The BBC. The RNLI. The National Trust. There seems to be no British institution that the right does not despise. Hence the Daily Mail's current campaign against the Trust. Which makes this lecture by Mary Beard on the Trust's history timely. As the blurb on YouTube explains: This is the second annual Octavia Hill Lecture from the National Trust, in collaboration with Times Radio. Professor Beard asks 'Who owns the past?' She examines what the past is for, how we can learn from and challenge it, and how we can bring it to life. Throughout her lecture, Professor Beard considers ...
We're just over a month away from the first big elections of the year – the Local Elections and the London Mayor/GLA contest (which will be covered in a separate blog). I'd like to draw your attention to some of the more interesting and significant contests happening up and down the country. The big picture ... Continue reading The only way is Wessex: Local Elections 2024 preview
Mon 1st
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The UAE buying the Telegraph would be better for the Tories than Paul Marshall buying it
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Conservative opponents of the bid to buy the Telegraph and Spectator backed by the United Arab Emirates got their way. An amendment to the Enterprise Act 2002, which could be law within weeks, will ban foreign states or government officials from holding direct stakes in British newspapers. Yet it would have been better for the Conservative Party if the UAE bid had succeeded. Because the media expertise in the consortium behind that bid was provided by the former president of CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker. And his ambition was to make the Telegraph a centre-right counterweight in ...
"Everything John Barnett said about Boeing's problems was true. Everything. If the company had been willing to listen to him, 346 airline passengers would still be alive. And maybe Barnett would be too." Joe Nocera on the death of whistleblower. Tim Eaton and Christopher Phillips look at British foreign policy with David Cameron as foreign secretary. "Cameron's energy ... does not appear to be part of a broader foreign policy strategy. The UK's response towards Gaza and MENA [ the Middle East and North Africa] in general remains reactive and Britain is not at the forefront of discussion on what ...
Today is Easter Monday – one of a pitifully small number of bank holidays that we enjoy in the UK. The Republic of Ireland has 10 public holidays each year, France has 11, Spain has 12, Denmark and Norway have 14 each, whilst Nepal has an astonishing 39. We are right at the bottom of the list with only 8 public holidays per year. This year the Republic of Ireland introduced a new public holiday on the first Monday in February to celebrate St Brigid, Ireland's only female patron saint. The date is also known in Gaelic traditions as Imbolc, ...
Any suggestion that the Tories may have stolen the initiative from Labour on Non-Dom tax status has quickly dissipated as details of the Chancellor's proposals emerged. The Guardian reports that Conservative plans to abolish non-dom status are riddled with loopholes worth hundreds of millions of pounds for the wealthiest people in the country. The paper says that the policy, announced by Jeremy Hunt in this month's budget, could theoretically see Rishi Sunak's family benefit from tax savings of nearly £250m. They add that the findings will renew focus both on Sunak's own wealth - his most recent tax return showed ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 1 APRIL 2024 Blinshall Street (Douglas Street to 50 metres south) - closed until 27 May 2024 for road safety concerns. Douglas Street (Blinshall Street to Brown Street) - temporary traffic lights until June 2024 for construction works. Brown Street (south of Douglas Street) - closed until May 2024 for construction works. Seafield Road, Dundee - closed from its westmost end (in cul-de-sac) extending for a distance of no more than 20 metres in an easterly direction to facilitate a site access for ...
In a press release, today, Shropshire Council has announced a competition for the most potholed and most wrecked road in Shropshire. The council is claiming the competition will be a world first, allowing communities to celebrate the decaying infrastructure they must put up with day after day. The council believes that other councils will follow its lead. Launching the competition, the council leader promised world class prizes: "The prize of winning the competition will be an immediate repair of the road. We will have crews standing by for an overnight repair, weather permitting. "Winning will be give instant fame for ...
Members of the party's campaigners email list have started receiving emails inviting them to install our latest campaigning app. We already have MiniVAN for canvassing, the new conference app produce by Young Liberals and now there is also Penhaligon for leaflet delivery. It is named after David Penhaligon, whose quote adorns many a mug in Lib Dem kitchens: "stick it on a piece of paper and stuff it through a letterbox". The interface is similar to MiniVAN: you load (or are sent) a delivery list, and the app gives you both a map with pins on it or a list ...
