Richard Dimbleby, David Dimbleby, Henry Dimbleby and the hereditary principleDavid Dimbleby's current television series is questioning Britain's hereditary monarchy. So it's time for a thumping great ad hominem argument and some fun with the Dimblebys and the hereditary principle. Here's his father Richard Dimbleby in 1956. Because of his work as the BBC's war correspondent during World War II, including reports from newly liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, he was Britain's most celebrated broadcaster and a significant public figure. And here's David's son Henry Dimbleby, at the age of 13, in one of the two BBC adaptions of Arthur Ransome books - Coot Club and The Bix Six - ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1448David Howarth says Liberal Democrats should attack Brexit, not just "the Tories' botched Brexit deal". "Many have had to take extensive measures to protect their staff and service users. They've hired security guards, put trackers on phones, removed company listings and names from websites. In some cases, they've even installed safe rooms."Nicola Kelly describes how far-right attacks against refugee charities are causing workers to leave the sector to protect themselves. "Unable to defeat Ukraine quickly or force political capitulation in Kyiv, Russia has expanded the battlefield into the daily life of European societies. Moscow's objective is clear: weaken Western unity ... (more) |
ScrapAntics Winter GatheringThe ScrapAntics Winter Gathering is tomorrow - Sunday 14th December - from 12 noon to 3pm in its Community Hub in the Wellgate Shopping Centre. All welcome! (more) |
Swansea's link to the development of radarSwansea council's website tells us about Edward George 'Taffy' Bowen, who is honoured by a blue plaque on his former residence in Cockett, Swansea for his role in the early development of radar in both the UK and USA; particularly airborne radar and its applications in air to surface detection of ships and submarines (ASV), and air interception (AI). Near the end of the war, he moved to Australia, where he used this knowledge to carry out research that he headed as Chief of the Radiophysics Division of CSIRO: These programs, which included his enduring personal interest in cloud physics, ... (more) |
Hunting ley lines in Shropshire: The view from Stapeley HillIt turns out I've posted the second (Caus Castle) and third (Worthen) videos in this series, but not the first. So here it is. My serious walking days in the Eighties and Nineties reinforced my scepticism about ley lines: once you've climbed to a ridge you stay up there as long as possible. But this video does explore a fascinating landscape: I remember finding an ancient and overgrown holloway on Stapeley Hill myself. And if that doesn't convince you, just think of this as Shropshire hill porn. (more) |
John Carey and The Intellectuals and the MassesThe death of John Carey, the critic and former Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford, has been reported today. I discovered him through his 1992 book The Intellectuals and the Masses: Pride and Prejudice among the Literary Intelligentsia 1880-1939, which skewered the snobbish and anti-democratic attitudes that pervaded modernist literature and Fabian politics. Here is Ian Hamilton reviewing Carey's book in the London Review of Books the year it came out: The book is not meant to be straight literary criticism. It is about attitudes, not artworks. And on the matter of attitudes, Carey's testiness can be joyously unreined. ... (more) |
ALDC's by-election report - 11 December 2025[IMG: 4 parallel white vertical lines on orange background ALDC logo] This week, there were nine local council by-elections, from all over the country. Three local by-elections did not have a Liberal Democrat candidate. We start in the Highlands, where wewere able to gain this seat, at the expense of the SNP. Congratulations are due to Councillor Matthew Prosser and the local team for winning this seat. Highland Council, Fort William and Ardnamurchan First preferences: Liberal Democrats (Matthew Prosser): 925 (40.5%) SNP: 665 (29.1%) Reform UK: 220 (9.6%) Green Party: 216 (9.4%) Conservative: 175 (7.6%) Labour: 87 (3.8%) Liberal Democrats ... (more) |
Stuffed Victorian dog returns to train station homeThe judges didn't like "train station" but were won over by the second mention in the story below: "the beloved Victorian mascot". So BBC News wins our Headline of the Day Award. This post is illustrated with a picture of this blog's favourite Victorian dog, Sir William Wallace, who belonged to my great great grandmother's brother Sandy Campbell. This photo appeared in The Sphere for 13 October 1900, so he was very much a late Victorian dog. (more) |
Let him eat cakeThe Gateshead flyover closed to traffic a year ago today. The closure was an emergency measure because the 1960s structure was found to be unsound and bits were dropping off the edge. Labour Leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, told the BBC in March that the concrete eyesore would be demolished by the end of the year. Alas, with only 19 days left, it's looking like Martin's (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 18% (-2) 14% (nc) 12% (+1) 18% (nc) 30% (-1) -16% (4th, vs Ref) 10/12 GB ... (more) |