Blast from the pastWhile sorting some papers in my office at home recently, we came across this blast from the past. It was my election leaflet from April 1992 when I stood in Hexham, then the neighbouring constituency to where I lived in Gateshead. The haircut with a left parting did not survive the election for long. The parting shifted to the middle. A few years later, the whole style changed again (more) |
Beamish comes to SunnisideThe next meeting of Sunniside History Society will be on 7th January 2026. A speaker from the museum will give a talk about the recently added attractions, particularly in the 1950s town. As usual, all residents are welcome. (more) |
Rutland mosaic depicts lost Aeschylus narrative of the Trojan WarThe Roman mosaic discovered at Ketton in Rutland five years ago is even more remarkable than first thought. A story on the University of Leicester website explains why: New research from the University of Leicester has conclusively determined why the famous Ketton mosaic in Rutland - one of the most remarkable Roman discoveries in Britain for a century - cannot depict scenes from Homer's Iliad as was initially believed. Instead, it draws on an alternative version of the Trojan War story first popularised by the Greek playwright Aeschylus that has since been lost to history. The mosaic's images combine artistic ... (more) |
Mathew on Monday: the UK and Europe must show moral leadership in today's London talks on UkraineAs leaders gather in London today for urgent talks on Ukraine, one truth should sit at the heart of every discussion: this is not simply a diplomatic meeting, it is a moral test – for the UK, for Europe, and for every democratic nation that claims to stand for freedom. Nearly three years into Russia's brutal and illegal invasion, Ukraine continues to pay the highest price imaginable. Cities still scarred by missile strikes, families scattered across continents, children growing up under the shadow of war -these are not abstract foreign-policy concerns, they are the lived reality of a people fighting, ... (more) |
Starmer must address the NationIn case the message hasn't quite got through to our European Leaders, you can't voice it more starkly than in the new U.S. National Security Strategy. The new strategy shows the U.S. administration's contempt towards the European Union (unsurprisingly, given it is a powerful economic competitor). It believes the EU is endangering European civilisation (e.g. "migration policies", "loss of national identities", "censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition"), and declares that the U.S. will therefore "cultivate resistance" to save us, which will de facto lead to increasingly interfering in our internal politics to encourage right-wing governments getting elected. ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1446Cicero's Songs, making a welcome return, has naught for your comfort: "The decadence of the American Empire is upon us, and the consequences will be dire, unless the EU can manage to secure the defeat of Putin without American support. Quite possibly the USA may now seek to obstruct the Europeans in their attempts to bring Putin's murderous misadventure to a close." The allegations against British special forces operating in Afghanistan will not go away, argues Mark Urban. John Sweeney says Reform's 19-year-old leader of Warwickshire County Council is skating on thin ice: "[George] Finch's comments have the potential to ... (more) |
Barbarism and DecadenceNo one is quite sure which Frenchman in the 1920s suggested that "the United States is the only country that has gone from barbarism to decadence, with out the usual interval of civilization". It may have been a right wing French newspaper, it may have been Georges Clemenceau, though in any event it was treated as more a witty riposte to some US policy than a serious description of the then burgeoning power of the USA. The point was that the election of Warren Harding in 1920 had upended American foreign policy. Instead of joining the League of Nations- a ... (more) |
Weekly Road Report - West End Ward #dundeewestendDUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 8 DECEMBER 2025 Old Hawkhill - road closed from approximately 50m south of Hunter Street (building defect) from 9 October 2025 for approximately 3-6 months. Peddie Street - give and take traffic control from Monday 8 December 2025 for 2 weeks for lighting works. Perth Road (near Ninewells Avenue) - temporary traffic lights on Tuesday 9 December (9.00am to 4.00pm) for Scottish Water work. Nethergate (at West Marketgait) - off‑peak (9.30am to 3.30pm) temporary traffic lights and lane closures on Wednesday 10 December ... (more) |
Following the Russian playbookThe Guardian reports that at least eight MEPs elected for Ukip or the Brexit party are now known to have been the focus of efforts by jailed, former Welsh Brexit Party leader, and close associate of NIgel Farage. Nathan Gill. The paper says that three more British MEPs from Nigel Farage's bloc are alleged to have "followed the script" given to Gill, who was being bribed by an alleged Russian asset, according to prosecutors, as a police investigation into the affair continues: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has named Jonathan Bullock, Julia Reid and Steven Woolfe, saying they followed the ... (more) |