The London City Gentleman: On why manners maketh man
There is a certain sort of person who likes to talk a great deal about the importance of etiquette. There is also a lot of discussion about the decline of modern manners. At the same time we live in a time of the decline of ritual – if you want an emblem, my former employer, the House of Commons, has decided that the clerks should no longer wear wigs and court dress (the House of Lords has not followed suit,...
What Can Sadiq Khan Do To Solve London’s Vacant Property Crisis?
During his successful campaign to become the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan promised to make London’s housing crisis his “single, biggest priority.” In fact, Khan said in his manifesto that “it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking to business leaders, local residents, charities or community groups: far and away the biggest issue across the board is London’s housing crisis.” Despite the lack of affordable housing, it isn’t for lack of properties. The most recent statistics found that there were 56,715 vacant...
Indie films may win awards, but we need more people to watch them
Moonlight’s Best Picture win at the 89th Academy Awards will always be remembered as the most botched Oscars moment of all time. Which is a shame, because it is historic in many other ways. Moonlight is also the first Best Picture winner to have an all black cast and to tackle LGBT issues. In the wake of #OscarsSoWhite, this marks great progress. But there is a less positive way Moonlight’s Best Picture win has made history; the film is the...
“Truly shocking” figures show FOUR million children affected by poverty
New figures have shown that four million children are affected by poverty. These statistics are a damning indication of the circumstances that large sections of the country find themselves in on a daily basis. The Children’s Society have slammed the figures and said the situation is “clearly getting worse.” The charity has claimed that around a third of children are now living in poverty. In a time when the economy is growing this shows that many are being left behind...
Man bikes around the world on a Boris bike
A biking mad entrepreneur made a round the world cycling trip - on a Boris bike. Chris Astil-Smith, 24, rented the Boris bike in London and cycled around seven cities including New Delhi, Las Vegas and Paris - and landed himself a £300 late return fine. For three weeks in January Chris cycled around five countries and spent two days in each city capturing the trip with friend and videographer Alex Tyrwhitt. He faced security trouble in New York as...
Tony Blair isn’t innocent, he’s not guilty
As anyone who has been gripped by the Netflix series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story will attest, in certain cases power and influence is all you need to get a "not guilty" verdict. The trial was a case of hard evidence on the side of the State versus a heavily bankrolled legal team batting for the defendant. OJ's blood was found at the crime scene, the DNA was a direct match, strands of hair consistent with Simpson's were found on...
Today irony died: Theresa May says no referendum without knowing what alternative looks like
Warning: this is what it looks like when irony dies. And it's not pretty. Outlining the reasons the SNP are calling for another Scottish independence referendum now that Scotland faces the threat of being dragged out of the European single market as well as out of the EU, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon explained: "Our precious union of nations is the most successful that the world has ever seen... We've worked together, we've prospered together, we fought wars together. And we have a bright future.... We should...
Cheshire rescue dog awarded ‘Animal OBE’
An extraordinary search and rescue dog from Cheshire was honoured today (Thursday 16 March 2017) by leading vet charity PDSA for his devotion to duty in some of the world’s most challenging regions. At a special ceremony at Manchester Town Hall, Border Collie Bryn became the latest recipient of the prestigious PDSA Order of Merit* – the animals’ OBE. Bryn’s award is in recognition of his exemplary service as a search and rescue dog, working with Cheshire Fire and Rescue...
Top 5 artworks at Hockney’s Tate Britain exhibition
David Hockney is one of the most iconic living artists in the world and as he approaches his 80th birthday the Tate Britain has gathered a huge selection of his works. His career has spanned six decades and the versatile artists working in various forms including drawing, print, photography, painting and digital creations. Hockney has always embraced new technology and used it to bring a new style to his masterpieces. I spend virtually all my time running the site (violins...