Steve Gedge

On what would have been Margaret Thatcher's 100th birthday, a reminder of what this awesome woman said at her funeral.

If they're delivering this in NR2 - a district in which they have no hope of any success - what must it be like in their target areas?

BBC News explain that because of Brexit, Brits will be photographed and have their fingerprints taken when going into the EU, as the UK now is a third country

BBC News forget to explain that the UK helped create these rules when we were part of the EU because we wanted stronger border control

How deference becomes client journalism in plain sight We have come through a period of often shameful journalism, bending the knee to Downing Street. Can our journalism recover?

British journalism has been through a shameful era – bending the knee to Downing Street.

Can it ever recover its dignity? Peter Thurlow wonders.

Clive Lewis MP: ‘I Never Thought I’d Hear Myself Say I Think My Party is Making this Country Weaker in Preparation for an Authoritarian-Right Government’

Peter Jukes and Hardeep Matharu speak to the backbench Labour MP to understand why the Government is focusing on how to ‘stop the boats' rather than fixing people's everyday lives

"Zoe Webber and her merry band of LinkedIn boys" totally sums up the faceless club regime. What other club would have chosen to appoint a Tory MP's caseworker as "Head of Supporter Engagement" and then added "and Public Affairs" to his job title? NCFC's PR is now operating at a Gerald Ratner level.

Wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest, it's still early June 2016.

'Please call the game off' - seven days that shook Scottish football by Andy Mitchell This is the story of an extraordinary week in 1997 when events unrelated to football conspired to make the Scottish Football Association and its boss vilified throughout the UK.  ...

Ahead of Scotland v Belarus, a look back at the equivalent match in 1997 which was played in very strange circumstances - a bewildering start to my time as team press officer: www.scottishsporthistory.com/sports-histo...

"Mel Stride is a name more suited to a haulage contractor from Biggleswade than shadow chancellor of the exchequer. He wears the avuncular expression of a man promoting a brand of cigarettes."
👍

England is now experiencing a significant Covid wave, after 10 months of relative quiet The latest Covid situation in England and a look at where NHS services are as we head into winter

After a long pause, I've just done another England Covid & NHS update as we head into the autumn/winter season.

TLDR: we're in a significant Covid wave now, the NHS is stretched, get boosted if you're eligible.

christinapagel.substack.com/p/england-is...

Happisburgh.

Kate warns too much screen time damages family life The Princess of Wales says that smartphones and digital devices are causing an

What qualifies Kate Middleton to co author with Prof Robert Waldinger from Harvard Medical School on the subject of screentime and smartphones?

Her degree is in art history and her career was spent working for a clothing company.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Clegg legitimised Cameron, giving him five safe, unchallenged years in No 10, to the point when he thought he was infallible and would win the 2016 referendum easily. You can directly link Brexit and all the ills which followed to Clegg's dream of enjoying ministerial perks. The man's a total fraud.

As things currently stand:
Three Norfolk councils - Reform wins two
Two - Reform wins at least one
One - Reform wins

YouTube video by John Foxx - Topic Underpass

Recommendation for @richards7370.bsky.social's debut album challenge:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSVl...

John Foxx - Metamatic

#5debutalbums8084

I'd follow that up with In It For The Money.

Clegg legitimised Cameron, giving him five safe, unchallenged years in No 10, to the point when he thought he was infallible and would win the 2016 referendum easily. You can directly link Brexit and all the ills which followed to Clegg's dream of enjoying ministerial perks. The man's a total fraud.

Have to say @stevocook.bsky.social here has probably written the best thing I've ever read on MFW.

Yet another day of Newsquest's Eastern Daily Press running stories subliminally promoting Rupert Lowe rather than asking him any difficult questions. It's all just jolly japes to them, but this is what happens when you sacrifice your local news credibility in a bid to attract the bigot audience.

Norfolk MP joins local flaggers up ladders after spending £500 on St George's Crosses Rupert Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP, has spent £500 on 164 St George's Crosses which he is helping to fix to lampposts throughout the town.

www.edp24.co.uk/news/2552246...

Minister Robert Jenrick ordered painting over of child asylum unit murals - BBC News Robert Jenrick is reported to have considered the cartoon images in the Dover centre too welcoming.

This is who Robert Jenrick is.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-poli...

"[Rupert] is a really down-to-earth guy. Although he has a very posh voice, people can still relate to him, he is really humble and funny."
How does this man have the intellectual capability to run his own business?
Yet more bigoted right-wing clickbait from Newsquest.
archive.is/Jb3Am#select...

Sun Politics @SunPolitics • 1h 'Gary Neville is an out of touch multimillionaire - the money has gone to his head' Watch the full interview with @MrHarryCole and organiser of the Epping protests Adam Brooks on Harry Cole Saves The West here:

The Sun’s former political editor, formerly of the scum gossip blog Guido F*wkes, is not interviewing a far right activist and agreeing rich footballers hate Britain because he has been radicalised by X The Everything App. That is a bedtime story for people who don’t want to face reality.

Big thanks to @birmingham81.bsky.social for recommending being sure to see the Hanging Stars - they were great. Their namechecking of Gerard Love was no surprise!

I consider myself a political animal but until this week I had never heard of Katie Lam. "Next Tory leader," some say. Really?

If I was really picky I'd have wanted Keep On Burning on the set list, but like all the other comments on here in recent days Edwyn Collins put on an emotional night to remember.

Norwich was the latest stop on the @edwyncollins.bsky.social testimonial tour. What a night.