Midsummer in Sweden is a time to escape the cities and relish the almost midnight sun, in jolly celebrations in which young maidens in ethnic dress and with crowns of flowers on their heads dance daintily as family and friends commune with nature. But what if a community of religious cultists obsessed with reading the [...]
McDonnell guilty of incredible hypocrisy Commenting on John McDonnell's appearance on the Andrew Marr show, Liberal Democrat Treasury and Business spokesperson Chuka Umunna said: John McDonnell has displayed incredible hypocrisy pretending to be pro-Remain. Not only has he campaigned for decades to leave the EU, as recently as last year he argued that Remain should not be on the ballot in a People's Vote. The Labour leadership have let down Remainers again and again and can't be trusted to campaign unequivocally to stay in the EU. Labour policy is still to facilitate Brexit and prioritise their alternative Brexit deal. People ...
This was a new find on my wander through Spinney Hills, North Evington or whatever you call that part of Leicester. And I was pleased to find that my favourite ghost sign of all is still flourishing round the corner.
One of the themes I return to is that the Victorians were less Victorian than we think. They did not cover piano legs out of a misplaced sense of modesty - that was a joke they told about the straitlaced Americans - and they were a lot more laid back about male nudity than we were. Matthew Sweet's Inventing the Victorians is very good on our misunderstanding of the 19th century. Of late a new myth has been spreading. It is that the Victorians photographed corpses as part of family groups. BBC News did its bit to help it circulate ...
Regular readers will be aware that I rather like trains. Admittedly, I am not one of those people who can tell you all about locomotives and stuff, fascinating though I'm sure it is, but I like to go on journeys, and trains allow you to get more of a feel for a place and an opportunity to see it up close. There is what is described as a tourist train from Borjomi to Bakuriani, a ski town rather higher up in the mountains. It is slow, taking two hours or so to cover a journey which takes about half an ...
To celebrate Jon Pertwee's 100th birthday, Matthew Sweet chats to 'Gotham' star Sean Pertwee about his father's legacy as the third Doctor. The two of them were filming for an upcoming box set. I can also recommend the documentary about Jon Pertwee's career that Sean has narrated for BBC Radio 4. Catch it while it is available. Jon Pertwee was my Doctor and it was a great era, though Roger Delgado and the Brigadier had a great deal to do with that too. Worzel Gummidge was also wonderful - at once comforting and unsettling. I remember liking The Navy Lark ...
Gigi won the Oscar for Best Motion Picture of 1958, and picked up another eight, Best Director (Vincente Minnelli), Best Adapted Screenplay (Alan Jay Lerner), Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Best Cinematography (color) (Joseph Ruttenberg), Best Costume Design (Cecil Beaton), Best Film Editing (Adrienne Fazan, a rare woman winning one of the off-screen categories), Best Musical Score (André Previn) and Best Original Song ("Gigi" by Lerner and Loewe). Winning nine Oscars was a new record at the time (eight had been won by From Here To Eternity, On The Waterfront, The Best Years of Our Lives, Going My Way ...
As the hostile environment continues to ruin lives, Lib Dem Immigrants posed questions to the leadership candidates. Here are their answers. Q1: If Brexit happens, what should the voting eligibility of resident (non-Commonwealth, non-Irish) EU citizens be? What about resident citizens of other (non-Commonwealth) countries? Jo:I believe that it makes no sense to withhold voting rights from people who live, work, and have settled in the United Kingdom. We saw in the Euro elections this May the impact of having a double standard of voting eligibility – councils unable to administer the system and people unaware that they weren't going ...
Both the Liberal Democrat leadership candidates, Ed Davey and Jo Swinson, have been vocal in their support for London Pride, and rightly so: All of us letting our hair down (for those who have it!), and enjoying some great music with @SiobhanBenita @IrinavonWiese @LuisaPorritt @LibDems @PrideInLondon #Pridelondon2019 pic.twitter.com/qwgoOuKzdd — Ed Davey [IMG: 🔶] (@EdwardJDavey) July 6, 2019 The 2019 Lib Dem leadership election is being covered by me both in podcast form with Stephen Tall in Never Mind The Bar Charts (subscribe here) and in email newsletter form with Liberal Democrat Newswire (sign up here).
The Liberal Democrats are in the middle of our most exciting (and certainly our most positive) Leadership election in over a decade. I've not been well enough to make it to the hustings, but I also have questions I would like to ask the contenders. So I've sent three questions to Jo Swinson and Ed Davey, each question framed by a contentious scene-setter, starting with the one I've asked as many Lib Dem candidates as I can for about twenty years. Thank you to Jo: here are her answers. Jo Swinson Question One: People say all politicians are the same. ...
Jo Swinson and Ed Davey have both spoken out in favour of LGBT rights on London Pride weekend. In an article for Pink News, Jo stood up for trans rights: As a cis woman, I can't pretend to understand the experience of questioning one's own identity, nor do I face the same potential risks or dangers when I speak up about these issues. But that doesn't take away my passionate belief that trans rights are human rights. I'm a feminist, and I hate hearing that I'm not allowed to believe both in women's rights and the rights of trans women. ...
A few years ago, I was in Rabat at the Afro-Cities triennial gathering. This brought together Mayors from all over Africa which is the fastest growing continent and a potential global power house for trade and commerce. In the centre ... Continue reading →
The first time I cam across Pride in London was in 1992 and I was thoroughly captivated by the joyful and bright display. Yesterday, Liberal Democrats gathered to celebrate the LGBT+ movement 50 years after the Stonewall riot. We were part of a huge and diverse march. A fantastic day of celebrating equality as tens of thousands turn out to champion diversity [IMG: 🏳️🌈] @LibDems believe everyone should have the freedom to love who they choose!#PrideMarch #LoveIsLove @LGBTLD pic.twitter.com/6CjCLJ4I63 — Kensington & Chelsea #LibDems [IMG: 🔶] (@KCLibDems) July 6, 2019 There is a very serious message behind all the fabulous ...
Consett used to be renowned for its huge steelworks belching red dust across the town - and Susan Maughan.So began a 2004 article in the Chronicle. Susan Maugham had one big hit: a cover of Marcie Blane's Bobby'a Girl that got her to number three in the UK singles chart in 1963. She stayed in the business as a singer and actor, appearing on television with Rod Hull and Emu in the 1980s.
In the Sunday Times, there are clear indications that the strain of poor polling figures and divisions over Brexit and anti-Semitism are starting to take their toll at the very top of the Labour Party. The paper says that Jeremy Corbyn has been plunged into a leadership crisis after his closest allies demanded that he sack his top aides for keeping him "captive". At the same time, new claims of anti-semitism and bullying have engulfed the party: Multiple sources said Diane Abbott and John McDonnell confronted Corbyn, insisting that he fire his gatekeeper Karie Murphy and Seumas Milne, his director ...
It's been a pretty gruelling month for Ed Davey and Jo Swinson. The hustings phase of the leadership campaign comes to an end on Wednesday 10th July. The event takes place at the National Liberal Club on Whitehall Place at 6:30pm. All members of the party are welcome to attend, but you need to tell the NLC first. As well as questioning the candidates, it's a great opportunity to nose around the NLC, a beautiful building replete with history. From their official press release: The final leadership election hustings of the campaign will take place this Wednesday evening at the ...
