'I prefer to see historians as the guardians of the skeletons in the cupboard of the social memory...' (citing Peter Burke, 'History as Social Memory', 1989): Matthew Gabriele riffs off this to suggest that:
[W]hat Burke was trying to get at was that studying the past - and then, importantly, talking about it with an audience - is about revealing ( Read more... )

It seems, let us say, a little quaint and anachronistic to rule that an MP may not accuse another MP directly of lying: Dawn Butler ejected from Commons for saying Johnson has lied repeatedly. Labour MP accused the prime minister of misleading the Commons and the country over coronavirus.
This dates from the epoch, surely, when 'honourable member' ( Read more... )

Let it go
It is this deep blankness is the real thing strange.
The more things happen to you the more you can’t
Tell or remember even what they were.

The contradictions cover such a range.
The talk would talk and go so far aslant.
You don’t want madhouse and the whole thing there.

Empson reading it here.
***
And in rather different mood, 70s ( Read more... )

Spotted a newspaper placard saying something like 'Johnson threatened by imposters'.
And where my mind went to was a zap action* involving people in Boris masks and wigs showing up and taunting him in public places, which I think would be rather cool.
But apparently it is Boris fulminating that a 'sinister band of imposters' was using his name to ( Read more... )

I was a bit irked - apart from my previously stated historical-accuracy nitpicks - by the representation of women in The Limehouse Golem - no positive ties between any of the women characters, apparently either bitches or victims (even if the denouement complicated that), and the idea that Gay Men Were Their (unsuccessful and even deluded) Saviours ( Read more... )

The Garrick Club in London is preparing for a bitter struggle over whether to admit women members.. Not even the only club still to refuse the laydeez (I find this particularly ironic in the case of the Travellers' Club, given the many women who were noted for their excursions rather further than '500 miles from London' - 'If you miss the train I'm ( Read more... )

I was very intrigued by
( Read more... )

From today's ODNB Life of the Day, Timothy Bennett (1676/7-1756):
[R]emembered for his successful campaign to reopen a right of way across Bushy Park, a Tudor royal hunting ground and part of the Hampton Court Palace estate. The path, which ran for nearly 2 miles, was a popular route for local residents crossing the park between Hampton town and ( Read more... )

I am not sure that the death of an old woman with dementia is a cause for rejoicing, though may be a merciful release for her and her family.

In particular I can see little cause for rejoicing when something I would hesitate to call Thatcher's soul goes marching on, given the latest efforts of current government.

The time for rejoicing will be when ( Read more... )

There is annoying WOEZ WOEZ PC article criticising the protest against pink girly Lego ('celebrating not architecture and action but beauty salons, cupcake bakeries and poodle parlours': pass me a sparkly pink sickbag) in today's Guardian.

It is particularly irksome because Hannah Betts goes ' the one area we should never seek to police is [ ( Read more... )