We left my great great grandmother's brother in 1900 with a post about his being presented with a pair of binoculars by Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. He enjoyed another burst of press coverage in 1907. Here's the Aberdeen Press and Journal for Monday 22 July 1907: The Queen comes early to Deeside, along with Princess Victoria. Both are keen trout anglers, and will spend most of their time on the lochs in and around Balmoral, which have from time to time been re-stocked and improved with both "natives" and Lochlevens. The young Princes of Wales will soon ...
[IMG: Vince Cable talks about his new book at Edinburgh Book Festival] I may not always agree with Vince Cable, but I always want to know what he thinks about international economics because he always has relevant, interesting and well-researched observations. So when he came to the Edinburgh Book Festival on Wednesday, I really wanted to be there to see him talk about his new book "Eclipsing the West: China, India and the forging of a new world." The last time I'd seen him in Edinburgh was when he appeared on Iain Dale's All Talk on a miserable lunchtime in ...
It has been a bumper package of by-elections this week, with eight polls for nine seats, including the replacement of a double-hatted councillor. In Hinchley Wood, Claygate & Oxshott, Councillor Andy Burton and the team pulled off a great victory on Surrey County Council, which sees the end of Conservative control of the county. Congratulations! Surrey County Council, Hinchley Wood, Claygate & Oxshott Liberal Democrats (Andy Burton): 1,656 (38.1%, -6.2) Conservative: 1,346 (31.0%, -16.0) Independent: 659 (15.2%, new) Reform UK: 551 (12.7%, +8.3) Green Party: 101 (2.3%, new) Labour: 31 (0.7%, -3.6) Liberal Democrats GAIN from Conservative Turnout: 34% In ...
Rei Takver reports on fears that Labour's new data access law would allow a future Reform UK government to replicate an Elon Musk-style DOGE data-grab: "If Reform gains power in 2029, campaigners say it could use Labour's data access law to carry out its policies, which include a crackdown on immigration, the radical downsizing of the civil service, eliminating 'government waste', and decimating the UK's net zero projects." The British right is adopting an increasingly extreme form of ethnic identity politics, while failing to explain what the rest of us are supposed to be so worried about, argues Jonathan Portes. ...
Eight principal authority council by-elections for nine seats this week, including a batch in Surrey. The result? Lib Dem and Reform gains, removing the Conservative majority on the county council. [IMG: Andy Burton] [IMG: Andy Burton council by-election result August 2025] Hinchley Wood, Claygate & Oxshott (Surrey) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 38.1% (-6.2) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 31.0% (-16.0) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 15.2% (New) [IMG: ➡] RFM: 12.7% (+8.3) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 2.3% (New) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 0.7% (-3.6)Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative.Changes w/ 2021. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2025-08-22T00:35:05.186Z That is a Labour hold. For what all ...
We are taking a gentle meander through the agenda for Federal Conference which takes place in Bournemouth from 20-23 September. We'll give you the highlights of policy motions, reports and papers. Under the spotlight here is a motion proposed by Munira Wilson MP, to be summed up by Josh Babarinde MP on the importance of engaging, high quality youth work. This is open for amendment until 8 September at 1pm. You can read all the motions in the agenda here. The motion sets out the impact of the cuts in youth work in recent years and explains the value of ...
Residents have highlighted to us that the wall in Pentland Avenue - near City Road junction - in front of housing and adjacent to the public pavement is requiring repair. The council's Head of Housing, Construction and Communities has since advised : "Following an inspection by Officers, this has been taken forward under the Wall Replacement Programme for 2025/26. Engineers are currently working on the design and will get back to us shortly with an anticipated date for starting on site."
Zoe Williams in the Guardian asks all the right questions about the asylum hotel controversy and the current public mood on this issue: Completely absent in this debate - which apparently we are all too frightened to have, yet we have constantly - is any sense of a better idea. If the problem with refugees is that they arrive illegally, would it help to have more legal routes? If the hotels are the issue, could we not work towards dispersal in the first instance, and much faster processing of claims? Is there no world in which we could engage imaginatively ...
