Review – Matfen Hall Hotel
By Courtney Greatrex Top holiday destinations for Brits are usually London, or the coast - but why not try Northumberland? I booked in for a weekend's stay at Matfen Hall Hotel, a beautiful estate just 25 minutes drive from Newcastle Upon Tyne. If you're coming from the south, I will admit it may seem like a fair hike - but I can guarantee that upon arrival, you will not want - or need - to leave the grounds. There’s plenty...
Alex Lodge: Weekly Report Vol. 33
By Alex Lodge (@alexlodgemusic | Insta @alexlodgemusic7) Alex Lodge is a music supervisor for film, TV and advertising at Studio 32 Music. Some more familiar names on the list this week (an awesome version of Crazy In Love and a Katy B track with FourTet and Floating Points), along with Gil Scott-Heron, a great Yusef Lateef track, more Nicolas Jaar and lots of others. As always, visit my blog to listen back to the previous 32 weeks. Happy listening… https://open.spotify.com/user/11123730619/playlist/3DvamLiez3h5YRQS1ViKNY
The culinary scene in today’s Paris
Some things never change. Pockets of Italy notwithstanding, you’d be hard pushed to find anywhere as serious about their cuisine as Paris - and thanks be for that. It means after a quick Eurostar ride, you feel a million miles away from the fried chicken joints that punctuate the UK’s high streets, and London’s painfully on fleek one-dish restaurants where patrons need to factor in 30 minutes of momentum-killing queuing time. Exploring Paris's restaurants at the start of the year,...
Iain Duncan Smith to Repeal 1833 Factory Act, Women’s Right to Vote and Indian Independence
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has decided to claw back some landmark laws he believes we don’t deserve anymore. He was interviewed, during a love-in, on the Andrew Marr show, where he explained why he took his “tough decisions.” On women’s right to vote he said: “I brought in universal credit to replace universal suffrage, they have had it too good for too long.” On the 1833 Factory Act he said: “These children have not had to...
Iain Duncan Smith Refuses End to “despicable” Bedroom Tax & Evades Rising Legal Costs
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Today Iain Duncan Smith refused to stop his "despicable" Bedroom Tax, as he evaded questions on a landmark Court of Appeal, not for the first time. He hid behind a junior colleague, but eventually he was caught unaware by a spontaneous question, from Labour's Rupa Huq. Huq was discussing why three judges said the Bedroom Tax discriminated against domestic violence victims and carers. She said to Smith: "This despicable and discredited policy needs to go"....
With Such Respected Dissidents, Labour Can Reframe The Way We Understand Economics
By Callum Towler I’m not an economist. Probably the closest I’ve come is when an idiot once tried to call me a communist. And here I am writing an article on the subject. Well I’ve heard economics is an art rather than a science, which makes sense: if the "experts” can get it so catastrophically wrong, then I guess our opinions are as valuable as theirs. Since the global economy imploded, I’ve naturally sided with experts calling for its reform....
VIDEO – Donald Trump Speech…In a Cockney Accent
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Here is a video of a Donald Trump speech, where he spouts off about whatever appears in his mind, nothing new there. However, in this clip a cockney accent replaces his voice. No words were changed, which makes it all the more shocking. Enjoy...if that's the word I am looking for. Watch Video Here - Credit Peter Serafinowicz
The Rhodes’ Statue Debate is a waste of everyone’s time
By Darragh Roche Anyone who thinks taking down a statue of Cecil Rhodes will strike a blow against racism is delusional. The small, loud and opportunistic group of Oxford students demanding that Oriel College remove the statue are wasting everyone's time and will achieve nothing. The statue of a man who has been dead since 1902 has as much bearing on modern racial politics as a portrait of Henry VIII has on church-state relations. Once again an attention-seeking student organisation...
Tory Minister Anna Soubry at Centre of Northern Powerhouse Row Told “be quiet – it’s not about you!”
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Tory Minister, Anna Soubry, fell out with the speaker (again) this time during a debate about the "Northern Powerhouse" where she heckled Labour's statement. The Business Minister's decision to close her department's Sheffield office and move 247 jobs to London had offended the Labour Party and beyond. Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh accused her of "contempt for the north" after she failed to guarantee the survival of more offices in Gateshead, Leeds, Manchester and Teesside ....