Peter Jukes says Boris Johnson and Alexander Lebedev must be investigated in a new public inquiry into Russian influence "If you are young or have a young family, should you vote for millionaire Nigel Farage? For me, he is likely to directly impoverish and disenfranchise the young - Reform UK policies are already shaping up in this way. Where will it end?"Mark Cunliffe itemises Reform's attack on the young. "This punishment represents the state's most severe power to harm its citizens. Understanding how and why it is used tells us about our appetite for punishment and the state's power to ...
Another day another tunnelling announcement from the Regional Mayor who has a strong tendency to make big announcements that lead nowhere! In the summer he suggested a £1 billion scheme to take traffic off the Strand. We had some fancy words but no idea where the money would come from and what the added extra value from such a scheme would be. Now he is a proposing a £5 billion scheme to link Lime Street and Central stations. These are, of course, already linked but only one way on the Chester Line link that lops round in the City Centre. ...
I heard this the other day and was instantly transported back too... Well, it turned out to be the spring of 1994. Mr. Jones was everywhere then, so much so that I'm surprised to find it never got higher than no. 28 in the UK singles chart. It was a big hit in the US though. But what is the song about? Wikipedia (crediting an old Counting Crows FAQs) thinks it knows: The song is about struggling musicians ([Adam] Duritz and bassist Marty Jones of The Himalayans) who "want to be big stars", believing that "when everybody loves me, I ...
Our campaigning for peace and reconciliation has always rested on respect for the rule of law, a determination to uncover the truth, and a refusal to tolerate ideologies that promote hatred, war and terrorism. The fragile ceasefire in Gaza must not distract us from prosecuting war crimes thoroughly or from accelerating progress toward a two-state solution. I usually avoid conflating the Israel-Palestine conflict with broader issues around Islamophobia and antisemitism, but recent events compel me to speak plainly. In the wake of the appalling atrocity in Sydney, it is right to express solidarity with the victims and their families. Those ...
With thanks to SJ Bogue and Dundee Memories, the Agacan back in 1999 - best İskender then and still is!
At last, we have some commonsense from this government, with the announcement that they have ordered an independent review into foreign financial interference in UK politics in response to the "shocking" case of Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales, who was jailed in November, after admitting to taking bribes for pro-Russian interviews and speeches when he was a Member of the European Parliament The BBC report that the review will be led by former senior civil Philip Rycroft and will report back in March: Speaking in the House of Commons, [Communities Secretary Steve] Reed said: "The ...
