100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth. A key moment in her reign Socialist Worker, July 1981 The front page of Socialist Worker in the week Charles married Diana in 1981. It was street sold. It stood perhaps more in the anti-monarchist tradition of Reynolds&#821…

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Lots of issues as always but good to see @jeremycorbyn.bsky.social back in his old patch in Tottenham campaigning for Haringey Socialist Alliance candidates in the May 7th elections

Interesting piece in the Financial Times (20th April) about the return of the workplace bar in the US & the UK. Those were the days (possibly) & I recall some that sold real ale. There were & still are issues however....

The Times 20th April. Matthew Parris was a right-wing Tory MP

ah ok. I'm watching the football, will catch up with UC after

Who Mr Richards?

House of Commons debates Vetting. Diane Abbott provides Really Useful Knowledge. Mandelson had a history The Prime Minister has gone on at considerable length about process and procedure, but ordinary people do not really care about process and procedure; they want transparency, and they want to know …

House of Commons Vetting debate. Diane Abbott & @johnmcdonnellmp.bsky.social on the political origins of Mandelsonism & where it led
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House of Commons debates Vetting. John McDonnell provides some really useful knowledge on Labour Together Many on the Labour Benches, at least, will appreciate my right hon. and learned Friend’s apology today, but many of us remain bewildered about why the appointment took place, despite the warnings t…

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House of Commons debates Vetting. Diane Abbott provides Really Useful Knowledge. Mandelson had a history The Prime Minister has gone on at considerable length about process and procedure, but ordinary people do not really care about process and procedure; they want transparency, and they want to know …

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@johnmcdonnellmp.bsky.social : "Isn't the reality this, that when he sought to realise his ambition to become leader of the Labour party with very little base in the party, he became dependent on McSweeney and Mandelson and Labour Together to organise, fund his election.."

Keir Starmer: Like a Rolling Stone Keir Starmer explained to the House of Commons on 20th April how he had managed not to find out that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting before being appointed to the role of US Ambassador …

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the figure is from the Administrators list of creditors posted at Companies House. It seems unlikely that the detail will appear unless Lords themselves choose to do so

2026 Beard, Shorts and Sandals Season open. Sunglasses in vogue Beard Liberation Front 18th May Contact Keith Flett @keithbeard.bsky.social 2026 Beard, Shorts & Sandals Season open. Sunglasses in vogue The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network o…

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Tony Benn knew about Mandelson in the mid-1980s. Did Keir Starmer also know? Tony Benn has a number of references to Peter Mandelson in his Diaries. One from 1987 is below Monday 16th February 1987. Today we had a meeting of the NEC and the Shadow Cabinet, the first since N…

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As Starmer faces the Commons, Tony Benn’s Diary on Mandelson after Labour’s May 1997 Election victory: ‘absolutely loathed’ Tony Benn was in a small minority it seems to have spotted that Peter Mandelson was not the ideal person to have around well before Labour’s landslide victory in the May 1997 General Election…

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As Starmer faces the Commons, Tony Benn’s Diary on Mandelson after Labour’s May 1997 Election victory: ‘absolutely loathed’ Tony Benn was in a small minority it seems to have spotted that Peter Mandelson was not the ideal person to have around well before Labour’s landslide victory in the May 1997 General Election…

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watched the BBC programme on the 100th anniversary of Queen Liz. Farage didn't feature once but Blair did several times. Checking the archives for the Socialist Worker front page (29th July 1981) 'Big Ears marries Noddy' (Charles & Diana's Wedding)...

Campaign for Real Ale conference weekend. Drinking a beer I first had 50 years ago CAMRA conference weekend. Drinking a beer I first had in the 1970s It was the Campaign for Real Ale AGM and Conference this weekend in St Albans. Like many social movements there are issues and mem…

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From ‘craft’ to independent beer. Where are we in 2026? From ‘craft’ to independent beer. Where are we in 2026? I attended the annual conference of the Campaign for Real Ale at the weekend. It was in St Albans, but other commitments meant I was on-line.…

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Ambridge Socialist. Bert Horrobin deserves better than the enormous condecension of posterity The Ambridge Socialist 19th April Bert Horrobin deserves better than the enormous condescension of posterity After a long break the BBC has decided to cover (rather than just report) what Bert Horr…

This week's Ambridge Socialist. We ask, is Bert Horrabin a working class hero
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Brewdog failure leaves Lords cricket ground with large debt & West Ham FC with a much smaller one In 2024 Lords Cricket Ground took the perhaps surprising step of announcing Brewdog has their beer partner for the ground in the 2025 season. Reportedly things went well and 750,000 pints were sold…

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Tony Benn knew about Mandelson in the mid-1980s. Did Keir Starmer also know? Tony Benn has a number of references to Peter Mandelson in his Diaries. One from 1987 is below Monday 16th February 1987. Today we had a meeting of the NEC and the Shadow Cabinet, the first since N…

wp.me/p15p2Q-gAQ

Ambridge Socialist. Bert Horrobin deserves better than the enormous condecension of posterity The Ambridge Socialist 19th April Bert Horrobin deserves better than the enormous condescension of posterity After a long break the BBC has decided to cover (rather than just report) what Bert Horr…

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indeed. I've covered that in another post

Brewdog failure leaves Lords cricket ground with large debt In 2024 Lords Cricket Ground took the perhaps surprising step of announcing Brewdog has their beer partner for the ground in the 2025 season. Reportedly things went well and 750,000 pints were sold…

Howzat. The failure of Brewdog has left Lords Cricket Ground with a £420,000 debt they won't be able to recover
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Times obituary of Andy Kershaw-‘northerner’ In the Rupert Murdoch ownership era The Times mostly does stories that have appeared in the S*n with more sentences. However some parts of the traditional paper have survived. The cricket coverage …

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The debts Brewdog can’t pay The debts Brewdog can’t pay revealed Documents filed at Companies House have revealed those were owed money when Brewdog went into administration in early March with debts of £550m. The debt was al…

Brewdog failed in March with £550m debts. There is a lot of unsecured debt where less than a penny in the pound will be paid. Some debts: Vault City Brewery £27,000 West Ham FC £12,000 kmflett.wordpress.com/2026/04/17/t...

Is 6.5% the new beer zeitgeist? Beers from @verdantbrew.bsky.social & Dark Element/Craft Republic. Different hops but both very quaffable

The debts Brewdog can’t pay The debts Brewdog can’t pay revealed Documents filed at Companies House have revealed those were owed money when Brewdog went into administration in early March with debts of £550m. The debt was al…

Brewdog failed in March with £550m debts. There is a lot of unsecured debt where less than a penny in the pound will be paid. Some debts: Vault City Brewery £27,000 West Ham FC £12,000 kmflett.wordpress.com/2026/04/17/t...

Which is closed more tightly?
1) The Epstein Files
2) The Straight of Hormuz