Last night it was Highgate Cemetery. Tonight it's the Crystal Palace dinosaurs. Our Mother's House was one of my 10 British films that should be better known: A fatherless family of children hide the death of their mother from the authorities by burying her in the garden because they fear being sent to an orphanage. Among the children are Pamela Franklin, Mark Lester, Phoebe Nicholls (immediately recognisable as Cordelia in the famous television adaptation of Brideshead Revisited) and Louis Sheldon Williams, whose mother wrote a weekly column for Liberal News in the Sixties, as I did for Liberal Democrat News ...
Our Labour Government was elected precisely four months ago today. We might now be expecting the joy at the dawn of the sunlit uplands to be fading slightly. Sadly, this vision never actually took off. The government seems to have been on the "back foot" from the start. This is partly due to inexperience (government is probably more difficult than we spectators, even those who've occupied the Opposition Front Bench, think it is), and partly due to inept perception management (which now seems to be called "comms.") Why on earth announce the potentially controversial decision to drop the pensioners' winter ...
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has opened its Purr Minister contest for 2024. It sees politicians' cats competing in a public vote to draw attention to animal welfare issues. Running an eye over the runners, there's only one choice for the loyal Liberal Democrat. Step forward Murphy, a 21-year-old veteran belonging to our own Layla Moran. Among the opposition are Mr Speaker's Attlee and the Bishop of Newcastle's Ebba.
I am saddened to report the death of Professor Norman McCord. Norman was one of the North East's foremost historians and 40 years ago he was one of my lecturers when I studied history at Newcastle University. He was also something of a mentor to me when I was carrying out the research for my PhD. After I graduated, we kept in touch and for many years. Norman, myself and other historians
Delighted to announce the publication of my new fantasy adventure book, Whyllmoon. Now available as a Kindle Unlimited eBook on Amazon: (Click on the book cover to go to Amazon site)
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2024 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 a new housing development until November 2025. Blinshall Street (Douglas Street to 50 metres south) - closed until December 2024 for construction works. Douglas Street (Blinshall Street to Brown Street) - temporary traffic lights until December 2024 for construction works. Brown Street (south of Douglas Street) - closed until ...
It's not been a great start for Kemi Badenoch as Tory leader. Charged with forging a fresh start for her party in an effort to win back lost support, Badenoch instead ploughed straight into a new controversy by apparently seeking to absolve Boris Johnson of his breach of lockdown rules during covid as number ten partied while we stayed at home. The Guardian reports that families bereaved by the Covid pandemic say they feel insulted by Kemi Badenoch's claim that the Partygate scandal was "overblown". The paper adds that the new Conservative party leader also told the BBC that Boris ...
