Finlay J. Macdonald visits the Flannan Isles and their lighthouseThis television film about the Flannan Isles, their lighthouse and the mysterious disappearance of its three keepers in 1900 was made by Finlay J. Macdonald in 1970. The light went over to automatic operation the following year. I once had bed and breakfast at Breasclete on the west coast of Lewis, and the owner was the grandson of one of the men aboard the Hesperus when it went out to the isles to see what was amiss with the light. It had not been seen to shine for 10 days. The film will tell you what they found there. Finlay ... (more) |
Inside Southwark's Green/Lib Dem coalition councilBBC News has posted a positive write up by Susana Mendonca of the Green/Lib Dem administration that has run the London Borough of Southwark since May's local elections. At those elections, the Green Party won 22 seats and the Lib Dems 12, then used their combined majority to take control. Southwark is the only London borough currently being run by such a coalition. The Lib Dems secured three posts in the leadership team, including that of deputy council leader which is filled by their group leader Victor Chamberlain. Chamberlain told BBC News: "The more we started talking, the more we ... (more) |
Blunders for Mr Burnham to AvoidAndy Burnham has successfully changed the mood music of our politics to inject a soupçon of confidence and even optimism, but there are various potential stumbling-blocks which could dent if not destroy his and our hopes. Top of the list in my view is: North Sea Oil Rumour has it that he is "minded" to authorise more drilling in the North Sea Oil Field. Anything which provides jobs (and the elusive "growth) is always a temptation for Labour politicians (the clue is in the name) but he should resist it - even the device of attaching new drilling to an ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1557Stefan Wolff, Elīna Šteinerte and Hervé Ascensio have investigated Russia's military indoctrination of Ukrainian children in its occupied territories: "The headteacher of the local school, accompanied by heavily armed soldiers, went from house to house to question parents who do not send their children to school and had not yet applied for Russian passports. He threatened them with the removal of their parental rights. He also said their children would be placed in institutions if they didn't yield to the pressure to do so." "The university's own financial reports show that 16 members of the University Executive Board are paid ... (more) |
Man vows to "never travel to Lincolnshire again" after Humber Bridge finesThe judges were aghast. What, never again see Lincoln Cathedral or the stone buildings of Stamford? Nevertheless, they gave Hull Live our Headline of the Day Award for its tale of a pissed off hedgehog rescuer. (more) |
The government's near-invisible power to veto legislationThe 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: Welcome to my latest update on work in the House of Lords, this time mentioning a welcome move by the Hansard Society. The problem of commencement [IMG: brown concrete building during sunset] Photo by Ian Kelsall on Unsplash As someone who has written about, and repeatedly raised in Parliament, questions about the quality ... (more) |
Public urged to help complete landmark survey of Welsh chapelsA rare mid-week local history related post today, as Nation Cymru reports that the organisers of a major national survey of Welsh chapels are appealing for public help after receiving responses for just one in 10 of the buildings identified so far. The news site says that Capeli Cymru, a new project from The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, has launched a census to map Wales' chapels in April 2026, which aims to build the most comprehensive picture in over a century of their condition, use and future, safeguarding one of Wales' most distinctive cultural ... (more) |
The hidden history of Euston, a lost canal and Cumberland MarketJohn Rogers takes us on a walk through a quarter of Camden that surprises even him. His blurb on YouTube says: From the Euston Station redevelopment, the site of the Euston Arch and the Bree Louise pub we go looking for a reservoir of the New River. In this area, North Gower Street, we have Speedy's Cafe and the filing location used in the TV show Sherlock for 221b Baker Street. From here we go to Cumberland Market, once London's last hay and straw market and look for the location of the Canal basin that served the market right until ... (more) |
How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?Given how popular (and lengthy!) my list of Reform councillor departures after the May 2025 elections turned out to be, here is a new list, this time for councillors elected under the Reform banner on 7 May 2026, or in by-elections after that date, who have already departed the party for one reason or another. Jay Cooper, Sefton: declared "not welcome" by Nigel Farage following reports of him calling the Holocaust a hoax and then resigned from the party (May 2026). Stuart Prior, Essex: expelled by Reform and resigned as a councillor after "he was accused the week before the ... (more) |
Lincolnshire - a flawed reform of local government and why it mattersIn the excitement of appointing a new Prime Minister, the Manchester Mayoral election, and Count Binface's adventures in Clacton, the government's proposals for local government reform in England have been overlooked by the media. This is a pity, as the implications of the changes will stay with us for a long time. How local government is organized affects how efficiently services are delivered to residents, and what they cost. Mathew Hulbert pointed out eloquently in LDV a fortnight ago that the government's proposed changes are not a technical administrative reform, but a profound political change. The motive behind current government ... (more) |