Merry Christmas to all our readersLittle lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee, Gave thee life, and bid thee feed By the stream and o'er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing, woolly, bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice? Little lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee? Little lamb, I'll tell thee; Little lamb, I'll tell thee: He is called by thy name, For He calls Himself a Lamb. He is meek, and He is mild, He became a little child. I a child, and thou a lamb, We are called ... (more) |
The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree: Ed Davey's Christmas messageLib Dem leader Ed Davey on why the trolls are wrong about the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree: Starting in 1947, Oslo has gifted a Christmas tree every year as a token of thanks for Britain's support during the Second World War. That included giving refuge to the King of Norway, Haakon VII, and the establishment in London of the Norwegian government-in-exile. The first such Christmas tree, however, came five years earlier and involved the creator Jame Bond, Ian Fleming. As The Times has reported: The tradition began on a drunken night out organised by the creator of James Bond... Denning, ... (more) |
What's the difference between Santa Claus and Father Christmas?Professor Thomas Ruys Smith has the answer: Father Christmas has been around a lot longer than Santa Claus. A version of Father Christmas called "Sir Christmas" featured in a fifteenth century carol, and Father Christmas himself was appearing regularly in print by the seventeenth century. At first, Father Christmas was just a personification of the season. Most often depicted wearing a crown of holly, he represented wintry weather, feasting and drinking with friends and family, and a generally merry spirit of Christmas celebration. But, at least to begin with, he didn't have anything to do with stockings. When Santa Claus became popular with Victorian children, slowly ... (more) |
Ed Davey's Christmas messageHere is Ed Davey's Christmas message. With that, we will bow out for our own Christmas break. We will be back briefly at the weekend, but our plan is to take a proper break and see you again on 2 January. We hope you all have a wonderful, peaceful and healthy Christmas and New Year. Our thoughts are with those who are finding this time of year difficult for whatever reason. See you in the New Year. (more) |
Alex Cole-Hamilton's Christmas messageScottish Lib Dem Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has released his Christmas message: First of all I would like to thank all of those in our emergency services and those in the military who cannot spend Christmas with their lived ones because they are on duty today. You have our thanks, stay safe. It's been a massively successful year for the Scottish Liberal Democrats. From pushing for action on long mental health waits and the closure of care homes, to delivering progress on the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion and the Belford Hospital in Fort William, I am so proud of how my party ... (more) |
Christmas memories - 1991With thanks to SJ Bogue and Dundee Memories, the watchnight service broadcast by the BBC from Dundee City Square on Christmas Eve back in 1991. (more) |
Reform under fire on special needs educationThe Mirror reports that the education minister leading efforts to overhaul the special education needs and disabilities system has criticised Reform UK for "blaming" parents. The paper says that the schools standards minister Georgia Gould has slapped down comments from Reform party figures, which have included claims of children being "naughty", bad parenting and an overdiagnosis of SEND issues: She fiercely rejected the idea of parents doing something wrong and warned such claims impact children's sense of identity and belonging at school. Asked about Reform, Ms Gould told The Mirror : "I've seen comments about over diagnosis, comments about parents ... (more) |
"The horrible ghost up on Nevill Holt hill"The Market Harborough Advertiser and Midland Mail for Thursday 19 August 1954 has a report on a benign ghost to be found at the Manor House in Medbourne. In those days the house belonged to a Mrs Beadon, who tells the paper she has seen the ghost on quite a number of occasions but has never resented his presence because he is a "perfectly good-tempered old man". She then added: "Not like the horrible ghost up on Nevill Holt hill, who makes the village people scared to walk up there after dark." Nevill Holt Hall, you may remember, is now ... (more) |
Mystery as hundreds of Victorian shoes wash up on beachThe judges were about to knock off for Christmas, but BBC News deserves our Headline of the Day Award for this. (more) |
The Joy of Six 1453Martin Barrow reports that, following the intervention of Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, it is hard to find anyone prepared to defend the current arrangements, outside the actual 'business' of children's homes and foster care. "Despite the numerous inquiries that have been carried out, the lessons identified often fail to translate into meaningful, lasting change. As a result, organisations find themselves repeating the same mistakes, leading to avoidable disasters. Those impacted wait years for answers, and political impetus for reform can wane."Rebecca McKee and Jack Pannell make the case for reform of public inquiries. The 'one ... (more) |