Paul Dacre, a doyen of the right and former long term editor of the Daily Mail, is raging. In a letter published in The Times this morning, he tells the world that he wants to set the record straight following "increasingly hysterical speculation from the left-wing media" on whether he would be applying again to be chair of Ofcom. He tells us he will not be submitting a new application while lambasting civil servants for working from home and "exercising on their Peloton bikes and polishing their political correctness". This episode arises from an attempt by Boris Johnson to stich ...
A Beautiful Mind won the Oscar for Best Picture of 2001, and three others: Best Director (Ron Howard), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly as Alicia) It lost in four categories, two of them to that year's Hugo and Nebula winner, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which also won four Oscars that year. The other four Oscar nominees were The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which I have of course seen, and Gosford Park, In the Bedroom and Moulin Rouge!, which I haven't. The other 2002 films I ...
There is always something to learn in the wonderful world of local government, and this week's phrase is "stopping up order". As part of the Gateway 14 development, the road between our village and the Cedars Park area of Stowmarket will be closed, to be replaced by a more direct route running through the centre of the new business and enterprise park. In addition, the footpath that similarly links us to the edge of Stowmarket (particularly useful for a gentle stroll to Tesco) will be diverted around the proposed development sites. The stopping-up order permits the closing of the old ...
Fri, 12:56: RT @MartinDoyleIT: It's all fine https://t.co/S82z5AuGSC Fri, 15:41: RT @pmdfoster: NEW: @michaelgove says UK "confident" UK can progress on Northern Ireland Protocol row without resort to #article16 -- he a... Fri, 16:05: On a happier note, here is my segment of the 2019 Hugo Awards ceremony in Dublin. https://t.co/DHAnIlWxkT (Voting for this year's Hugos ends tonight - get on with it!) Fri, 17:11: Who Said It? Jordan Peterson or Baron Vladimir Harkonnen https://t.co/S6ExpZfENW Really tough. I did very badly. Fri, 18:15: Sweeney Todd & Other Stories, by Neil Gaiman https://t.co/M91NZ76vHh Fri, 18:47: RT @Mij_Europe: Momentum towards Article 16 ...
On 20th November each year, vigils take place across the world to remember those lost to anti transgender violence every year. This year the list stretches to more than one person for every single day. 375 trans people have been killed since November 20 2021. It's grim reading. So many are in their 20s. These are not just names on a page. They are people with feelings, hopes, dreams whose lives were taken from them as a result of prejudice and discrimination. Transgender Day of Remembrance started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to remember Rita Hester who ...
Russia's Vladimir Putin is indulging in that well-known two step, one step diplomatic dance. That is two steps forward. One step back. Sometimes he throws his fellow Europeans off balance by taking a third step and half a step back, or he may refuse to move from his new position. He prods and pushes, establishing new boundaries both physical and political. Using strategies developed as a high-flying KGB agent, Putin simply denies everything. It is all Western "balderdash," he claims. Belarus is a Russian satellite. Its Soviet-style dictator Alexander Lukashenko would hardly dare breathe without first seeking the approval of ...
The City Council gave me a commitment some time ago that it would provide more picnic tables for Magdalen Green and take steps to reduce the risk of fire, following one being destroyed by fire some months ago. I requested an update from Neighbourhood Services at the council and have now been advised as follows by the Service Manager - Environment : "I can confirm that 6 concrete pads are planned to be installed which the picnic benches shall be fixed to. There are currently 4 benches which I understand require some refurbishment which we shall undertake. This will leave ...
He's so nearly home. As long as the British Transport Police don't plug him with a tranquilliser dart he'll be holding court in the Bonkers' Arms tonight. "No worse than a chimbley" I arrive at Westminster just in time to take part in the vote. The attendants in the Lord's really are a cut above the rest: despite my gorilla costume, I am greeted by name and urged to hurry through the lobby. Brushing off a Conservative peer, who is convinced his grandfather shot mine and mounted him over his fireplace, I reflect once again on the remarkable resourcefulness of ...
