The portents did not look good for David Cameron. His party’s previous attempts to tackle extremism had been angry in tone and light on solutions. In other words, the end result was counter-productive: Muslim communities felt alienated, and precious little – in terms of making Britain safer – was achieved. The Prime Minister has made a start on reversing these failures.
Contrary to what the Prime Minister seems to believe, the ideology behind Nazism did not grow out of a vacuum – it was fuelled by the deep sense of humiliation experienced by Germans as a result of the terms imposed on their country in the aftermath of the First World War.
It is surely to the chagrin of many in Scotland, as well as Aberdeenshire Council, that they find themselves linked to the deep-fried battered Mars bar. Or “national delicacy, the battered Mars bar” as it’s sweepingly referred to, suggesting that just past Gretna Green one will spot hoards of sticky-faced, morbidly obese nougat-addicts, cramming fats fried in fat into shame-free fat gobs.
Already the last election seems like distant history. The Government moves with such speed on all fronts that it is easy to forget its tiny majority was secured less than two months ago. Trade unions totter, the BBC trembles, doctors seethe uneasily, Network Rail is overhauled and the Chancellor bypasses the Low Pay Unit to set a minimum wage as he dismantles Labour’s welfare reforms in a single budget.
A look at the best devices on the market to help your little ones have fun and learn, too
I was fascinated to read a piece in Saturday’s Independent by one of our best writers, Boyd Tonkin, on rewilding – the wildlife conservation technique which involves restoring vanished ecosystems, recreating a natural wilderness and returning lost animals, including large predators, to their original habitats.
The Prime Minister made a giant leap for UK counter-extremism strategy today with his speech in Birmingham. In it, he set out his vision for a five year plan to tackle extremism in all its forms, both violent and non-violent, from far-right to Islamist.
Forget David Cameron’s five-year plan on terrorism, you know who would really be good at countering home-grown, violent Islamist extremism? Disgruntled British jihadists who have made the mistake of joining Islamic State and have lived to renounce their decision.
When a television drama production crew pitched up on Cromer beach in Norfolk, almost the entire town, it seemed, crowded on to the promenade to watch filming, despite the worsening weather. Even Broadchurch, when that shoots on Dorset's Jurassic Coast, doesn't attract this much interest, and BBC1's Partners In Crime is a new show with as yet no fan base.
Imagine a Prime Minister, during the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, announcing in a speech that he intended to tackle terrorism head on. To do this, he would crack down on the churches which “quietly condone” the IRA, and criminalise opposition to “British values” and the “rule of law” amongst dissidents.
The Sun’s publication of images showing our future Queen making Nazi-style salutes in a 1933 home movie has caused something of a furore. This despite the fact that the newspaper itself was careful to emphasise that the pictures of the then 7- or 8-year-old Princess Elizabeth can hardly be taken as indicative of any early political stirrings in a young girl who, at that stage, was seemingly not destined for the throne.
Though asexuality isn't something which is often discussed in the media, it is used in entertainment: think Sherlock Holmes eschewing of all things sexual and thus adding to the dramatic portrayal of the character’s single-minded pursuit of intellectual truth, or think Sheldon in Big Bang Theory brushing up against a sexualised world and thus ramping up the comedic tension in the sit-com.
1. The House of Commons votes on cuts to tax credits this evening. Despite George Osborne holding up a big neon sign saying, “It’s a trap for Labour!”, it looks as if many Labour MPs will walk into it.
Holier-than-thou contests don’t come more berserkly knockabout than the one that breaks out between two filthy, near-naked fourth-century monks in this 1969 play by Peter (The Ruling Class) Barnes.
A huge green tree spreads its branches over Dutch National Ballet’s Cinderella, an image of the heroine’s protective mother. For a story about transformations, Christopher Wheeldon’s production finds plenty of changes for itself. It’s an inventive, often tender-hearted staging, with swirling dances and satisfying stage magic.
I’m going for a world record later in the year: the fastest traverse of a 34-mile-long trail near where I live. Because thanks to Strava, the athletic tracking app, I have found a piece of the planet where, apparently, nobody has attempted to time themselves running. Get Guinness on the phone, the record is mine to snaffle.