Chuck out the checker?Tonight I was sent by a colleague the link to the Gateshead page on Poll Check. I've always had a bit of a sceptic view of polls that take the average of national polls and then project them onto ward contests. There is a significant proportion of the electorate which votes for a different party in local elections to national elections. Add into the equation some basic mistakes. For example, in (more) |
The Home Office tackles an apostrophe but not Elon MuskThe latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: A quick update about the Home Office's social media use policy, which encourages people to use Elon Musk's X. I got excited about an update to it... but the update was, let's say, niche. The Home Office and X [IMG: a close up of a cell phone with social media icons] Photo by ... (more) |
New light on the Mods and RockersI've just got back from an event at Leicester Central Library: High Flying Around: Memories of the 1960s Leicester Arts and Music Scene Join Leicester author and curator Shaun Knapp, author, curator and graphic designer Joe Nixon, musician Kenny Wilson, and the University of Leicester's Colin Hyde for a discussion on the arts and music scene in Leicester during the 1960s. I talk to Kenny Wilson sometimes in my favourite coffee shop in Market Harborough and Shaun Knapp turned out to be a member of Gypsy (who were called Legay earlier in their career), a Leicester band of the late ... (more) |
Secret Nothamptonshire on the building of the Welland ViaductI wouldn't call the Welland Viaduct exactly secret: it's nearly three-quarters of a mile long, 60 feet hight, contains 30 million bricks and is really quite hard to miss. But having been inspired to write posts by the BBC's Secret Shropshire and Secret Leicestershire pages, I though I would have a look at Secret Northamptonshire. And this is the story that caught my eye: Northants'"Grandest and Most Perfect" Structure The Harringworth or Welland Viaduct is one of the longest of its kind in Britain. Stradling the picturesque Northamptonshire valley, it is a magnificent example of Victorian construction and ambition. But ... (more) |
We must stand together against anti-Jewish hatredThe past week has forced many across our country to confront a deeply troubling reality: anti-Jewish hatred is not an abstract concern, but a present and growing threat here in Britain. Yet there remains a striking silence from parts of our society that have long prided themselves on standing against racism in all its forms. In the space of just days, three arson attacks have targeted the Jewish community, including petrol bomb attacks on synagogues in Finchley and Kenton. It is only by sheer good fortune that these buildings did not suffer the same devastating fate as the Hatzola ambulances ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1507"These settings are not registered - as they should be by law - with Ofsted. They are meant to be temporary, but a recent report by the children's commissioner found the average placement lasted six months - one child had been in a 'holiday camp/activity centre' for almost nine months."Alexandra Topping explains why social workers are forced to place children in unregistered homes. Heather Stewart analyses Labour's crabwise approach to closer economic ties with the EU. Richard Kemp condemns the snobbery behind the use of classical music to disperse groups of young people: "I have instead asked the Council and ... (more) |
Why does cautious Starmer keep getting it wrong?Yesterday, Keir Starmer faced Parliament to explain how a man who failed his security vetting ended up as Britain's most important ambassador. It is a question worth asking. But there is a deeper one beneath it: how does a prime minister who presents himself as the cautious, process-respecting antidote to Conservative chaos keep finding himself in exactly these situations? The Mandelson affair is, in miniature, the story of this government. A political decision was taken — to appoint a Labour grandee to a high-profile role. Warnings existed. Red flags had been raised. The vetting process that was supposed to filter ... (more) |