After Unman. Wittering and Zigo, what comic sketch could I post but this? In fact, the sketch contains a subtle nod to the film (and radio play): Zob is absent. Dating from 1979, this is the first thing I ever saw Rowan Atkinson do. It is also the funniest thing I have ever seen him do. And note how he puts the heckler down without leaving character. The Secret Policeman's Ball was one of a series of roughly annual evenings held to raise money for Amnesty International. It featured several of my comic heroes: John Cleese, Peter Cook, Michael Palin ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 486th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (20-26 August, 2017), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Ruth Davidson, racism and the modern non ...
Current Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (a chapter a month) Synners, by Pat Cadigan Last books finished A Life of Surprises, ed. Paul Cornell QI: The Book of the Dead, by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson William Cecil, Ireland and the Tudor State, by Christopher Maginn Children are Civilians Too, by Heinrich Böll The Shining Man, by Cavan Scott Moomin: The Complete Comic Strip vol. 7, by Lars Jansson You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), by Felicia Day Next books The Famished Road, by Ben Okri The Dancers at the End of Time, by Michael Moorcock Short ...
It has been a curious week for Ludlow. No one could have predicted that a local spat over a donation over a £2,500 would have led to a national row that went viral on social media and was splashed across print media. Just about all the national broadcast stations have covered the story. I have seen reports on ITV, debates on BBC and LBC, and coverage in almost every national and regional newspaper. It is time for Philip Dunne to speak. He should tell us whether he stands on fundraising and expression of gender in the NHS. The essence of ...
Recently the stars aligned and my boyfriend and I managed to wrangle some holiday days off work at the same time. On our first day we joined the National Trust and had a simply lovely week exploring some of the gorgeous sites. Coffee and Cameras: pretty much sums up my week off! I also decided to bite the bullet and renounce my status as Photography Widow by convincing him that it would be a good idea to teach me how to take proper pictures with a proper camera. Neither of us is dead yet, so I'm obviously doing something right. ...
The Liberal Democrats have laid down a challenge to Keir Starmer by telling him to back an amendment to the EU Withdrawl Bill if Labour is serious about now supporting membership of the single market. Starmer claimed in The Observer that following a U-turn, Labour would now support membership of the single market during a transitional deal, though refused to make a long-term commitment to Britain remaining in the world's largest market. Jeremy Corbyn has previously ruled out staying in the single market. The Liberal Democrats will table an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill to force a vote on ...
Television have been described as the "founding fathers of New York punk". Friction is a track from their 1977 album Marquee Moon. Now widely praised, it failed to reach the Billboard top 200 but did make no. 28 in the British albums chart. You wouldn't have got that Eastern, almost virtuoso guitar sound on a British punk record though.
Sat, 12:56: RT @kevinhorourke: Davis et al may have thought that Border was the key to avoiding necessary choices, but they aren't fooling anyone: http... Sat, 14:11: RT @aquilum: This is beyond shameful. #NotInMyName https://t.co/JPLJJkKApF Sat, 15:46: RT @douglax: Happy 26th birthday Linux!!! Here's your fucking cake, go ahead and compile it yourself. https://t.co/18aZL45m28 Sat, 16:05: RT @aSciEnthusiast: Am I supposed to read this straight across from left to right? Or each sign on its own? https://t.co/jQvnEI5UKM Sat, 18:23: RT @phoenixnewtimes: We've been covering Joe Arpaio for more than 20 years. Here's a couple of things you should know about ...
As prices go up in a Brexit-induced inflationary spiral, spare a thought for the poorest in our society. People who are having to rely on state benefits don't get any cushioning thanks to George Osborne's benefit freeze. As prices go up, benefits, already at a meagre level, stay the same making it even harder for people to survive. So, you'd think that Jeremy Corbyn's lefty Labour Party would be all about ending the freeze. Well, that's what they briefed reporters on Friday morning ahead of a Corbyn visit to Cambridge. Remember that until 2015, Cambridge was represented by a Liberal ...
James woke up with dry mouth, desperate for water. He blinked open and sat up in a double bed that definitely wasn't his. A few seconds later he remembered what had happened the night before and instead of the regret he expected arriving, a smile broke out across his face. Xander was nowhere in sight. The walls were covered in drawings and paintings, glued and pinned so there was no wall left to be seen. Pencils and brushes were scattered across the desk in the corner and littered all around the room. He recalled Xander mentioning that he was creating ...
At last, a bit of clarity from Labour on the most important issue of the day: Brexit. After months of confused statements from Labour in which they hovered close to the Tories' hard Brexit position while trying to appear pro-EU, Labour today have some out in favour of keeping the UK in the Single Market and the Customs Union, but only for a short period after March 2019. The policy was
There are two points of interest surrounding yesterday's so-called 'dramatic policy shift' by Labour on Brexit, the first of which is that for all his passion and sincerity, Shadow Brexit Secretary, Keir Starmer is doing all the heavy lifting, whilst his party leader does his best to ignore the issue altogether. Time after time, Jeremy Corbyn has whipped his MPs to vote with the Conservatives against the Single Market and for a hard Brexit. Yesterday the Labour leader was speaking in Scotland and barely acknowledged the issue, if he mentioned it at all. Unless Starmer can take his party leadership ...
A crucial curio of warfare is that whilst huge numbers of people get killed in military conflicts, it takes huge numbers of troops and ammunition to kill even a single enemy soldier.
The Observer headlines Keir Starmer's announcement that Labour might be prepared to back a longer transitional arrangement to keep us in the single market for longer as a "dramatic shift." That editor must have lead a really sheltered life if they think that reversing the tank a few metres back from the cliff edge in the middle of a storm is actually going to help that much. The claim that Labour is now the party of soft Brexit is laughable. Soft Brexit means staying in the single market and the customs union in a Norway style arrangement. Labour's position is ...
The BBC has the story on its web site – see link above Whilst the reason for this German supermarket to withdraw foreign food from its shelves was a protest about racism and those who oppose diversity I wonder whether it's something that many Brexiters may want UK supermarkets to do as they seek to isolate us from the world? Quote from the BBC web site article – Pictures of the Edeka chain store revealed bare shelves as items such as Spanish tomatoes and Greek cheeses were temporarily taken down. The move was accompanied by signs reading, "Our selection ...
From Blether Tay-Gither : Our August Blether will be on Tuesday 29th August at 7pm in Madigan's Food Emporium and Bookshop, Castle Street. The theme this month is " Mythical Creatures." Hope to see some of you there - all welcome!
