than I have as myself. Back in late 2006/early 2007, I spent four months of my gap year as an intern in his Westminster office. My main job was to draft replies to correspondence for him. Me and another intern would print out [...]
The approaching 30th anniversary of Guns N' Roses 1987 album, "Appetite for Destruction", and the accompanying fanfare around this event, has pushed me to my limits. I don't think I have a larger media related pet peeve than the overhyping of the cultural relevance and musical significance of GN'R. I was a teenager in 1987; I remember the record coming out very clearly. How it was received at the time by myself and people I knew was that it was a better than average hair-metal album; superior to Poison, let's say, but certainly less good than Motley Crue. The cultural ...
The by-line says it all - Deborah Orr is a Guardian columnist, and in that capacity she is obliged to find so many hundreds of words each day to bore us with her wisdom. It is easy to find fault, the hard part is to have something constructive and useful to say, as no doubt I will now prove. In the latest diatribe, Ms. Orr lambasts Vince Cable for his failure to grasp the nettle ten years ago and save us all from the dreadful coalition government. She says that the best that could be said for Nick Clegg is ...
This is a great set of exercises to start the day with if you haven't done any in a while like me. Give it a go.
Today, Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh Western, Alex Cole-Hamilton turns 40. I have to confess to being slightly traumatised by this – much more so than by my own imminent Golden Jubilee. You see, I don't feel 50. I feel about 28. And I'm in much better shape physically and mentally than I was at 28, so it's all good here. And the waiter at the Indian last night referred to me as a "young lady." Even better. Alex's big day, though, provides inescapable evidence of the passage of time. I can't help but remember that I first met him ...
Children aged 3-10 years are invited to bring your families along to the Garden for a Mad Hatter's tea party on the afternoon of 30th July. Arrive in time to get your picnic set out for a 3pm start. Entertainment will be provided by the University's JOOT theatre group, so you might want to brush up on your Alice in Wonderland characters before you come! Bring your own picnic and some rugs to sit on for the tea party, and wear a MAD HAT. You might want to make your own? There is no charge for this event, but numbers ...
The Guardian has the story on its web site – see link above 'Parliament needs to leave London and reconnect with the people' Simon Jenkins This is an interesting read indeed. With thanks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting
Traffic congestion in the Prestwich area has seemed pretty bad recently, probably due to the roadworks through the village, and people finding ways to avoid them. Two more sets of roadworks start soon. We have already asked the Council's Director to reconsider what can be done here, and why ALL THREE sets of roadworks have to happen at the same time. No reply yet... Highways England – A56 Bury New Road/Junction 17 - Bridge maintenance works Bridge maintenance works, due to take place on the A56 Bury New Road at the M60 Junction 17 roundabout. The works will include replacement ...