Statistics. It's now 71 yeas since I took my mathematics 'O' level (as it was then called) and over 20 years since I taught any maths, so I presume the curriculum has moved on a bit. I certainly hope so. In my day we spent a lot of time messing about solving simultaneous and quadratic equations, to "find x;" using trigonometry ratios discover the dimensions of figures and other such erudite activities; and spent very little time on statistics. As a teacher of economics I spent a lot of time explaining yet again that a fall in the rate of ...
Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesperson, has asked the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation to urgently examine the "troubling precedent" of the use of the Terrorism Act to arrest large numbers of people expressing support for Palestine Action. In the letter to Jonathan Hall KC, she said: "While we recognise the serious nature of this group's activities, including criminal offences, such as vandalism of military equipment and RAF aircraft, aggravated burglary and violent disorder, and some cases awaiting the conclusion of trials, we are deeply concerned about the use of terrorism powers against peaceful protesters in this ...
"Opportunities to object are limited. Roadblocks and checkpoints have been established at either end of the only lane in and out of the village. Cars are searched with sniffer dogs and ID demanded. All footpaths have been closed off, and unless you live here you stand no chance of getting in. Secret Service agents keep a watchful eye on the hordes of police who are doing their bidding. In short, we've been completely sealed off from the outside world." An anonymous contributor to The Oxford Clarion describes life in the Cotswold village of Dean during JD Vance's visit. Shaun Thompson ...
Welcome 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 19% (+3) 19% (-1) 12% (nc) 10% (+1) 31% (-1) -12% (vs Ref) 13/8 GB YouGov ...
"Ukraine is not a real country," claims Vladimir Putin. "It is," he has repeatedly stated, "an artificial creation" that is historically and culturally part of Russia. If you go back far enough—the 9th century—he has a point. Kyiv was the cradle of what became the Russian Orthodox Church which for centuries defined Russian nationalism. But since the mid-13th century, borders, allegiances and political alignments have been constantly shifting. It started with the Mongol invasion which led to the heirs of Genghis Khan ruling the Principality of Moscow until the 15th century. Most of Ukraine became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ...
There's an excellent website on public art in Dundee at https://publicartdundee.org/ produced by the University of Dundee's Museum Services. This includes walking and cycling tours maps which can be downloaded as well as a history of public art in the city. There's also extensive links to fantastic other resources and is well worth a visit.
My abiding memory of Weobley Castle was attending a barn dance in the grounds in the early 1980s and dropping my then girlfriend on the concrete floor during a vigorous rock and roll dance. She later worked as a tour guide and was tasked with taking a coach load of people from somewhere in the north of England around Gower, including showing them Weobley Castle. The only problem was that whoever had put together the itinerary had obviously never been to Gower, because there is no way that a 52-seater coach can get anywhere near the castle on the narrow ...
